Visual design covers the use of colour, fonts, images, and layout. Good visual design helps an audience understand your ideas and makes your work look professional.

It also supports accessibility for people who are partially sighted or colour blind. Poor visual design, however, can damage otherwise strong work.

These principles apply to presentation slides, posters, and illustrated documents (such as reports or dissertations).

 

Use colour carefully

Effective colour contrast is important for supporting readability and accessibility. Dark text on a light background is the most readable and reliable approach, especially when projected or printed (Figures 1 and 2).

A dark purple background with the text 'University of Portsmouth' in bold white lettering. The high contrast between the white text and dark background makes the text clearly and easily readable.

Figure 1. This use of white on a purple background is an acceptable colour combination.

A dark purple background with the text 'University of Portsmouth' in bold dark grey lettering. The similar tones of the text and background create low contrast, making the text significantly harder to read.

Figure 2. However, this use of dark grey on a purple background makes the text difficult to read.

 

Use a consistent colour scheme throughout:

  • one colour for heading text
  • one for body text
  • a neutral background colour

 

You may use an image for your background instead of a single colour. However, it must not make text hard to read (Figure 3). In most presentation software, you can increase the transparency of a background image to improve contrast (Figure 4).

A poster panel with a photograph of colourful plastic drinking straws as a background image. The image is at full opacity, showing vivid oranges, greens, blues, and whites. Black text is present but is significantly harder to read, with some words and numbers obscured or blending into the colours of the background image.

Figure 3. A background image at full strength makes the text difficult to read.

The same poster panel with the same photograph of colourful plastic drinking straws as a background image. The image has been made highly transparent, giving the background a faded, washed-out appearance. The same black text is now clearly legible against the light background, including a bold heading, a referenced claim, a subheading, and a list of recycling statistics.

Figure 4. Increasing the transparency of the same background image makes the text clearly readable.

 

 

Choose readable fonts

Use a plain sans-serif font such as Arial or Calibri. Decorative or script fonts are harder to read. Use a font size of 20 to 28pt for body text in presentations and posters. Titles should be larger than body text - around 30 to 44pt.

 

What does serif and sans-serif mean?

Serif fonts have small lines or strokes added to the ends of letters — little feet, hooks, or flicks that finish each letter off.

Sans-serif fonts don't have these extra marks. 'Sans' is French for 'without', so sans-serif simply means 'without serifs'. The letters end in plain, flat strokes. These fonts are less decorative but easier to read.

Sans serif fonts

The letters "Aa" and the word "Aptos" in a clean, modern font. The letters have plain, flat ends with no added marks.

Aptos — a modern sans serif font

The letters "Aa" and the word "Arial" in a plain, simple font. The letters have plain, flat ends with no added marks.

Arial — a classic sans serif font

The letters "Aa" and the word "Calibri" in a friendly, rounded font. The letters have soft, rounded ends with no added marks.

Calibri — a soft, rounded sans serif font

Serif fonts

The letters "Aa" and the word "Baskerville" in an elegant font. Small hooks and feet sit at the ends of the letters.

Baskerville — a traditional serif font

The letters "Aa" and the word "Garamond" in a classic, old-fashioned font. Small, delicate feet sit at the ends of the letters.

Garamond — an old-style serif font

The letters "Aa" and the word "Times New Roman" in a traditional font. Small feet sit at the ends of the letters.

Times New Roman — a widely used serif font

 

 

Use images effectively

Every image should have a clear purpose that helps your audience’s understanding. Don't include images purely for decoration. 

Use high-resolution images (Figure 5). Low-resolution images appear blurry when projected or printed (Figure 6). The Library provides a list of free, high-quality image sources.

This is a high-resolution image of a bicycle wheel.

Figure 5. High-resolution image.

This is a low-resolution version of the same image of a bicycle wheel.

Figure 6. Low-resolution image.

 

Resize images without stretching or squashing them (Figure 8). If an image does not fit its space, crop it (Figure 9).

A photograph of a bicycle filling the full frame naturally, with balanced proportions and no distortion.

Figure 7. Original image.

A photograph of a bicycle that has been horizontally squashed, making the subject appear unnaturally narrow and tall. Arrows on either side indicate the image has been compressed inward.

Figure 8. Squashed image.

A photograph of a bicycle, with a dashed border indicating a crop boundary. The crop cuts into the image on all sides, removing parts of the original composition.

Figure 9. Cropped image.

 

 

Leave space in your layout

Too much text or too many images makes a page harder to read (Figure 10). Fewer, thoughtfully chosen elements are more effective than attempting to include everything (Figure 11).

A hand-drawn illustration of an academic poster divided into two columns. Every section is packed densely with lines representing text, leaving almost no white space. Two small data visualisations — a pie chart and a line graph — are visible but surrounded by dense text. The overall impression is of a cluttered, difficult-to-read layout.

Figure 10. An overcrowded poster with too much text and no white space is difficult to read.

A hand-drawn illustration of the same academic poster divided into two columns. The sections contain fewer lines of text with visible gaps between them, and some sections include bullet points. The same two data visualisations — a pie chart and a line graph — are present but now have more space around them. The overall impression is of a clear, readable layout.

Figure 11. The same poster with less text and more white space is much easier to read.

 

 

To create a well-spaced poster like the one above, each section needs to be concise and clearly structured. The example below shows how the same information can be presented more effectively at paragraph level.

 

Example

Overloaded text

Sea Level Rise: Causes, Evidence, Projections, and Policy Implications for Coastal Communities in the Context of Global Climate Change

Global mean sea level has risen approximately 20 cm since 1900, driven primarily by two interconnected processes: the thermal expansion of seawater as global ocean temperatures increase, and the addition of water to ocean basins resulting from the accelerated melting of land-based ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, as well as mountain glaciers worldwide (IPCC, 2021). Satellite measurements since 1993 have confirmed that the rate of rise has itself been increasing. Current projections suggest that by 2100, sea levels could rise by 0.38 metres under a low emissions scenario and 0.77 metres under a high emissions scenario, with some models projecting even higher figures if ice sheet collapse accelerates beyond current expectations. The implications for low-lying coastal communities, small island states, and major urban centres situated at or near sea level are profound and wide-ranging, encompassing risks to infrastructure, fresh water supplies, agricultural land, and human displacement on a potentially unprecedented scale.

Well-spaced panels

Sea Level Rise

Global mean sea level has risen approximately 20 cm since 1900 (IPCC, 2021).

 

Key causes
  • Thermal expansion of seawater as oceans warm
  • Melting ice sheets and glaciers adding water to oceans

 

Projected rise by 2100
  • Low emissions scenario: 0.38 m
  • High emissions scenario: 0.77 m

 

Implications
  • Risks to coastal infrastructure and fresh water supplies
  • Potential displacement of coastal communities
  • Greater flood risk for low-lying areas and small island states

Reference

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC]. (2021). Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/

 

The referencing style used here is APA 7. Your course may require a different referencing system. Check your assignment brief or module guidance to confirm which style applies to you.

 

 

Guidance about dimensions, column structure, and word count is covered in Academic posters.

 

 

Keep graphs and diagrams simple

Graphs and diagrams must be large enough to read easily. Simplify them to show only key data and maintain readability (Figures 12 and 13).

A complex line graph showing the efficiency of photovoltaic research cells from 1976 to 2026. The chart contains over 20 data series in multiple colours, each represented by a different symbol. A large legend occupies the top left corner. Data points and annotations are densely packed, particularly towards the right side of the chart. The overall impression is of a highly detailed, specialist chart requiring significant time and expertise to interpret.

Figure 12. This chart is produced by professional researchers for specialist audiences (NREL, 2024). It contains more data series and detail than would be appropriate for a student poster or presentation slide.

A line graph showing global mean sea level rise from 1880 to 2022, measured in millimetres relative to the 1993–2008 average. Three clearly labelled data series are shown in two colours. The overall trend is a clear upward line from bottom left to top right, making the key finding immediately obvious.

Figure 13. A clear, focused graph showing one key finding with a small number of labelled data series (Ritchie et al., 2024). This is an effective model for student work.

References

National Renewable Energy Laboratory. (2024). Best research-cell efficiency chart. https://www.nrel.gov/pv/cell-efficiency.html

Ritchie, H., Rosado, P., & Samborska, V. (2024). Sea level rise. Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/sea-level

 

The referencing style used here is APA 7. Your course may require a different referencing system. Check your assignment brief or module guidance to confirm which style applies to you.

 

 

Page last edited: 27 August 2026
Next review due: 23 July 2029