Creating an eye-catching academic poster for the UniverCity Year poster session is not as challenging as you might think. In this case, less is more. You do not have to include every piece of information on your poster. You have to include just enough to make a person want to stop and talk to you to learn more. Below are a few tips to get you started. Feel free to contact us for advice on putting together your poster and for feedback on your design. We’re here to help!
Top 10 pieces of information to include on your poster
- Headline
- Subhead
- Class name and number
- Professor’s name
- Students’ names. (Optional. You may choose to put your name on your poster. Keep in mind your privacy. Posters may be made public or displayed in public spaces after the event.)
- Goal of project
- Methods
- Findings
- Recommendations
- Include the UniverCity Alliance website URL (univerCity.wisc.edu) if desired for people to learn more about the project and partnership
Top 5 suggestions for designing a poster
- Pick one main focal point, often the main idea you are trying to get across to your reader
- Use pictures, illustrations, charts, graphics, etc. to break up the text
- Use large fonts and white space to make your poster easy to read
- Look at examples, like the posters created for UW-Madison’s 2018 Annual Showcase. You’ll get a lot of ideas about what to do, and what not to do.
- Include the UniverCity Alliance logo if desired. The EPS version will print the best on a large poster.
One poster example
