WHAT'S YOUR SIGN? - USING BASIC DESIGN PRINCIPLES TO HELP EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS REACH THEIR AUDIENCE

As a professional community, avian educators and trainers function as ambassadors between the general public and the animals with which we work. The importance of our dialogue and methods of delivery when speaking to an audience—basically, what we say and how we say it— has been the subject of many excellent papers over the years, and cannot be understated. However, the presentation of printed information in an engaging and accessible way is equally important: when we’re not around, our interpretive materials do all our speaking for us! Overlooking this key piece of the educational puzzle can lead to educational signage or pamphlets that fail to effectively transmit information to the public, or—worse—are misinterpreted or ignored by their intended audience. The best way to solve this issue is by taking a critical look at public outreach materials and applying simple design guidelines to ensure that the information is presented to the audience in the most accessible way possible. By understanding the basic principles of graphic design and information architecture, we can take an active role in this traditionally passive method of education, and by doing so can reach a larger audience than ever before.