Tuesday, May 01, 2007
The graphics say YES but the message is NO
Amy sent me this poster from the children's area of a library she recently visited.
On first glance it seems so exciting! Lots of great colors, lots of fun stuff to look at. But then the wording sinks in. No Jumping. No Playing. NO Shoes! No food or DRINKS! Quiet please! and For God's Sake, Whatever you Do, DO NOT TOUCH THE PENCIL!!! (by the way, the Pencil is a bench that is in the shape of a pencil, and I guess it's only to be used during storytime.)
On first glance it seems so exciting! Lots of great colors, lots of fun stuff to look at. But then the wording sinks in. No Jumping. No Playing. NO Shoes! No food or DRINKS! Quiet please! and For God's Sake, Whatever you Do, DO NOT TOUCH THE PENCIL!!! (by the way, the Pencil is a bench that is in the shape of a pencil, and I guess it's only to be used during storytime.)
I think this is a great example of a sign that is really confusing. Why? Because it appears to be friendly and happy and colorful, but then if you read it, you get this cold wave of unfriendliness. What exactly can a person do in this children's area? Kids are wiggly, they are going to want to be able to make at least a little noise and maybe move around a bit. Is there a way to re-word this sign so that it gets the message across a little more politely?
For other examples of library signage (both good and bad), go to Flickr and search for library signage. You may get some ideas -- both of what to do, and what not to do.
¶ posted by Mary Martin @ 8:57 PM
