Object labels identify the object succinctly.
An object label, such as those used to describe exhibits in museums and galleries, should be as interesting and entertaining as the object itself. Visitors will spend slightly more time reading labels than actually viewing the objects, and your label has the difficult task of educating people on what they are viewing. Keep it short, sweet and to the point, provide only pertinent information and make the narrative easily understood at an eighth-grade level.
Instructions
1. Standardize the specification for your label. This includes the label's size and color and the style, point size and color of the font. According to Alaska State Museums, a label's effectiveness begins with how well it coordinates to the exhibit. Contrast or coordinate the background color with the exhibit's walls, and choose a type point (size) that is large enough to see easily -- at least 18 point -- and a font color that contrasts strongly with the background.
2. Construct the label. The label identifies an object and brings it to the attention of the viewer. What you write on your label depends on what information is available to you regarding the subject. At a minimum it must state the title or describe the object, note the age of the object, name the artist or creator of the object, include a catalog number and list the object's origins and the materials with which it was made. Additional information may be the object's uses in its time period, or some little-known fact about its creator or origin.
3. Proofread your label carefully and check word count. A label that is less than 75 words is ideal. Check that the text flows, pulling the reader from one point into the next, and make certain there is no extraneous information contained within it.
