KS3 · Computer Science

Designing clear digital messages

Most signs get a glance and nothing more. So what makes one message land in that glance while another vanishes? Judge some design choices yourself.

Computer Science · Designing for the viewer

Helps, or gets in the way?

For a viewer who only glances, does this design choice help the message land, or get in the way?

Still to sort

Helps the message land (0)

The viewer gets the message quickly and the sign is easy to read.

Where the line is: It belongs here when it makes the message clearer or the sign easier to spot.

Gets in the way (0)

The viewer is distracted, or the sign is hard to read or spot.

Where the line is: It belongs here when it distracts the viewer or makes the message harder to take in.

9 of 9 still to sort.

Imagine a viewer who only has time for a glance. Sort each design choice, then read why it belongs there.

Watch out: Cutting down on text is guidance, not a rule. Each choice is judged by whether the message lands at a glance.

Which idea sounds like you?

What makes a good poster?

Your class is making a poster for a school event. Everyone has a different idea about what a good one looks like.

Which is closest to what you think right now?

A good poster squeezes in as much information as possible, so nobody misses anything.A proper poster needs every feature going: a title, a long text, a picture, the lot.It doesn't matter how crowded it looks, because people will read the detail if it's all in there somewhere.A good poster gets its message across at a glance, and I only add a feature if it helps that message.

How sure are you?

I'm sureI think soI'm guessing

A good poster squeezes in as much information as possible, so nobody misses anything.

This is a common misconception

It's a really common idea, and it's the one that sinks posters. Too much text, or too many images and details, distracts the viewer and makes the poster hard to read. A viewer who only glances can't take it all in, so the message gets buried. Pictures and text have to be carefully selected.

A proper poster needs every feature going: a title, a long text, a picture, the lot.

This is a common misconception

There are no set rules. A poster doesn't need every feature, and it needn't contain both text and images, as long as the message is clearly communicated.

It doesn't matter how crowded it looks, because people will read the detail if it's all in there somewhere.

This is a common misconception

Posters and signs have to get the message across at a glance, without relying on the viewer spending time looking at the detail. If it only works for someone who stops and studies it, it isn't doing its job.

A good poster gets its message across at a glance, and I only add a feature if it helps that message.

This matches the evidence

Yes. That's the test for every feature of a poster or sign: does it help the message come across clearly, or does it get in the way?

No set rules, just one test: does this choice help the message land at a glance?

Colour and meaning

Reason it through

Why can a green danger sign be dangerous?

Link 1 of 4

First link · your turn

Before the viewer reads a single word, what do they already link with the colours green and red?

Locked — reveal the link above first

Predict, then check

Think about the person reading it, not the person making it.

A font is the design style of the characters in a piece of text. You can change the font colour and the font style. Which formatting would make a line of text easiest to read under typical use?

Your turn

Annotate and evaluate a poster

Here is a poster for a school bake sale. The title, 'BAKE SALE', is in tiny light-yellow letters on a white background. Underneath are three long paragraphs about every cake on sale, and ten photos squeezed in around the edges. There is no border. Write your annotation: does this poster communicate its message clearly, why, and how could it be improved? [5 marks]

Your answer

0 words · your answer stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

The mark scheme

Says the poster does not communicate its message clearly. (1 mark)
Colour scheme: the light-yellow title on white is hard to read against its background. (1 mark)
Layout and clarity: too much text and too many photos distract the viewer, so the key message is lost. (1 mark)
Improvement: use less text and fewer, carefully chosen pictures. (1 mark)
Improvement: a bigger font size and a text colour that contrasts with the background. (1 mark)

Model answer

The poster doesn't communicate its message clearly. The light-yellow title is hard to read against the white background, and the three long paragraphs and ten photos distract the viewer, so the key message gets lost. It could be improved by using less text and fewer, carefully chosen pictures, and by making the title bigger in a colour that contrasts with the background.

Annotate by naming the design feature, say whether it helps the message, give the reason, then say how you'd improve it.

WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED

A quick recap of today's lesson.

What you need to know

A poster is a visual product, usually on a wall. Good design gets its message across clearly and makes it easy to read.
Signs and posters must land their message at a glance, without the viewer needing to study the detail.
Too much text, or too many images and details, distracts the viewer and makes a poster hard to read.
Have a goJay says: 'Maya's poster is brilliant. It's got more words and more photos on it than any other in the corridor!' Will a passer-by get its message at a glance?
Probably not. A viewer who only glances can't take all that in, so the message gets lost.
Too much text and too many images distract the viewer. More on the page doesn't make the message land any faster.
Poor graphical design can make signs and posters hard to read, and can even be dangerous.
Poor design looks like: too much text, text hard to read against its background, no border, or an unsuitable colour.
Have a goA door sign has thin pale-yellow lettering on a white board and no border. Give two reasons it's poor design.
The text is hard to read against its background, and with no border the sign is hard to spot.
Those are two of the named examples of poor design; each one stops the message reaching a viewer who only glances.
Good sign design uses minimal, simple text, a simple font, bright contrasting colours, a simple shape and a border.
A font is the design style of the characters. Colour and style can be changed, so keep text easy to read: contrast with the background, and a big enough size.
Have a goSomeone can't read your sign from across the room, though your text colour contrasts well. Which formatting choice do you change?
The font size. Make it big enough to read.
Good contrast isn't enough on its own. Formatting should make text easy to read under typical use, and that includes a big enough size.
There are no set rules: a poster needn't have every feature, or both text and images, if the message is clear.
Annotation is a note or comment added to text, images or diagrams to explain, for example, a design feature.
To evaluate a design, say whether it communicates clearly, give reasons, and explain how it could be improved.

The big picture

A poster or sign works when its message lands at a glance. Too much text or detail, text that is hard to read against its background, no border and an unsuitable colour all get in the way. A simple font, bright contrasting colours, a simple shape and a border help. There are no set rules, so every feature has to earn its place by helping the message.

Key points

1A poster or sign succeeds when its message lands at a glance.

2Too much text, too many images or too much detail distracts the viewer and makes it hard to read.

3Hard-to-read text, no border and an unsuitable colour all get in the way of the message.

4Minimal simple text, a simple font, bright contrasting colours, a simple shape and a border help.

5There are no set rules, so a feature belongs only if it helps the message.

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Worked example

Problem

A school gate has this sign: 'Visitors are kindly requested to report to the main reception office before proceeding any further into the school grounds, where they will be signed in.' It is in small pale-grey writing on a white board, with no border. Evaluate it.

⚠ Watch out

Thinking more is better: packing a poster with every fact, picture and feature. Too much detail distracts the viewer and makes it harder to read, and there are no set rules saying a poster needs every feature.

🧠

Memory hook

The glance test: if a viewer has to stop and study it, something in the design is getting in the way.

✓

Check yourself

Look at any sign or poster near you right now. Does its message land at a glance? Name one choice that helps, one that gets in the way, and how you would improve it.

Flashcards

(12)

What is a poster?

A visual product, usually displayed on a wall, designed to communicate a message visually.

What does 'at a glance' mean for a sign?

The viewer gets the message straight away, without spending time looking at the detail.

Why should a poster avoid too much text and too many images?

Too much detail is distracting and makes it hard to read, so pictures and text must be carefully selected.

Give four examples of poor sign design.

Too much text; text hard to read against its background; no border, so it is hard to spot; an unsuitable colour.

Why can poor graphical design be dangerous?

It can make a sign hard to read, or even tell the viewer the opposite of its message.

Which colours do we associate with safety and with danger?

We associate green with safety and red with danger.

What does good sign design use?

Minimal, simple text, a simple font, bright contrasting colours, a simple shape and a border to make the sign stand out.

What is a font?

The design style of the characters used for text.

How should text be formatted?

So it is easy to read under typical use: a text colour that contrasts with the background and a font size big enough to read.

Does a poster need every design feature?

No. There are no set rules, and it needn't contain both text and images, as long as the message is clearly communicated.

What is annotation?

An explanation, note or comment added to text, images or diagrams to communicate thoughts and ideas, such as the design features of a poster.

How do you evaluate a design?

Explain whether it communicates its message clearly, give reasons, and explain how it could be improved.

Tap any card to flip it, or use Study as deck to go through them one at a time. In the full lesson these run as a spaced-repetition deck — you rate each card Hard, Good or Easy and the tricky ones keep coming back until they stick.

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Helps, or gets in the way?

What makes a good poster?

Annotate and evaluate a poster

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