1. No one will read your signs if they are on white paper.
The brighter the color, the better. Libraries (save for the children's section) are usually short on color. Your white signage will disappear against a white wall, or wall with a neutral color.
2. No one will read your signs if the font is tiny.
The larger the type, the better. Using the default letter sizes, 36 should be as small as you go. Also, be picky about what fonts you use. Big, bolder fonts will catch the viewers eye. If you use Times New Roman, Courier, Comic Sans (and similar fonts), you might as well paste up blank sheets of paper on the wall.
3. Use clip art sparingly.
If you have to use clip art, stick with a black & white image, or use flat color clip art illustrations. Gradients can look terrible when you photocopy them- if you have to use an image, you want it to stay the same and be recognizable no matter the size, or printing.
4. Your signs are your in-house marketing/advertising.
A sign that uses polite wording will be ignored just as readily as a sign with negative wording. Go for humor instead. If you can combine a funny/out of the ordinary sign ( like our handy Einstein on the right), all the better. Your sign will be harder to miss or ignore.
More tomorrow.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
The lost art of reading (or, "How do you get your patrons to read your library signs"), Part 1
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2 comments:
Last week was my first time in the Shepard Broad Law Library in 2 years so when I walked in I saw Mr. Einstein right away and thought it was funny.That lifesize cutout is definitely eye-catching. :)
Yes- he's very hard to notice! We actually have additional cutouts that make appearances during the year, depending on the noise level in the library. Unfortunately, for the next few weeks the LSV classes will be hanging out in the library, working on assignments. Their presence in the library guarantees that the second floor will be noisier than usual, no matter how many signs I put up.
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