A poster falls somewhere in between a full written paper and presentation slides!
It should present your work in a focused and graphic style. The information in it should be well ordered and the key points easily and quickly accessible.
When designing your poster, there are some key things to keep in mind:
- Does it have an orienting title in a prominent position?
- Does it clearly show the subject and purpose of your work?
- Is the text large enough to read from a distance?
- Are any pictures or graphics pixelated or poor quality?
- Does the text contrast well with the background?
- Are the different sections easy to locate?
- Have you used a non-Serif font?
- Are headings clear (in bold or large font)
- Are the text boxes a ‘manageable’ size (typically 45-65 characters)?
There are some good resources that provide detailed guidance about developing posters. Additionally, you can download templates for posters from them.
http://www.craftofscientificposters.com/
Design Resources | Posters | NC State OR (ncsu.edu)
http://colinpurrington.com/tips/poster-design