New Year Resolution Display 2011

Do you make a New Year Resolution? If so, you could share it with the library and see what resolutions others make as well.


For the month of January, we wanted to have something about New Year Resolutions. I suggested that we make it interactive by allowing visitors to write their own new year resolution and share it by tacking it up on the display wall. To show how this could be done I came up with a general concept (see top image) and suggested some graphic signage to point viewers to additional information about what new year resolutions were, why they were made, what were popular resolutions, and maybe even some famous or infamous new years resolutions.

 

The idea was approved and we invited staff to help start kick things off by providing a few of their own. Once up, visitors could see that they were encouraged to participate by filling out a Post-It note of their own and sticking it on the wall with the others. For people who couldn't think of a resolution, an informational graphic sign was posted to provide a brief indication about what a new year resolution was, why people make them, and a sample website link where they could read more about resolutions. The same sign also showed ten of the most commonly used resolutions as examples.


For those who wanted to participate but couldn't think of a new year resolution for themselves, we provided the "Resolution Randomizer"--a box filled with a large assortment of pre-written new year resolutions. All they'd have to do is reach in, pull out a slip of paper with the pre-resolution written on it, then write it on their own Post-It note and place it on the wall. The box idea originally started out as a spinning wheel, but with limited time, resources, and an interest in minimizing potential accidents and vandalism, I considered an alternative way to deliver a random choice to participants.


Now that the display is up, it is interesting to stand in front of it to read what resolutions other people have written. There are some pretty good ones, and of course, there will always be those who resolve not to make a new year resolution at all. Who knows, they might even end up being the most common resolution!


As a way to extend the experience, the librarian in charge of this display will keep an active blog going about it. Each week, she will update readers on what resolutions have been posted, including the most interesting and most popular ones. We hope that by the end of the month there will be a lot of resolutions shared for everyone to read and to consider for themselves.


As for production of the design, I had sourced for images of hourglasses, but didn't find any I liked, tipped in the angle I wanted. So I ended up using the Adobe Illustrator drawn one I created for my concept. Tabloid signs incorporated a blue-hued variation of the January monthly event signs and the same gold spot-lit background texture as well. One of the display team members covered a cardboard box for the Resolution Randomizer, and I formed a table tent sign out of another piece of cardboard. The wall of the display was covered with long sheets of white butcher paper, and the headline was printed out on the large format printer. Additional decorative snowflakes were printed out on both plain white paper as well as card stock for the few that we hung by thread to add dimension to the display.

ADDENDUM: By the time we took down the display after the end of the month, you can see how nicely the display filled up with Post-It Notes placed on the board by patrons who were willing to share their new year resolution. Compare the final photo to my original concept comp and you can see that the actual turn-out came pretty close to the vision. =)


At right are two final photos before taking down the display.