Poster design

The Better Poster Method: The Single-Message Scientific Poster

Mike Morrison's Better Poster method: one giant key finding in the center, the detail in a sidebar, a QR to the full paper. Why it works and how to apply it.

July 4, 2026 · 7 min read

Quick answer: what is the Better Poster method?

The Better Poster method means putting one key finding, stated in a single sentence, very large in the center of the poster. The methodological detail goes into a small sidebar, and a QR code links to the full paper. The goal: a visitor grasps your conclusion in under a minute, from a meter away, without reading a single paragraph.

Where the Better Poster method comes from

The approach was popularized in 2019 by Mike Morrison, a researcher at Michigan State University, under the hashtag #betterposter. His observation: the classic scientific poster is a paper printed large, unreadable in the noise of a poster session. Nobody reads six columns of text standing up, in three minutes, between two coffees.

His proposal flips the logic: instead of showing everything, you show the essential, once, very large. The poster becomes a billboard whose job is to attract, deliver a message, then open the conversation.

Why it works

A poster is not read, it is scanned. Morrison draws on eye-tracking tests: facing a wall of posters, the eye gives each one a few seconds before deciding whether to stop. If your message is not graspable at a glance, the visitor moves on.

The Better Poster method optimizes those first seconds:

A single message in the center captures attention and sums up the work.
White space around the message makes it stand out instead of drowning it.
The sidebar keeps the detail available for anyone who wants to dig deeper.
The QR code extends the exchange: full paper, data, companion page.

The structure of a Better Poster

Three zones, nothing more:

The key message, in the center. One sentence, in very large type, stating your main result. Not a neutral title ("Effect of X on Y") but a claim ("X reduces Y by 30% in six months").
The sidebar, on the left. Introduction, method, detailed results, in small type. This is the support for the person who stops and wants to understand the how.
The footer. Authors, affiliations, logos, and a QR code to the paper or a web page mirroring the poster.

How to write the key message

This is the hardest and most important step. A few guidelines:

State a result, not a topic. "Remote monitoring improves treatment adherence" rather than "Remote monitoring and adherence."
Keep it jargon-free: a colleague from another field should get the idea.
Add a number if you can: an order of magnitude anchors the message.
One sentence only. If you have two, you have not found your message yet.

Better Poster or traditional poster?

The Better Poster method shines when one result carries the whole work and you want to maximize attention in a crowded aisle. It is trickier when your contribution lies in a complex method or several equally important results: in that case, a column-based IMRaD structure remains more suitable.

Many successful posters combine both logics: a strong message at the top, and organized, readable detail below. What matters is to prioritize: decide what a visitor should retain in one second, in ten seconds, then in one minute.

Creating a Better Poster with Folio Poster

Reproducing this layout by hand (giant centered message, sidebar, aligned QR) is tedious in presentation software. Folio Poster offers a Billboard template built for the method: you enter your key message, your detail and your link, the layout and QR are handled for you, and the A0 or A1 PDF export is print-ready. To compare with the other layouts, see the poster templates page, and for the fundamentals, the guide how to make a scientific poster.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Better Poster method in one sentence?
A poster built around a single key finding stated large in the center, with the detail in a sidebar and a QR to the paper. It was popularized by Mike Morrison (#betterposter) in 2019.

Is it accepted by conferences?
Yes, as long as you respect the format rules (dimensions, orientation, required logos). The method is about layout, not submission rules. Always check the organizer's guidelines.

Do you really have to remove all the text?
No: the detail stays in the sidebar, in small type. You do not remove information, you prioritize it so the main message stands out immediately.

Better Poster or IMRaD?
Better Poster maximizes attention around a single result. A column-based IMRaD structure suits work with several results or a central method better. The two are often combined.