Best Practices
Signage Is Key
By Minx Hanson
Today’s library patron comes from a world of lively graphics
and ready access to information. Is that the kind of world he enters at your
door? Does the place look vibrant? Welcoming? Does he soon know where to start?
Can she find her own way? Effective library signage combines visual appeal with
directional information.
Alone, visual appeal is not enough. Too often, exciting,
creative library designs fail to include signage. This leaves the new facility
vulnerable to traditional library signage that often is too small to see (unless
you’re two feet in front of it), large signage that may spoil the overall
design, no signage at all, or signage that evolves without a plan for quality or
consistency.
The library environment, from the first step in the door, is
as much an informational tool as are the resources housed there. Patrons make
way-finding decisions as they move through the facility. Just as they look for
directional cues in a grocery store, in an airport, in a discount store, they
need meaningful visual cues in the library.
Certainly, a facility and collection organized with the
end-user in mind is critical, but it is the signage that unlocks it for the
patrons. Can they readily find your computer catalog? Can they look up from that
computer catalog and see where to go next? Can they read your signs from a
distance? Do your visual cues give them answers at every point where they need
to make a decision? Or is the library staff constantly answering basic,
directional questions? Or do the patrons leave, frustrated and disappointed?
If you are planning a new library, incorporate signage with
the plans and the budget for interior design. It is not enough to work from the
floor plans alone. The height of the windows, the height of the bookshelves, the
placement of light switches, thermostats, air ducts -- all impact the interior
design and placement of signage. A full set of blueprints will provide elevation
plans indicating those details. Work with the scale printed on the blueprint,
e.g. ¼” = 1’, to determine size and placement of artwork, displays and signage.
If you are working in an existing library, you have the
advantage of knowing how it functions, the kinds of directional questions your
patrons ask, and any unusual features of the physical plant that require extra
signage.
Take photographs to evaluate your existing signage,
preferably digital photos that you can enlarge and print as worksheets. Make
sure that your photographs show what your patrons see as they move through the
library. Are the major areas identified for them with graphics that are large
enough to see? Can they move from general to specific, e.g., from catalog to
nonfiction to exact shelf?
This picture shows why the middle-school media specialist
decided to update the end cap and section labels. There was no need for the
redundant numbers on the end caps, the section lettering was too small, and the
colors could be better.
Because the light green of the floor tile and mauve in the
upholstery were not strong enough colors for effective signage, the dark green
of the silk plants and the soft yellow of the walls became the palette. Acrylic
covers and brass screws added a finished look and durability to the endcap
labels. This media center features student artwork above the wall stacks. Here,
the fiction wall could handle a few more pieces of art.
Create your own scale using photographs. Take actual
measurements in your facility, and then measure the same dimensions in your
photograph. Use the alegbraic formula to determine the ratio (it will change for
each photo) and to determine measurements that you cannot reach. Cut paper bits
to size and try different possibilities on your photo worksheet.
Using the construction photograph as a worksheet during the
renovation, signage was ready on move-in day at this elementary media center.
The 16” letter tiles, reminiscent of children’s alphabet blocks, were large
enough to allow more muted colors… giving the large, open facility a softer,
warmer appearance. The vinyl banners of reader silhouettes are 30” wide by 40”
high, hanging just below the lights and above the wood trim.
More signage is not necessarily better signage. Well-sized
and strategically placed signs can often reduce the need for quantity and help
minimize clutter. Whenever possible, use graphics instead of text, or a
combination of both, to add visual appeal to your overall design plan. And, have
a plan, e.g. standardize type size, font and material for point-of-use signage –
establish a location and guidelines for community notices (not taped haphazardly
to the windows at the front entrance). Beware, “temporary” signs often become
long-term signage.
Minx Hanson, a recently retired library
media specialist from Palm Beach County, Florida, was centrally involved in the
construction of three new media centers and major renovations of two others. She
is owner-designer-consultant of BiblioBanners.com of Genoa, Wisconsin. Her
company provides libraries with digital graphic designs printed on vinyl,
fabric, or cardstock …all adapted to individual specifications for size, color
and application. She has long recognized the need for signage and decorative
options that librarians could adapt to their own facility, creating long-term,
professional quality décor at reasonable cost.
www.bibliobanners.com