There are many good ways to present the same information. Exhibit design is an art with some established principles but with few fixed rules. Here are some guidelines which may help you.
Preliminary Sketches. Make sketches of all possible layout ideas and study each for clarity of content and visual effect.
Text. Keep all text to a minimum number of words. Viewers come to see an exhibit, not to read it! A good illustration, specimen, or a graphic representation (see [Figure 4]) can save many words. Where text is needed, letter it clearly and large enough for easy reading. But avoid unnecessarily large or garish lettering—titles and text should only explain your exhibit, never dominate it!
Figure 4
Text Placement. Some exhibitors place captions uniformly over or under all illustrations, but text blocks placed at the side may communicate as clearly, and help prevent visual monotony (see [Figure 5]).
Points of Emphasis. If you use a series of illustrations or specimens to tell a running story, consider enlarging or featuring one of the most significant items so it can serve as the focal point of the series, as in [Figure 5].
Large Photos. Unless your photographs can be viewed in detail without stooping and squinting, either have them enlarged or discard them.
Color Photos. Color photos are expensive, but just one or two will add interest to a large group of black-and-white prints.
Charts and Graphs. If your exhibit contains charts and graphs, keep them simple. Avoid line charts if several curves must cross and recross. Logarithmic charts, scatter diagrams, and similar ratio charts are confusing to the average viewer. Caption and explain charts and graphs adequately. Simple pie, bar, and representational charts, as shown in [Figure 6], can be particularly meaningful. Often the use of colors will make the various factors more discernible.