Breanna Harrison

TDJ3M

Product Design Research

Items to include

1. Essential 2. Desirable

a. Font is formal a. An Image

b. Clear and simple design b. Eye catching colours

c. As few words as possible c. Deffertation our text size and

d. Contrast between background boldness

and text d. Not jammed packed with

e. Legible from a distance information

f. Comprehensible e. Good use of space and colour

My 5 Big Ideas.

1. Purpose

The purpose of my sign is to inform students and teachers that masks must be worn at all

times while learning in the outdoor classroom. During this time it is very important that

this rule is kept, masks are meant to protect others and ourselves and by rejecting this we

not only put others at risk, but ourselves as well.

2. Location

The location of the sign must be close to the workspace of students, where if all students

are at their desks, they can read it. The location is so important as it determines who will

see the sign and their visibility of the sign, two things that if done wrong, my sign could

result in no one looking at it.

Breanna Harrison
TDJ3M

3. Look/Aesthetic

My sign will have a bright blue border with white backdrop to the black words. Black

words on white are easiest to read. While doing my research I found that bold and neon

colours draw the eye so that is why my border will be a bright and bold colour, in order to

draw attention to my sign. I also found that the majority of colorblind people are

red-green colorblind and can see blue and yellow. Therefore my sign can be eye catching

to anyone. I have to keep in mind the association with colours and their meanings. I

found that blue is generally associated with the medical field. For the fonts I will use

Times New Roman as it is a serif font and very legible and professional. The largest piece

of material that we can safely clamp is actually 30 inches (Y axis) long x 20 inches (X

axis) wide. Something to keep in mind is that every 1 inch of letter height provides 10

feet of readability with the best impact. The size of the sign should accommodate the font

size which should accommodate for the range the audience needs to be in for the sign to

apply to them. It is more desirable to the eye to have differentiation of boldness and text

size throughout the sign, highlighting specific words to get your message across even

further. 30% to 40% of the sign’s face area should be left as white space for optimal

readability.

4. Message

A sign becomes more personal when words used include “you, your, you’re” etc. The message

must be short, clear, and simple. It must be understandable and legible from a distance.

Some ideas for messages:

- Your mask must be worn at all times

- Please wear a mask

Breanna Harrison
TDJ3M

- Masks required in the outdoor classroom

- Masks required at all times

- Masks required while on premises

- Wear your mask

- Masks must be worn

5. Audience

Anyone learning or teaching in our outdoor classroom. Therefore the sign must reach

anyone sitting at their desks.

Images and Observations

Yellow is supposed to be the most

eye catching colour, it’s bright and

draws the eye. Red warns or

scolds, and blue is calmer but takes

a more medical stance.

The word “Notice” grabs attention but the amount of writing

on the sign discourages the viewer from looking at it for too

long. The image gets across quickly as well as the most

important words that have been put in bold and are a bigger

text size.
Breanna Harrison
TDJ3M

Very simple and clear. Draws the eye with the colour and good use of

space. Font is informal which results in a loss of severity in the meaning

of the words.

The eye is drawn to the signs with brighter colour. Image is simple

and understandable. Message is short and clear. The font is informal

and might be more difficult to read from a distance. The symmetry

adds formality.

Immediately the shape draws attention but the words “face covering” are

more difficult to read because of it. The image's colour is bold and the

image is a good representation of what the sign’s message says.

No text at all so the meaning is up to the viewer to interpret. Image is clear

and has an interesting shape and the colour is attractive but with no text,

the meaning is less understandable.

Breanna Harrison
TDJ3M

Links on successful sign advertisements

https://www.displaysandholders.com/blog/5-ways-to-make-retail-signage-more-visible/
https://www.thesignpad.com/2011/06/5-important-factors-to-keep-in-mind-for-a-successful-sign-design/