Contact us
Megan Kocher
Magrath Library
mkocher@umn.edu
Sarah Jane Brown
Health Sciences Library
sjbrown@umn.edu
Intro to designing conference posters
This guide is meant to help the beginning researcher or presenter put together their conference poster and prepare it for a digital or in-person conference. Software used to create the posters will be PowerPoint and Google Slides -- we encourage you to check with your academic department for options beyond these if you are interested in exploring further.
If you have any questions or would like your draft reviewed, please feel free to contact the instructors listed in the left hand column.
View past undergraduate student posters
It can be helpful to view examples. Explore this collection of undergraduate research opportunity program posters (1800+) by department, faculty mentor or topic. You can also view recorded presentations, some of which include posters. Scroll down on the page to view past virtual symposiums.
Workshop Slides (from 2024)
Undergraduate Research Symposium with Office of Undergraduate Research
The Undergraduate Research Symposium is an annual research fair held every Spring that gives all undergraduate researchers from all University of Minnesota campuses a chance to share their research, scholarly, and creative projects with the University community.
Learn more about the spring symposium
View research poster tips from the Office of Undergraduate Research
Printing for Spring symposium:
You can print your poster with any vendor, print center, or print lab of your choice. There are some free and discounted options offered each year, with their own deadlines and details.
Printing Your Poster at the Map Library in Wilson Library
For twin cities students, you may print your poster for free by submitting it to the Map library in Wilson Library. Posters must be submitted by 9 a.m. on Monday, April 7 to be printed for free. Posters submitted after the deadline will not be printed.
Posters printed at the Map Library will be printed up to 36" x 48." Posters must be submitted in PDF format and will be printed at the size the PDF file indicates. Please submit your printing early. Students will need to pick up their poster after they receive an email notification that the poster is ready.
General advice
- Designing effective postersThis tutorial by University of Buffalo provides extensive background and information on poster design.
- Designing conference postersA blog post written by Colin Purrington, this link will help you learn more specifically about scientific poster design.
- Better Posters blogA blog run by Zen Faulkes, helping you learn all about how to create better posters.
Better posters : plan, design and present a better academic poster by ISBN: 9781784272364Publication Date: 2021-05-24Better posters mean better research. Distilling over a decade of experience from the popular Better Posters blog, Zen Faulkes will help you create a clear and informative conference poster that delivers maximum impact.
Presenting Science Concisely. by ISBN: 1789247004Publication Date: 2021The focus of this book is on verbal presentations and posters. It begins with best practices, then applies these practices to three-minute talks, posters, elevator pitches and longer presentations. It ends with a discussion of audience types and presentation skills.
Designing Science Presentations: : a visual guide to figures, papers, slides, posters, and more by ISBN: 9780128153789Publication Date: 2020-11-28Guides scientists of any discipline in the design of compelling science communication. Most scientists never receive formal training in the design, delivery and evaluation of scientific communication, yet these skills are essential for publishing in high-quality journals, soliciting funding, attracting lab personnel, and advancing a career. This clear, readable volume fills that gap, providing visually intensive guidance at every step--from the construction of original figures to the presentation and delivery of those figures in papers, slideshows, posters and websites.The book provides pragmatic advice on the preparation and delivery of exceptional scientific presentations and demonstrates hundreds of visually striking presentation techniques.
Image sources
- UMN photo and video libraryImages provided by University Relations department.
- UMN IT stock contentAccess on campus or remotely with VPN for royalty free videos, images, and graphics.
- UMN Libraries' image collection guidePrimary source and other images curated by our digital media librarian.
- PixabayFind high-quality stock images including photos, illustrations, and vectors for use.
- The Noun ProjectOpen source vector graphics.
- Gender Spectrum collectionCreative Commons stock photos.
- Streamline IconsIllustrations, graphics, and emojis for your project.
- OpenverseSearch images that are in the public domain or under Creative Commons licenses.
- nappyHigh quality stock photos of black and brown people.
Color scheme ideas
- Adobe ColorA color wheel and palette generator.
- COLOURloversView and share color palettes.
- Accessible color generatorInput a color to generate accessible additional colors.
- Color accessiblityLearn more about accessible design in regards to colors.
- Canva Color Palette GeneratorGenerate a color palette from a picture.
Example UMN templates
Below are a sample of templates for UMN students, staff and faculty. Check with your department for more or if it isn't listed: