Library Cleaning Poster

Through the use of a couple of strong visuals, font use and language,
  a simple informational sign can have greater impact and appeal.

Every month a different department in our Headquarters Library will volunteer to clean the staff break room. We have a schedule on the staff refrigerator that shows each department's rotation in this duty. With 12 different departments at Headquarters, it works out pretty well: we only have to get our hands dirty cleaning once a year in what can sometimes be an ugly experience. But to our staff's credit, we're a pretty tidy bunch of folks. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean there won't be plenty of spaghetti splatters all over the inside of the microwave from time to time.

Thus, the inspiration for this sign, indicated that it was MY department's turn to wipe down the break room. Typically, the signs most people from other departments make are simple text signs with a couple of tiny pieces of Microsoft Word or Publisher clip art dropped in as decoration. But not for me. I wanted to show something with greater visual impact.

I didn't have to go far into my files and on the internet to find a few messy eaters, a bib, and our logo to cobble together a simple and straight-forward visual message to let staff know to safe guard their refrigerator items from being thrown out before volunteers got there with rubber gloves and cleaning supplies. I copied a section of the boy's face and pasted it down onto the product shot of a clean bib, adjusted the lighting and colour, then copied and pasted additional selections of the mess and spread it around for even more coverage on the bib and face.

And for those who are prone to be exceptionally messy, I wanted to let them know that while we might clean up the mess, we wouldn't be cleaning up those who make it--no matter how much they might need it!