You'll be creating a poster for your topic; although posters and journal articles do have much the same content, the presentation is the opposite. Journal articles relay the content primarily via text - posters must have the content mostly in a visual format (graphs, tables, charts, photos) with very little text.
Here's some sites that show you what good poster design is all about but ... what constitutes good design/art is subjective. You'll find that these advice sites may give you conflicting recommendations so treat them as guidelines not rules set in stone. Dr. Harntett's design requirements always trump whatever these design sites say.
- Colin Purrington: Designing Conference Posters
One of the most frequently cited conference poster tips on the web. Purrington covers everything about academic/science poster design from A to Z and includes references to other sources of good poster advice.
- Scientific Poster Design
Slide presentation from graphic designer, LiLynn Graves, at Cornell University. Specifically written for scientists and science posters. Gives both good and bad examples. Colorful and with humor.
- Creating Effective Poster Presentations
This site can be somewhat confusing but use the links in the left column to navigate within the main sections; links within the text go to specific information within sections. Tips throughout the whole site are useful, however, pay specific attention to the Video Library section in which the third video (Giving an Effective Poster Presentation) advises on what to do when you're standing in front of your poster, something that's general missing on other poster sites.
- And for a humorous look at what NOT to do, here's some tips from the AGU ...
GeoFizz: Epic Fail: What a Perfectly Putrid Poster Can Do For You. EOS 94(12): 425, November 12, 2013.