Posters are a wonderful communication tool for research, advocacy, and instruction, but they have a very limited amount of space. So it is important to think carefully about overall design and design details.
GIS Poster Design and ArcGIS Pro Tips and Tricks – Updated Fall 2024 by Carolyn Talmadge, GIS & Data Lab Services Manager
There are several tools available for creating posters. Unfortunately, as of September 2025, Microsoft Publisher is being retired and Microsoft recommends the use of PowerPoint for poster creation. Here is a tip sheet for setting up your GIS Poster with PowerPoint: https://tufts.box.com/v/GISPoster-Powerpoint
Additionally, Adobe InDesign is a powerful tool often used for poster creation. However, it has a much higher learning curve so if you are not a Adobe user, it would be easier to use PowerPoint. Other options include Canva.com
You can see the GIS posters from previous years at the Tufts GIS Expo site.