Thinking Visually: Creating Integrated Label Graphics

The best session I attended at AAM this year was “Thinking Visually: Creating Integrated Label Graphics,” presented by Emily O’Hara, Senior Exhibit Content Developer, and Emily Marsh, Senior Graphic Designer, both at the Museum of Science, Boston. With their kind permission, I am reproducing some of their session content here and in upcoming posts.

The Emilies identified several reasons for adding more visuals to labels:

• Universal design
  Reducing the number of words and communicating the same ideas through images is helpful to young learners, English-language learners, and people with non-verbal learning styles/preferences.
• Better communication
  Images are faster to “read” and can communicate more in less space.
• More visitors read them
  Their labels with fewer words and more images were read by a higher percentage of visitors.
• Asthetic value