Before you open Powerpoint, spend the time to fully script and "storyboard" your entire poster. This process involves listing all the elements of your poster, then creating a rough-draft version of your poster as it will appear when finished.
In the scripting and storyboard process, you may find it useful to use a whiteboard, notecards, or plain old pencil-and-paper. The key is to put some thought into what the various elements of your poster will be, and how they will fit together.
IMPORTANT: Once you have completed your rough draft, have it reviewed by your mentor. In this way, you can correct any mistakes and make improvements early in the process.
NOTE: Does not apply to all types of posters
1. Most importantly, give yourself enough time to make multiple drafts before you develop the final product. Develop a rough draft and have your mentor and a least one other trusted person look over your poster and make suggestions. Ask them to appraise and honestly comment on all aspects of your design, construction, look and feel, etc. Above all, work closely with your MSU mentor(s).
2. Organize, reorganize, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.
3. Make your poster readable from 6 feet away, and keep your word count as low as possible. The most common mistake is putting in too much information and making the poster too busy or wordy. A total of 800-900 words or possibly less is what you are looking for.
4. For your title, use a large (70-100 size), bold font. The text should be in a serif font such as New Times Roman.
5. Organize your poster so that it does not appear too “busy," has sufficient empty space, and is easy for visitors to follow. Make sure the most important aspects are easily visible.
6. Minimize the use of acronyms, since they are difficult for the visitors to remember.
7. Be cautious with use of web graphics since they often are not high quality resolution.