As we zip through the years, with digital media ever more pervasive and slicker, you could be forgiven for thinking that the age of the written word or interpretive panels is dead or dying when it comes to visitor engagement. It is easier than ever to create and post video content and thanks to COVID, “everyone knows how to use QR codes now”, or so I hear. Museums are getting in on the TikTok act and #hashtags get you noticed.
Yet interpretive panels persist. From exhibits to viewpoints and park trails, there is a simplicity in them. No need for smartphones or data, instructions or “out of order” signs. No real need for the organization to worry about theft or climate if outdoors. If you can read, you can discover. There are also many people who enjoy reading panels.
It is my firm view that the written word does still matter. A visitor can look at an interpretive panel and, in an instant, have a good sense if they are likely to be interested or not. They can see what is in it for them – or not – without having to jump through hoops to interact with digital media, only to perhaps find it is not for them. Interpretive text allows a reader to go back and forward as easily as a scan of the eye, if need be, to better assimilate the text. No scrolling or streaming glitches necessary. And an interpretive panel can be succinct and can get across the message in less time than it takes to load and watch a video.
Good interpretive panels and bad interpretive panels are similar in one way – they both look effortless. Only one of them is.
But like anything else in this world, there are good quality panels and, well, not-so-good panels. For a long time, it has been my view that a good interpretive panel and a bad interpretive panel are similar in one way – they both look effortless. The good panel reads so effortlessly it seems that it took no time to put together but belies the time taken to get it right. The bad panel on the other hand also looks like no effort was put into it as it is careless in any number of aspects, from layout to language to errors.
I have written or edited a host of panels over the last quarter century. From spelling ‘ENVIRONMENT’ wrong on a one-word poster at the Scottish Government waayyy back in the early days (oops!), to developing content for multi-million dollar attractions more recently, I have honed my skills. I am passionate about good interpretive writing. I want to make it easy on the reader as they are then more likely to engage with it.
In this blog, I will write about ‘all things interpretive writing’. My goal is to share understanding, tips and thoughts with others who are tasked with producing well-written, carefully crafted text. I do love to write after all 😊
Happy reading.