Robert:
 
Thanks for the heartfelt discussion about labeling for older visitors.
I'm not too old to enjoy my museum experiences, but my eye sight ain't
what it used to be either, so I'm thrilled to hear of someone putting
the needs of the visitor ahead of the esthetic whole.
 
As a museum curator who also co-teaches a museum lab course on exhibit
design, I was glad to get your ideas re: labeling.  I hope you don't
mind, but I copied your response and gave it to the instructor who's
handling the lab class this semester.  I think that his students need to
know who they're designing their displays for!
 
I'm always on the prwol for innovative and inexpensive ways in which to
get the word across, and have found that with the new age (and
accessiblilty) of computers, labeling is better, even in tiny facilities
like mine.  I use an enlarger (xerox), mylar or transparency film, and a
lazer printer or MAC, for the labeling.  Artist spray adhesive helps
stick the mylar either to glass, walls, or matt board.  I don't suggest
using this type of adhesive on plexi-glass, as it will eventually "eat"
away the plexi.  Places like KINKOs or a copier shop can help create
inexpensive (and quick) labels.
 
Good luck!
 
Lee Langston-Harrison
Curator
James Monroe Museum
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
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>
> On         Wed, 1 Feb 1995 Lisa Falk <[log in to unmask]> said:
>
>
> >I have received a few responses to my query for information on label
> design
> >and
> >readibility (fonts, colors, contrast, size, etc).  Thank you.  More
> >information is still welcome.
>
> Although I have no suggestions for better label design, I have a long list
> of complaints gathered from years of museum going.  Some of these come from
> the standpoint of someone who is just beginning to suffer the effects of
> age on vision.  My experiences derive from my contact with Art Museums.  I
> don't look at labels accompanying other types of exhibits as carefully.
>
> Visual Complaints:
> Label designers often don't think that what they craft is actually going to
> be read.  They design an aesthetic whole without regard to readability or
> comprehension.  Among the faults are fonts that are too decorative, point
> sizes that are too small, lines with too many words across (about 65
> characters across I'd say is optimum).  Low contrasts with backgrounds that
> make readers strain.  Angles of vision that give neckaches and lights that
> produce glare against the label.  Large items often have labels only on one
> side.  The designer should remember that labels are often read at a
> distance and line of sight is often achieved through competition with other
> viewers.  Labels with long texts justified left and right are especially
> annoying, making it easy to lose one's line.  Ragged right should be the
> rule for legibility.  Serif fonts are helpful, too.
>
> Didactic texts are often ill conceived.  First the item should be clearly
> identified.  If a technical term is used in the object name it should be
> explained below.  The object should have an accession or catalogue
> identification.  If an object's identification contradicts its customary or
> traditional designation, it should be so noted.  Explanatory texts should
> start with a paragraph intended for the general viewer.  This passage may
> be in larger type.  Following paragraphs may relate to some special
> feature, contextual or exhibit information, and a third may bring in the
> views of other authorities or provide a path to further investigation.  In
> any case the viewer should be able quickly to select what kinds of
> information to follow, and the labelling system should be consistant
> throughout the object grouping so that the viewer can limit or plumb to his
> chosen depth automatically.  If exhibits are planned with programmatic
> content or if special contrasts are set up, the exhibit plan should
> identify these.
>
> Obviously not every exhibit situation (permanent or otherwise) can follow
> the above schema, but I think that you get the general idea.  One of the
> worst sets of exhibit labels I've seen recently were those attached to the
> MMA show, "Origins of Impressionism."  The labels were filled with
> biographical details that no one could follow and could make sense only to
> those viewers who carried a fairly detailed history of early impressionism
> with them in their head.  I considered myself at an advantage because some
> years ago I had read some of the histories of this period -- but even then,
> I thought the wealth of detail stultifying rather than illuminating.
>
>
> ______________________________________
> Robert A. Baron
> Museum Computer Consultant
> P.O. Box 93, Larchmont, NY 10538
> [log in to unmask]
>