Poster creation workshop

PSYC 11: Laboratory in Psychological Science

Jeremy R. Manning
Dartmouth College
Spring 2026

Today's plan

  • 15 min: Poster design principles and best practices
  • 5 min: Common mistakes to avoid
  • 30 min: Hands-on activity -- sketch your poster layout with your group

Anatomy of a scientific poster

  • Title bar: Title, authors, affiliations, contact info
  • Abstract: Brief summary of the work (some posters omit this)
  • Introduction: Motivation and research question
  • Methods: How you studied the question
  • Results: Figures and key findings
  • Discussion: Interpretation and future directions
  • References & Acknowledgments: Citations and funding/thanks

Typical layout: 3--4 columns, read left-to-right and top-to-bottom. The viewer's eye should flow naturally through your narrative.

Visual design principles

  • Your poster is a visual aid, not a paper on a wall
  • Use visual hierarchy to guide the reader's eye
  • Recommended font sizes:
    • Title: 72pt+
    • Section headers: 36pt+
    • Body text: 24pt+
  • White space matters -- it makes your poster feel clean and approachable
  • Limit each section to 3--5 bullet points or short sentences

Figures are the star

Your poster should be understandable from the figures alone.

  • Each figure needs a self-contained caption -- a reader should understand what the figure shows without reading the surrounding text
  • Choose figures that tell the story of your project
  • Label all axes, include legends, and use clear titles
  • Think about color choices: accessible, high-contrast, meaningful

Discussion: If someone walks by your poster and only looks at the figures, what would they learn? Would they understand your main finding?

Common poster mistakes

  • Too much text -- if your poster looks like a paper, you have too much text
  • Tiny fonts -- if you can't read it from 4 feet away, it's too small
  • No visual hierarchy -- everything looks the same importance
  • Figures without labels or captions -- unlabeled axes, missing legends
  • Wall of numbers -- tables of raw statistics without interpretation
  • Cluttered layout -- no white space, sections crammed together

What makes a poster effective?

  • Effective poster: Clear, concise title that states the finding. One or two prominent figures that tell the story. Minimal text organized in logical sections. Readable from 4 feet away. Logical left-to-right, top-to-bottom flow.
  • Ineffective poster: Vague title. Walls of text copied from a paper. Tiny, cluttered figures. No clear visual flow. Reader doesn't know where to look first.

Rule of thumb: A good poster can be understood in under 5 minutes. A great poster draws people in from across the room.

The "elevator pitch" test

  • Imagine someone stops at your poster and says, "So, what's this about?"
  • You should be able to explain:
    1. What question you studied
    2. How you studied it (one sentence)
    3. What you found (the key result)
    4. Why it matters
  • Practice this with your group right now -- take turns!

Hands-on activity: sketch your poster

  • Work with your group to sketch your poster layout on paper
  • Your sketch should address:
    • (a) Which figures will you include? What do they show?
    • (b) What are your section headings?
    • (c) What is the visual flow? Where does the reader's eye go first, second, third?
    • (d) What text is essential vs. cuttable?
  • TAs and the instructor will circulate to give feedback
  • Don't worry about making it pretty -- focus on structure and content

Wrapping up

  • Before next class: Refine your poster sketch based on today's feedback
  • Questions? Ask your TA, or reach out: