Pssst!
Visiting heritage attractions, museums and zoos should always be a great day out. But, if we don’t broadcast a message and influence how our visitors think and feel, then really, what’s the point?
Museum guidebook writing, Museum panel design tips, Museum panel writing tips, Pssst!, Zoo interpretation panels
Looking for a good time?
When I was growing up I was one of those kids who was too impatient to battle through boring museum panels, largely because I had better things to be doing. I wanted the content to be easy to read and understand, and I also wanted to be entertained.
Museum guidebook writing, Museum panel writing tips, Pssst!, Zoo interpretation panels
Mojo’s top ten interpretation writing tips.
If you’re starting from scratch, writing great interpretation can seem like a daunting challenge.
These ten interpretation tips will point you in the right direction.
Museum guidebook writing, Museum panel design tips, Museum panel writing tips, Pssst!, Zoo interpretation panels
Why your swanky museum might be crap.
Whether you have millions to spend on your museum or not, its success relies upon stories and relevance. Here’s how small museums can sometimes win over large, multi-million-pound attractions.
Museum guidebook writing, Museum panel design tips, Museum panel writing tips, Pssst!, Zoo interpretation panels
The Interpretation Handbook.
Interpretation panels are the most common form of communication between museums and their visitors. Sadly, many panels are so painfully difficult and onerous to read that visitors often don’t bother. We’d like to change that.
Museum guidebook writing, Museum panel design tips, Museum panel writing tips, Pssst!, Zoo interpretation panels
Zoo guidebooks and interpretation panels.
Some zoos, unfortunately, suffer from the same interpretive challenges which afflict many museums and heritage attractions, believing that the exhibit itself is enough to enthral the visitor.
Museum guidebook writing, Museum panel writing tips, Pssst!, Zoo interpretation panels
Curators need help writing museum panels.
Don’t get me wrong – I like curators, I really do! They have an important job to do which requires a great deal of skill, knowledge and experience.
Museum guidebook writing, Museum panel design tips, Museum panel writing tips, Pssst!
Kids on phones.
By now we all must have seen this photograph, showing a group of schoolchildren apparently ignoring Rembrandt’s artistic masterpiece.
Marketing documents, Museum guidebook writing, Museum panel design tips, Museum panel writing tips, Pssst!, Zoo interpretation panels
Bad copywriting is bad for business.
When I was a youngster, I thought most household name businesses would have a huge marketing department. It would be chock full of experts with an almost supernatural understanding of human psychology.
Museum guidebook writing, Museum panel design tips, Museum panel writing tips, Pssst!
Artsy bollocks.
I was what you might call an inner-city kid. I grew up in a rough neighbourhood, and our access to culture, creativity, entrepreneurship, and academia was essentially non-existent.