How Exhibition Signage Can Enhance Visitor Experience
Effective signage is a powerful tool for enhancing the visitor experience in museums and galleries, bridging the gap between artwork and audience while improving accessibility, engagement, and navigation. From detailed interpretive labels to directional wayfinding systems, well-designed signage can inspire curiosity, tell stories, and create a seamless, inclusive environment for all visitors.
In the study 'Looking to Read: How Visitors Use Exhibit Labels in the Art Museum' published in January 2022, Luise Reitstätter, Karolin Galter, and Flora Bakondi from the Department of Art History at the University of Vienna examined how museum visitors engage with exhibit labels.
Using a combination of mobile eye tracking, subjective mapping, and questionnaires, the researchers analysed visitor behaviour before and after the reinstallation of a museum's collection — both with and without the introduction of interpretive labels.
Among the many significant findings, the study revealed that – contrary to the outdated misconception that museum visitors didn’t actually read labels – providing contextual information significantly enhanced and diversified visitors' interpretations of artworks. Taken further; museums should actively welcome and acknowledge visitors’ interests and desire for this mode of visual communication when planning their exhibits.
In summary: labels really matter.
"Providing contextual information significantly enhanced and diversified visitors' interpretations of artworks."
- Reitstatter, Galter & Bakoni "Looking to Read: How Visitors Use Exhibit Labels in the Art Museum
Indeed, signage as a medium plays a crucial role in shaping the visitor experience. As well as museum labels – which aim to engage and provoke curiosity, while providing important details about the pieces on display – effective signage can take many forms. It can be a tool to safely guide the flow of visitors around a gallery; a way of improving accessibility, to ensure that art isn’t just for the few; a way to promote, to inspire, and connect.
Let’s take a deeper look at museum and art gallery signage and its role in improving the visitor experience.
The importance of art gallery signage and the power of storytelling
In simple terms; a museum or gallery label is there to bridge the gap between the displayed artefact or painting and the audience. In the 2023 research paper, 'Psychophysiological and Behavioral Responses to Descriptive Labels in Modern Art Museums' published by the University of Florence, it was concluded that comprehensive labels were a hugely powerful method of improving both emotional engagement and cognitive understanding. When artworks are paired with rich, descriptive labels, visitors tend to spend more time observing and reflecting on them.At their most effective, exhibition labels tap into the subconscious and answer those implicit questions a visitor might have. Namely, what am I looking at? In an art gallery, that might include a title, a date, the name of the artist – perhaps a description of their process and its significance in an art movement.
"Comprehensive labels were a hugely powerful method of improving both emotional engagement and cognitive understanding."
- Castellotti et al, 'Psychophysiological and Behavioral Responses to Descriptive Labels in Modern Art Museums'
As well as providing an outline or framework of information, signage is also a potent conduit for deeper storytelling. Larger format labelling can provide a medium for displaying more detailed narratives alongside correlating artworks, artefacts or exhibits, able to accomodate both imagery and text for a richer visitor experience.
A museum showcasing various antiquities from an ancient civilisation, for example, might use a Reader Rail to guide visitors through the different features of their daily lives, culture, and belief systems, or perhaps display a timeline. This method offers a linear format that keeps often complex or nuanced information structured and easy to follow for a visitor.
In the image below, the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum use extened Reader Rails to display information about each aircraft, telling more in depth stories and giving the visitor a closer point of contact to the exibit to connect with. This is especially useful with larger exhibits.
The story behind an exhibit is what the visitor can actually connect with. Without that context, it is just an object, which, unless you have prior knowledge of, is at best just interesting to look at and at worst, is meaningless. Where possible to use, large format labelling can act as a really powerful connection point between exhibit and visitor, which will create a much richer, more memorable experience.
Meanwhile, strategically placed smaller, portable label holders (such as the Freestanding Label Holder, or Pinnacle Label Holder) are also wonderfully adept at facilitating the art of storytelling. Placed conveniently yet unobtrusively next to the specific artefacts, these labels can describe details such as the cultural significance of an artefact, or the scientific process behind a discovery, encouraging visitors to think more deeply about what they’re seeing, in a way that flows naturally throughout the display.
For the visitor experience, curators have the task of striking a balance between providing enough detail to engage visitors and avoiding information overload. Clear and legible typefaces with clean, easy-to-distinguish letterforms paired with high-quality visuals, ensure that signage remains accessible and enjoyable to read.
Accessibility in Museum and Gallery Signage Design
Museums and galleries serve a diverse audience, including children, people with disabilities, and visitors who speak different languages. Thoughtful signage and labelling design helps break down barriers, whether physical, linguistic, or cognitive, making exhibits accessible to a broader audience.When it comes to labelling and signage, to maximise the visitor experience for all visitors, here's an overview of the factors that need to be considered, as covered in our article "Inclusive Exhibition Labels & Signage for Accessible Museums & Galleries":
- Simplify exhibition language for all visitors
- Enhance readability in exhibition texts
- Optimise label design and typeface for accessibility
- Maximise contrast for better legibility
- Reduce glare and optimising label placement for accessibility
Solutions in practiceOur Label Holder collection is available in Low Reflect options, to reduce glare from overhead lighting and improve readability for all visitors. Taking a look at specific products, our Information Stands are designed with accessibility in mind, with the content positioned at a height and angle that suits everyone, from wheelchair users to adults and children. Meanwhile, the Pinnacle label holder is also equipped to cater for a diverse audience with a range of heights and three sizes of label holder to choose from – meaning that museums can provide signage that can be read easily from a standing or seated position.
As touched on above, materials also play a crucial role in the quest for visitor accessibility. Clear or low-reflect acrylic covers, often used in label holders and signage plates, reduce glare under exhibit lighting, making text easier to read. Alongside, fonts, sizes, contrast and spacing should be carefully chosen to maximise readability, while symbols or images can assist visitors with limited literacy or who are unfamiliar with the exhibit’s primary language.
Inclusive design ensures that museums remain welcoming spaces for all visitors, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities. By investing in accessible signage, curators create environments where every visitor feels included and able to engage fully with the exhibits.
"Thoughtful signage and labelling design helps break down barriers, whether physical, linguistic, or cognitive, making exhibits accessible to a broader audience."
Integrating signage into the exhibit design
The golden rule of signage is that it should enhance the visitor experience without detracting from the aesthetic of the exhibition itself. This requires careful consideration of placement, materials, and format. Our fixed label holders and portable label holders are designed to blend seamlessly into their environment, ensuring the focus remains squarely on the artefacts.To further complement the overall exhibition design, we are able to produce all of our Label Holders and Signage in bespoke powder coated colours. You can find more information about this on each product page, or by visiting our bespoke museum labelling and signage page.
Portable label holders offer huge amounts of flexibility as a signage system, making them ideal for both temporary exhibits and multi-use spaces. Their slim and unobtrusive design of our collection allows them to serve their function of providing timely infortmation, without drawing attention away from the items on display.
In another of our articles, we dive into the specifics involved in maximising artwork presentation with effective Label Holders, where we discuss tips for optimal display, including placement in relation to the artwork, size choice, consistency and positioning.
In some instances the specific label format can aid in minimising distraction and keeping a uncluttered aesthetic. The Shelf Edge Label Holder, for example, is a great option for tidying the information relating to a multi-artefact display, inside or outside of a display case, without competing with the objects on show. With a clean aluminium finish, they’re designed to remain visually cohesive with the overall aesthetic of any space.
Thinking Outside the Box: Utilising Labels in Innovative Ways
For visitors hungry for more information, exhibit labels can incorporate new features such as QR codes that lead to deeper information about the artefact or artwork they are viewing. In addition to enhancing their in-the-moment experience, this also allows the visitor to 'take the experience home with them', further enhancing their visit satisfaction, which in turn could lead to repeat visits and make them more likely to share their experience with others.QR codes could also be used for visitors to 'scan to contribute their interpretations' or ask questions about the exhibit, and visitors can also read the interpretations or view the questions and answers.
Another example would be gamification - add clued or riddles to labels that encourage visitors to explore the space, turning the experience into an interactive treasure hunt. This is especially relevant to museums designed for families, but in subtle ways could be integrated into even into mroe serious exhibitions, for example, if an artist has a common theme or 'hallmark' that can be seen in multiple works, the visitor could be challenged to spot these throughout the exhibition.
How thoughtful signage enhances visitor flow
Signage is also an important contributor to the management of crowd flow in a museum or gallery, which can ultimately have a great affect on overall visitor experience and satisfaction. Without the introduction of clear and easy-to-interpret visual communication, visitors can feel lost or overwhelmed, ultimately, disrupting their engagement with the exhibits. Conversely, well-placed signage is there to offer clear guidance and logical progression through the space.Directional signage, such as Information Stands, or our Q Barriers used with modular Signage Adapters and Signage Plates, can help visitors understand where to go without interrupting their focus on the exhibits. When pathways are clear, visitors feel more confident exploring at their own pace.
Effective signage also helps manage crowding. Information stands placed near entry points can provide an overview of the exhibit, spreading visitors out more effectively. Additionally, in high traffic areas, the use of more frequent, 'bitesize' exhibit labelling, rather than less frequent, large format labelling, can naturally make the visitor flow more fluid and reduce bottlenecks, by encouraging visitors to explore the entire exhibit rather than clustering in a single area.
Wayfinding should always balance a visitor’s natural curiosity and their navigational decision-making, with information and instruction shared through a mixture of imagery, icons, and text. A signage system should also be versatile enough to handle a diverse range of events, exhibitions and museum reconfiguration, one that can be easily updated with individual signs as needs change.
Access Free Help and Advice About Labelling & Signage Today
By carefully integrating signage into the design of museum and gallery spaces, curators can build environments that are educational, inspirational, and visually harmonious. Thoughtful placement, accessible materials, and engaging content ensure that exhibits and artwork connect with the intended viewer while keeping these spaces safe and well-managed.For museums and galleries, investment in high-quality signage and carefully planning its placement is the surest method of achieving those goals. If you’d like to find out more about Absolute Product’s museum-grade information and signage range, please do explore the collection, or get in touch with us today.
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Posted by Jade Turner
17th December 2024