Posters that stop conference traffic.
Conference poster design for medical meetings. Data visualisation that reads from three feet away, legible typography, and a print-ready file in your conference's specified dimensions.
What a poster presentation involves
A conference poster has two jobs at odds with each other. It has to summarise the entire study in a single frame that delegates can absorb in 90 seconds while walking past. It also has to hold up to close reading when a senior faculty member stops in front of it, asks a pointed question, and wants the underlying methods. Most posters fail at one or the other - they are either too cluttered to scan or too thin to defend.
We design posters for both distances: the five-second scan that decides whether someone stops, and the three-minute close read that decides whether the work gets remembered. That means strong visual hierarchy, a clear take-home message at the top, data visualisation that works without the figure legend, and a methods block compact enough to be legible yet complete enough to answer the expected questions.
Typography is sized for three-foot viewing distance. Dimensions match your conference's specification exactly (ICC standards, A0, A1, 36x48 inches - whatever the conference asks for, portrait or landscape). E-poster format, where the conference requires it, is prepared as a separate deliverable from the print file.
What this covers
- Scientific posters for original research (RCT, cohort, case-control, cross-sectional)
- Case posters for case reports and case series
- Systematic review / meta-analysis posters with PRISMA flow diagram
- Quality improvement (QI) posters with PDSA cycles
- Audit and service-evaluation posters
- Standard dimensions: A0 (841x1189mm), A1, 36x48", 48x36", 42x60"
- Portrait and landscape orientations
- Typography sized for three-foot viewing distance (40pt title, 24-28pt body minimum)
- Data visualisation: bar charts, forest plots, Kaplan-Meier curves, flow diagrams
- Figure legends and references in the conference's specified citation style
- Print-ready PDF (CMYK, 300 DPI, bleed where required)
- E-poster format (MP4 or interactive PDF) where the conference uses one
How we work on a poster
- 01
Content audit
We start with the full manuscript or abstract, the conference's poster specification (size, orientation, sections required, reference style), and your take-home message in one sentence. The take-home message drives the visual hierarchy - it gets the biggest weight at the top of the poster.
- 02
Layout and hierarchy
A column-based layout is drafted - typically three columns for portrait A0, four for landscape. Sections are sized by importance (results and discussion get more space than methods; a QI poster gives methods more space). White space is treated as a visual element, not wasted space.
- 03
Data visualisation
Tables from the manuscript are converted to charts wherever possible - bar, line, forest, Kaplan-Meier, or a simple column of effect sizes. Legends are written to be readable without referring to a separate figure caption. Colour is used consistently (category mapping) and accessibly (colour-blind-safe palettes).
- 04
Typography and spacing
Font sizes: title at 72-96pt so it reads from across a hall, section headings 40-48pt, body 24-28pt, references 18-20pt. Hierarchy is unambiguous - a delegate should always know which element to read next. Line-length is kept under 75 characters per line for scannability.
- 05
Print-ready file and e-poster
The final file is exported as a CMYK PDF at 300 DPI with 3mm bleed (where the printer requires it). If the conference uses an e-poster system, a separate file is prepared in their required format (MP4 with narration, interactive PDF, or platform-specific template).
What you get
- Print-ready poster in your conference's exact dimensions (PDF, CMYK, 300 DPI)
- E-poster version in the format the conference requires (MP4, PDF, or platform template)
- Source file (Adobe Illustrator or InDesign) for future revisions
- All charts and figures as editable vector files
- Reference list in the conference's prescribed citation style
- Printing guidance (paper vs fabric, print-shop recommendations, travel considerations)
- Abstract text matched to the poster if the conference requires abstract upload separately
Standards and specifications
841mm x 1189mm, the most common international medical-conference size.
If your poster summarises an RCT, observational study or review, the underlying work should conform to CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA etc. - the poster references these where applicable.
For charts; approximately 1 in 12 male delegates will have red-green colour-vision deficiency.
Default for medical conference posters; many conferences allow a condensed reference list (5-10 key citations).
Common questions about posters
What size and orientation should my poster be?
Check the conference's delegate pack or the call-for-posters document - the size and orientation are specified there, and conferences enforce them with pin-board space. International medical conferences most commonly use A0 portrait (841x1189mm). Indian conferences and IMA-affiliated meetings often use 3x4 feet (36x48 inches) portrait. US conferences skew landscape at 48x36 inches. If you are unsure, A0 portrait is the safest default for international meetings; we confirm with the conference's organising committee when it is ambiguous.
Should I put all my results on the poster or just the headline findings?
Neither extreme works. All results leaves no room for context or interpretation; only headline findings leaves the poster thin when a senior faculty member stops by with a methods question. The working rule: one or two primary findings at full size in the centre, secondary findings as compact tables or supplementary figures to one side, and all the rest in the underlying abstract (which delegates can request or scan via QR code). The goal is a poster that scans in 30 seconds and rewards three minutes of close reading.
Can you make charts from my data, or do I need to supply them?
We make the charts from your underlying data, not from screenshots of your SPSS or Excel output. Send the cleaned dataset (CSV, Excel) or the summary statistics in a table, tell us what to plot, and we build the chart in R (ggplot2) or a vector design tool. The resulting figures are vector (not raster), so they scale to any size without pixelation, and they can be re-used in the manuscript later.
Should I get the poster printed on paper or fabric?
Fabric if you are flying to the conference - it folds into your cabin bag and does not require a tube. Paper (matte laminated) if you are presenting locally and quality is more important. Fabric does not print as crisply as paper, especially for small text and fine-line charts; we test every poster at a reduced scale before print. Most Indian conference cities have reliable print shops; we can recommend one in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi or Bengaluru if you do not have a standing vendor.
What if the conference is digital-only (e-poster)?
E-poster conferences typically want one of three formats: a single-page PDF optimised for on-screen viewing (different typography from print), a narrated MP4 video with voice-over, or a platform-specific format (multi-slide PPTX, interactive HTML). We check the conference's e-poster specification and deliver accordingly. The design approach differs: shorter text blocks, higher contrast, smaller overall dimensions, no reliance on three-foot viewing distance because delegates view on a laptop.
You might also need
Abstract Writing
Structured and unstructured abstracts for medical conferences, journals and grant applications.
Read more § WritingManuscript & Article Writing
Original research articles, case reports, reviews, editorials and letters, written for the journal you are targeting.
Read more § PublishingArticle Publication
Hands-on submission, reviewer comment handling and proof checking through to acceptance.
Read moreWhat we don't do.
No ghost-authorship
Your name, your voice, your work. We do not put our names on your thesis or paper.
No publication guarantees
Peer review is not ours to promise. We make the work stronger; the journal decides.
No fixed turnaround promises
Good research takes the time it takes. We scope honestly, not optimistically.
No shortcuts
No AI paraphrasing to game similarity checks. No plagiarism. No sentence-swapping.
Talk to us about your project.
Send over an abstract, a chapter or a rough outline of what you need. We reply within one working day with a clear scope and a fixed quote, no obligation to proceed.