- April 2, 2015
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Signs Need Love (and Punctuation), Too!
“Haste makes waste,” is an annoyingly true statement when it comes to integrated marketing.
When pressed for time and coming up on a deadline, you’re simply happy to get a signage job into production.
And only until that signage returns to you in post-production do you catch the glaring punctuation mistake you made.
Even when integrated markets perform a spell check, too many are too busy to verify correct punctuation. Plus, the punctuation you might use in a product brochure may be different from the punctuation applied to a sign.
When in doubt, turn to an expert. Tom McIltrot presented his ideas in SignCraft, the sign magazine.
Don’t You Wish You Paid More Attention in English Class?
Don’t tell any English teacher you might know, but there are cheat sheets you can use to check punctuation and spelling on the fly. Online resources are quick and easy, such as the Grammarly.com app.
Or maybe you were the student in class who earned an “A” for knowing the difference between a semicolon and a colon. Good for you! Now it’s time to pull some of those punctuation rules from your memory banks and use them to create error-free signage.
For example, adding an apostrophe and the letter “s” to the end of a word creates a possessive. Like Tony’s Grill.
But apostrophes can be tricky; remember that a plural version of a word does not have an apostrophe.
And then there is the issue of persnickety commas. On signs, commas aren’t a good choice. They’re distracting and take away from the signage; when listing items, it’s better to use bullets than commas.
Finally, confirm any names, telephone numbers or web addresses before production. And old reporter’s trick is to call the telephone number listed for verification. Same goes for a URL, and it’s even a smart practice to double-check with the person listed on the sign that you’ve captured spelling correctly.
While you’re at it, make sure you’re using the right kind of signage for your goals. Two of our previous posts will guide you, “How to Avoid the Five Most Common Mistakes in Sign Design” and “Is Your Signage Driving People Away?”
All of these tips and tricks could save time by preventing mistakes and avoiding the cost of reprinting.
No more haste.
Well, unless you’re the Cheshire Cat from “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” who offers some very curious advice: “Haste makes waste, so I rarely hurry. But if a ferret were about to dart up my dress, I’d run!!”
