Typophile

Any tips for large information panels/boards

Dash_X

Hello,

I'm about to start a project designing several large information/interpretation panels, and i've never done this sort of large scale design before.

Each panel will be around 4ft wide x 8ft tall
with around 200 words of text and a couple of images.

I have to use the client's proprietary typeface (which is similar to Optima)

Any tips? Anything I should avoid as far as letter or line spacing? (beyond normal things like orphans, widows etc.)

Thanks

Bob Evans

Make sure the type size is large enough to be read easily at the distance the panels are designed for.

Hrant H Papazian

Note that the viewing distance can also be too close.
What is the typeface?

hhp

Bob Evans

Hrant's point is well taken - a 4 x 8 panel that you only can view up close is a real problem, even for the images. As I said, knowing the viewing distance is critical.

Dash_X

Yeah, this is the puzzle -

The boards are part of 'kiosks' (9 of them) for historic interpretation - the panels will be the kiosk 'backing', with key text and images on them. They will have tables/surfaces in front of them with more in depth information and interpretation (books, touchy-feely things, interactive tablet screens etc). So you are meant to go in close. Yet the panel is huge.

During busy periods there is NO way you are going to be able to stand back to view them in the hallway/concourse where they are going to situated. You're going to be shuffling around and near them like in a busy museum.

Also let me correct - the panels will be 5.5ft high, 4ft wide (Overall is 8ft - 2.5ft is taken by the table height below them)

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