Contrary to the popular catchphrase, one size does not fit all.
Effective typography is a highly important aspect of designing an engaging scientific poster. It’s not just about slapping on some WordArt and calling it a day; it’s about intentionally selecting an appropriate font size for each piece of text to present a clear visual order of information.
But hold on, it’s just letters and words on the page! Why should font size matter for as long as everything’s legible? 🤔
Well, think of your most disliked food or ingredient (for me it’s coriander, I just can’t stand the stuff). It’s 100% edible, but far from my definition of delicious. In the same way for fonts and text, there’s much dividing what’s legible and what’s easily comprehensible. 👀
Interested to know what divides the two? Let’s start with an introduction to font size hierarchy and how to master it for your scientific poster design!
What is font size hierarchy?
Font size hierarchy refers to the deliberate arrangement of text in varying sizes to communicate how a document, such as a scientific poster, should be read.
There is a natural human inclination to look at larger text and images first before we even start reading the finer print and examine any details. By designing for this human behaviour, we can guide the audience’s eyes to where we want them to start. Check this out 👇
It’s generally easier to read a scientific poster when hierarchical font sizes are used. For instance, different font sizes can be used to distinguish headings from body text, or to place emphasis on words when combined with bolding, italicising, or underlining.
What are some recommended font sizes?
For an A0 size poster, which is the typical standard at conferences, you can follow our designer-approved recommendations below.
Title: 90-100 pt – The largest and boldest text on your poster.
Headings: 50-60 pt – Clearly distinguishable from the title and body text.
Body Text: 30-36 pt – Legible from about a metre away.
References* 30-36 pt – To distinguish them from body text, ideally go for 30 pt.
*References can easily take up a lot of space on your poster, so consider ways to truncate them to maximise your space!
We highly suggest that you don’t stray from more than 3-4 font sizes, as having more can easily look cluttered and random. You’ll find that this rule applies for colours on your poster too. 🎨
Long story short: it’s quality over quantity!
But what if my poster is smaller than A0? Can I halve the font sizes for A1 etc? While halving the font sizes for a poster that’s half the size might seem very tempting, there’s a catch. Your poster must still remain legible from a metre away, so your body text and references at 30-36 point will be your absolute smallest font. You can however play with the Title, Heading, and Subheading font sizes to fit your page. And of course if you do have a smaller poster, you’ll need to have less information whether it’s in your text or images.
What are some recommended fonts?
Luckily for you, we’ve got an entire guide on selecting neat and legible fonts for your scientific poster right here!
But remember, every time a researcher uses Comic Sans, a graphic designer somewhere in the world cries a little. 🥲
What’s the ideal word count for a scientific poster?
Researchers have a lot of things to say. Findings, theories, dreams for the future, their post-conference holiday plans. 🏝️🤷🏻
And don’t even get me started on the seemingly endless amounts of supplementary information.
During my time as a researcher, cramming and squeezing 1000+ words as well as images and data onto a poster was definitely common but not best practice. We’ve all done it. 😵💫
I was practically writing research papers on A0 sheets of paper at that point, and it defeated the very purpose of a scientific poster. But if you follow our font size recommendations and our guide to effective storytelling, you’ll find that you’ll only have room for up to 250 words for your entire poster presentation. 📝
That’s it. That’s all you need! 💫
Happy lettering!
Font size hierarchy and a concise word count are essential for creating an effective and legible scientific poster. By following our designer-approved guidelines, you can ensure your poster is not only visually appealing but also effectively communicates your research!
For more tips and tricks, check out our self-paced online course on designing award-winning scientific posters by award-winning science communicator Dr Tullio Rossi. In just 3 hours of learning across 33 video lessons, you can equip yourself with the skills and knowledge to create your own captivating scientific posters that’ll turn heads for all of the right reasons!
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