Signs of the times: good practice that avoids pitfalls

The latest guest information from Best Western uses informal language and an engaging style. One thing's for sure - signage should always make a valid point, and be there for a good reason.

Why signage in public places can be an issue

Signage can be difficult to get right, irrespective of which industry you’re in. If I was to pick out common factors from those that I consider to be the most successful practitioners, I believe that the best examples offer a combination of clarity, visibility, consistency and common sense. So where do you find them, and what are the signage pitfalls in public places that must be avoided at all costs?

Why is signage important? The reasons are various, but the key points are that without the aid of physical signage, people can potentially get lost, be put to considerable inconvenience, or even get themselves into a potentially unsafe or vulnerable situation from a security point of view. No-one  wants that to happen to anyone at business premises, and that’s why it’s so important for businesses of all sizes to get right.

Who can demonstrate good practice?

In my initial ignorance about the subject, I didn’t fully appreciate that informational signage and way finding was such a big business, or that as a country we’re among the world leaders in this fiield. Then I visited the Liverpool waterfront last year, and saw the results of the wayfinding and signage project completed there in and around Albert Dock by Holmes-Wood, who describe themselves as ‘one of Britain’s leading companies working in direction, information and identity design’. Yes, that’s right, there are specialist signage consultancies out there, that can help you spend millions on ensuring that your signage is tailored to meet your precise business needs, and looks good as well.

However, even the smallest business can learn from good practice undertaken, not only in places where new signage was necessary as a result of major re-branding and urban regeneration projects, as in the case of Liverpool; but also from the signage displayed in other high traffic public places such as airports, shopping malls, and on the motorway network. The directional signage and branding developed initially for the  UK motorway network, and then the entire national road network of Britain by Jock Kinneir and Margaret Calvert between 1957 and 1967, is now a recognised design classic, that has become a model for motorway and road signage internationally. It’s a mark of its success, that it’s still in use today.

Clarity is vital when it comnes to signage. Wherever possible it makes sense to make use of internationally recognised systems of symbolism, such as those used for hazardous chemicals, and health and safety signs. It becomes vital that warning signs can be understood at a glance, even when people don’t speak the  language, and can’t read written text. That’s why international signage conventions have developed, such as the use of the lower case letter ‘ i ‘ which is used as visual shorthand to designate tourist information centres worldwide.

Mistakes to avoid

On occasion signage can be percieved as patronising, irrelevant, or worse, can be seen as treating grown adults like naughty children. From time to time I come across such signs. Where signs are used inappropriately they have the potential to provoke a negative reaction, disappointment, confusion, fear or even annoyance, all emotions that are not good for business from a marketing point of view.

In general signs should be used only to communicate simple unambiguous messages that are relevant to everyone who sees them. Unless there is danger, or a possible threat to life or limb, any complicated scenarios, applicable to the minority of the people passing by, is probably best communicated by a different method, and ideally during the course of personal communication.

When things get complicated..

In hotels, where there is a plethora of information that needs to be communicated, and people have an expectation that they’ll receive guidance appropriate to their individual needs, it can be particularly challenging to ensure that guests receive all the information and reassurance they might need, at the same time as being politely encouraged to act on it. In this instance it’s sensible practice to offer an information folder in all guest rooms, and to serve up the answers to frequently asked questions in advance of guest arrival on websites; but that’s not usually enough.

Signs can act as a catch all to help businesses communicate information; but they should not always be relied on or used alone. Some instructions, for example about responsible energy use,  can cause resentment or negative attitude on the part of the paying customer.

With businesses increasingly looking to give their business a ‘green edge’ and promote responsible tourism, it can be hard to find the right tone of voice, and form of words to encourage responsible attitudes to such issues as noise, energy use and contentious areas such as daily replacement of towels and bedding, with signage alone.

Tried and tested strategies

However you look at it, signs have a tendency to lecture because you can’t ignore them. One alternative approach is to draw people’s attention to where they can find information available (but not try to compel them to take notice); and you can invite people to be responsible about their energy usage for rational reasons, rather than posting signage that seems to demand compliance. A self catering opearator I know leaves a copy of the paperback book ‘One Planet Living’ in her cottages, and offers copies for sale to those who express interest. She’s found that this works well.

Offering a reward for compliant behaviour is a further strategy that can be adopted to persuade people to change their habits or encourage reponsible behaviour. I’ve come across hotels that reward guests who leave their car in the car park all day when they go out, with free tea and cakes when they return. Another goes out of her way to explain how to reach local attractions by public transport.  There’s no doubt though, that it can be a challenge to get people to do things the way you want. One thing is for sure, although signage can help, I certainly don’t think it will ever be the only answer.

What do you think? Marketing is about everything that helps a business to identify and satisfy customer needs profitably.  Contact Manifold Associates if you’re a business having difficulty in identifying the most appropriate form of  words and images to explain your business philosophy in your marketing communications. We also help businesses through the process of rationalising and communicating the reasons for people to do business with them; and deliver training on marketing your green credentials.

Until next time…

What makes a genuine souvenir?

Would you be right to expect merchandise on sale at major galleries to reflect local distinctiveness?

I’ve been doing quite a lot of travelling in the UK over the past three months. As a result, I’ve spent a fair bit in hotels, restaurants, visitor attractions and yes, shops. So my expenditure, whether I’ve been travelling for business or pleasure, has also benefited the local economy everywhere I’ve visited, from Newcastle to Salcombe, from Liverpool to Ascot, The Cotswolds, London, Durham and Bath, to the Isle of Wight, Stratford Upon Avon and Windsor. Or has it?

My definition of a souvenir

Souvenirs are physical reminders of places you’ve visited. My husband abhors them, and is always reminding me ‘not to bring home any more knick-knacks’. However, in my case, my desire to take home a souvenir of some description, runs deep. I rarely throw one away, unless it totally disintegrates, which drives him nuts.

Souvenirs should carry meaning, be about memories and local identity. The preponderance of chain stores you now find in the high streets of so many towns and cities all over the  world makes finding something different more difficult. More often than not nowadays, it’s frustratingly difficult to findsomething  locally made, that you can’t get anywhere else, apart from rocks.

I have a thing about rocks, fossils and shells. I’ve got a great collection, picked up from beaches and roadside verges all over the world. They make great free souvenirs. They’re not actually displayed anywhere, they find themselves scattered about in odd drawers, bathroom shelves or in the garden. Most are too small to be of any use, except the collection of pumice I picked up on the beach at Monte Circeo in Italy at the age of 14. There’s nothing like pumice for rough skin; and these little pieces, that probably came from Vesuvius,  form a keepsake that still transports me back to a windswept teenage day out from Rome with my Italian uncle and aunt, digging my bare feet into the cold beach sand of late March, resolving  to remember the moment forever.

Can my recent purchases be criticised?

Turn over many obvious souvenirs like the small red plastic telephone boxes or double decker buses, or mugs, that you see in souvenir shops in London nowadays and you’ll find the words ‘made in China’ stamped on the bottom. I tried this exercise with what I considered the best souvenirs I’ve picked up in the UK recently, and was shocked by the results. In particular I thought that major art galleries would be places keen to support well designed home produced artifacts.

On closer inspection I discovered that the cute little ‘Handy Bookmarks’, made of multi-coloured wire in the shape of hand signs (£2.50. from NPW),  that I bought in the Baltic Gallery in Gateshead, were made in China. So were the fredandfriends.com ‘Gin and Titonic’ ship and iceberg shaped ice cubes ‘to sink in your drink’, from the same place ( priced at £5.50). The latter appear to have been designed in the USA; but on inspecting the packet it confirmed that they were manufactured in China.

I’ve also discovered that The Cavern Club fridge magnet I bought in Liverpool Visitor Information Centre, was made in China (mysteriously I found I couldn’t buy souvenirs in the club itself). Finally I looked at my much admired Tatty Devine acrylic keyring in ‘symbolism black’ (available in other colours such as ‘post modern pink’), that I purchased at Tate Liverpool in  Albert Dock (£14.68 from Tate online), and was delighted to find that it was made in the UK.

How we can promote locally distinctive souvenirs

We may live in an era of globalisation, but we can do our bit for the local economy whether we  are on ‘staycation’ in the UK or travelling abroad, if we buy goods that are locally made. That’s what I believe ‘responsible tourism’ is all about.

Common Ground is an organisation that devotes itself to promoting the value and importance of the local: our ordinary cultural heritage, popular history, everyday buildings and commonplace nature’. Back in 1983 they invented the term  local distinctiveness, which they define as ‘ the richness of difference between places that reflects meaning back to us, through the particular accumulations of story upon history upon natural history’. It’s something all of us can look out for in the souvenirs we take home from a trip.

Common Ground’s ‘Manifesto for Souvenirs’:

Souvenirs should be:

1. true to their place, full of meaning, reinforcing identity
2. locally distinctive, unique to the locale
3. produced nearby
4. making use of and building on the natural and cultural assets of the place
5. made from local renewable materials
6. ambassadors for their place
7. authentic and of good quality
8. offer good value be ethically derived and fairly traded
9. of benefit to local makers and the broader tourist industry as well as retailers
10. clearly labelled with sources of material, name of designer, maker and place of production, feeding back into local culture
11. capable of reuse, recycling and simply packaged
12. exemplary of sustainability

What we can do next

Common Ground goes on to suggest what we can all try and do as tourists and travellers, locals and makers or manufacturers, commissioners of goods and traders, to search out locally distinctive souvenirs; amongst other things by demanding authenticity, good quality and fair value whenever we buy  souvenirs. Read more.

Check your most recent purchases, and see if you can find proof of whether they were locally made.  How practicable do think Common Ground’s ideas are? I think it’s a particular challenge for retailers to source items that can be sold as souvenirs at the lower end of the price scale. Why not let me know what  you think; or tell me about the special items that you’ve purchased as souvenirs and found to be found made locally here in the UK.