Poster Design Workshop

March 1, 2011Catherine Tucker

Basics of Poster Making

• Text– All text should be legible at a distance of 3 to 4 feet. Use at least a

24-point type size for the main text. The title type should be at least 1.5 inches high.

– The title should be kept as short as possible so that it can be read quickly.

– Use upper and lower case type throughout the poster. ALL UPPER CASE TYPE IS MORE DIFFICULT TO READ.

– Serif fonts (such as Times) are generally easier to read in the body of the text. Sans serif fonts (such as Arial or Tahoma) are best used in titles, headings, and captions for emphasis.

– Print all text using a laser printer.– Use bold and/or italics for emphasis.

Basics of Poster Making

• Layout– Keep at least a 1-inch margin on all sides.– Layout should encourage the reader to “follow”

their way through the poster– Poster can be NO MORE THAN 40 INCHES TALL

Images

• Maps– Always use projections

vs.

– Map outlines are available for free through the Wikimedia Commons

PowerPoint Posters

• A poster created in PowerPoint consists of a single slide. • Launch Microsoft PowerPoint. PowerPoint will automatically open a

blank presentation. • To resize the slide, select Page Setup from the Design tab. • In the dialog box that pops up, select Custom under Slides sized for: • Then enter the width and height of your poster, in inches. PowerPoint

will automatically set portrait or landscape orientation based on the measurements you enter.

• The maximum size PowerPoint will allow for a slide is 56”. If you want your poster to be bigger than 56”, create it at half size and then print it at 200% scale. In this example, the desired poster size is 90” wide by 40” high, so it is designed at 48” by 18”.

Adobe Illustrator Posters

• Creating your document1. Launch Adobe Illustrator.2. From the File menu, select New.3. In the dialog box that pops up, enter a name for

your poster, the width and height of your poster, and RGB Color.

Adobe Illustrator Posters

• Basic Tools in Illustrator– Type tool

– Rectangle tool

Adobe Illustrator Posters

• Advanced Tools in Illustrator– Layers• Locking• Hiding

Tips and Tricks: Design

• Alignment– Powerpoint and Illustrator

• Guides– Illustrator only

• Grouping Text/Photos etc.– Powerpoint and Illustrator

Printing Information

• Contact Greg O’Toole in Oswald 613• Engineering Copy Center 101 Engineering Unit

A (campus map showing Engineering Units)863-1612

• Multimedia and Print Center Hostetter Building865-7544

Resources and Citations

• http://help.pop.psu.edu/publishing-and-research-methods/poster-design-tips

• http://help.pop.psu.edu/help-by-software-package/adobe-illustrator/handout-illus.pdf/view

• Thanks to Tara Murray for previous materials