SIGNAGE
A big decision to make is how to label the work, not only in terms of placement but also in terms of the content.
Traditionally, labels are printed and displayed underneath the works and there is nothing wrong with this but there are more options. If you do want traditional labels for the work, make sure you place them in the same place next to each work. This may be to the left or the right of the work, but make sure you keep consistency with where they are located. You don’t want them right next to the work, so allow some room between the work and its label.
With sculptural works that are in the middle of the room, you will still want to place their labels on a wall nearby. Ideally, place them above an existing label for a wall-based work located closest to the sculpture so you don’t end up cluttering the wall.
Avoid putting labels on plinths as it can ruin the look of the work.
LABEL TEXT
With content, the minimum to have on each label is the artist's name, the title of their work, and what it’s made from. Some artists like to have dimensions on their labels, but if you do that for one work make sure you do that for all works.
Consistency is really important for labelling so everything looks uniform, and this also adds a layer of professionalism to your exhibition.
TYPES OF LABELS
What material you make your labels in is up to you. You could print them on paper and mount them on foamboard if you want to be more traditional.
Another option is printing them on clear adhesive labels, these look quite modern and don’t distract as much but not every surface will be suitable for a sticky label.
You can get metal label holders which can be reused. These are screwed to the wall and have more of a museum quality about them.
Think about the type of work you're showing and what will work best with the mediums being used in the exhibition.
PRICE LIST
Avoid prices on labels if you are selling work and put this on a separate price list, so if someone is interested in purchasing a work, you can give them the information separately.
Whilst you may hope to sell some work, putting prices on labels reduces your exhibition’s purpose to be only an exhibition for selling. Therefore the themes or conversations you are trying to address could be undermined.
QR CODES
Printing labels and price lists can waste a lot of resources, so a lot of museums and galleries use QR codes in order to give the public information without having to use as much paper.
Rather than printing a QR code for every piece of work, one QR code could link you to a document that has an image of the work and then the labelling information so that the audience can quickly identify the work they are looking for. You could also have a separate code for a price list.
Do consider your audience members who don’t have a smart phone. Do you or the venue have a tablet that can be used by the audience to scan QR codes? At the very least have one hard copy of each that can be left in the venue.
