Poster design

The 10 Mistakes to Avoid on a Scientific Poster

Too much text, font too small, blurry figures, no message: a tour of the most common mistakes on a conference poster, and how to fix them.

July 4, 2026 · 8 min read

Quick answer: the mistakes that ruin a poster

Poster failures always come back to the same causes: too much text, a font too small, an overloaded poster, blurry figures and the lack of a clear message. All of them are fixed upstream, at design time. Here are the ten most common, with the why and the remedy.

1. Too much text

This is mistake number one, and university guides say it repeatedly: asked about the top mistake in poster presentations, the University of Illinois library answers "too much information." A poster is not a paper printed large; it is read standing up, in under a minute. Cut, summarize, use lists. Text contextualizes the visuals, it does not replace them.

2. A font too small

A poster is read from one or two meters. Body text that is too small is unreadable from afar, and therefore useless. Plan generous sizes: a very large title, section headings clearly bigger than the body, body text comfortable at a distance. The accessibility guidelines give concrete floors.

3. An overloaded poster, with no white space

A poster filled to the brim tires the eye: it does not know where to go. White space is not wasted emptiness, it is what makes content stand out. Let sections breathe, give the title and figures room.

4. Blurry or pixelated figures

An image that looks sharp on screen can be blurry when large. Pixelated figures undermine good work. Aim for 300 DPI at final size, avoid images grabbed from the web, and prefer vector graphics. Details in the article printing a scientific poster.

5. No clear message

If the viewer retains nothing in a minute, the poster missed its point. The title should announce a result, not a neutral topic. Decide what the visitor should retain, and make the whole poster converge toward that message. That is the whole logic of the Better Poster method.

6. A rainbow of colors (and weak contrast)

Piling on bright colors blurs the message; insufficient text/background contrast makes reading painful. Go for one accent color on a neutral background, and check the contrast. See the article on poster colors.

7. A disordered reading flow

The reader should follow your reasoning effortlessly. A single block of text, or columns running in all directions, lose the visitor. Organize content into clear columns, top to bottom and left to right, in the order introduction, methods, results, conclusion. See the IMRaD structure of a poster.

8. A missing or broken QR code

Nobody leaves with your poster. Without a QR code to the paper, the data or a companion page, the exchange stops at the end of the session. And a poorly made QR (too small, no contrast, or pointing to a dead link) is useless. Test it before printing. Details in the article on the poster QR code.

9. Ignoring the conference guidelines

Size, orientation, required template, mandatory logos: some organizers reject a non-compliant poster. Read the guidelines before designing, not after. Check the dimensions (A0, A1), the orientation (portrait or landscape) and any content rules.

10. Leaving it to the last minute

Large-format printing takes time, and a mistake caught too late cannot be fixed on a printed poster. Proofread the title, authors and affiliations (the most visible errors), allow time at the printer, and do not start printing the night before.

How to avoid most of these mistakes at once

Many of these pitfalls come from an unsuitable tool: in a general presentation program, sizes, columns and export are all handled by hand. A template designed for the poster format applies, by construction, legible sizes, a column layout and high-resolution export. That is what Folio Poster offers: you focus on the message, and most layout mistakes are avoided. For the basics, see the guide how to make a scientific poster.

In summary

Less text, more figures and lists.
Generous font, legible from a distance.
White space, a clear message, one accent color.
Sharp figures (300 DPI), a tested QR.
Respect the conference guidelines and plan ahead for printing.

Frequently asked questions

What is the main mistake on a scientific poster?
Too much text. A poster is read in under a minute, standing and from a distance; a dense block discourages the reader. Favor lists, key numbers and figures.

Why is my poster unreadable from a distance?
Most often because of a font that is too small or insufficient contrast. Plan generous sizes and strong text/background contrast; it is the condition for a poster legible at one or two meters.

How do I avoid poster layout mistakes?
By starting from a template built for the poster format, which handles columns, font sizes and high-resolution export. You just fill in your content and follow the conference guidelines.