TCP Guidelines for a Product Design Poster

SEAS Technical Communication Program http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~tcp

Content
Title should highlight the product. Not Treating Diabetes, but An Improved Means of
Administering Insulin in Self-Management of Diabetes.
The thesis that the product is necessary should be prominent throughout.
Logical organization should be clear at all levels.
Do not include too much text (general rule is <800 words per poster). Less is more.
(See layout guidelines below.) Use bullet lists effectively for steps, processes.
Use clear and simple language in short and uncomplicated sentences or phrases.

Size and Orientation
Width = 40 in., Height = 30 in. i.e. landscape orientation.

Title and authors should be prominent.
Capitalize key words of the title.
Title should have largest font size on poster (~ 80 font size)
List all group members (usually under the title) in smaller type (size depends partly on
number of authors).

Choose font and type size to enhance readability.
Text should be ~20 pt. (no smaller).
Keep font sizes consistent (all headings the same, all text the same, etc.).
Avoid crazy fonts.

Set off text/graphics with empty space so that the reader can easily read the poster.
Make sure borders do not overlap text.

Poster should generally flow from left to right, from top to bottom.
Direction of reading should be clear to the reader.
Introductory information (introduce the need for the product) should be at top left,
conclusions and acknowledgements (your final device design, who helped you or funded
you) at bottom right.

Use color carefully.
No neons; pick colors that complement one another; make sure contrast between text and
background enhances readability. Black print on white background is most effective.
Be consistent with use of color (similar parts in similar color).
A black or dark blue poster is expensive to print and hard to look at.

Make sure graphics are easy to read and easy to relate to the text.
Label each graphic (graph, table, etc.) with a title, legend (units of measurement) and
caption. Give credit to the source, using appropriate citation style.
Refer to each graphic in the text. Put a graphic near the text it illustrates.
Use the type of graph (pie, bar, line, etc.) that best displays/explains the data.
Do not use elaborate shadings, crosshatching or colors to code graphs.
Do not crowd graphics with too much information.
TCP Guidelines for a Product Design Poster
SEAS Technical Communication Program http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~tcp


For more about creating posters with PowerPoint:
http://wic.library.upenn.edu/workshops/posterPPT.html

Updated 09 September 2011