Research Conference Help (URC & GRC)

Your poster should have clear sections that are easy to see and follow a logical order. Remember that most of your audience reads from left to right, top to bottom - so your sections should follow one of these reading patterns.

Specifications for dimensions:

The All Colleges Undergraduate Research Symposium:

• Recommended poster size 32" X 40" or 36" X 48"; posters not to exceed 36" X 48"

Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Symposium:

• Posters should not measure larger than 36" X 48"

COLSA URC:

• Posters should measure either 36" X 44" OR 44" X 36"

Tools for poster design:

• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Canva
• Piktochart

Choose colors that fit your topic. Some color associations are widely recognized (e.g. blue for water, green for sustainability) and some colors have a certain tone (loud, quiet, warm, cool). Colors relay a message, so think about what your colors are saying about your research.

Some basic tips:

• Keep it simple - choose a main color and an accent color
• Make it accessible - make sure there's enough contrast and avoid using red and green together (red-green is the most common type of color blindness)
• Complement your work - choose colors that are appropriate for the subject and tone of your research topic
• Be consistent - if you include a chart, infographic, or photograph, you can use the colors in your image as your color palette inspiration (or vice versa - update the colors in your graphic to match). The more consistent your colors are the more professional it will look.

• Write clear, short headings for each section.
• Use large text for headers - your poster should be readable from someone standing 6 ft away. Some guidelines:
  • Title - 85 pt
  • Authors - 56 pt
  • Headings - 36 pt
  • Body Text - 24 pt
  • Captions - 18 pt
• Choose a font that is simple and easy to read - sans serif fonts are easier to read than serif fonts.
• Make sure your font color has enough contrast with the background color to be easily seen and read.
• ​Left-aligned text is easier to read than centered text.