Do you ever have to post informal signs at work? Maybe it’s to announce that an elevator is out of order or a meeting has been cancelled. Maybe it’s to direct guests to a conference room. Although informal, hundreds of people can see such signs. What impression do they make?
The other day I visited a large store to check its lost and found area. I had lost my winter gloves. Waiting in line to speak to a customer service person, I read this sign, which hung in several places.
No doubt many people found errors in this sign. Did you? Feel free to share them in a comment.
Applying three quick tips could have eliminated the errors:
- Capitalize for a reason, not randomly.
- Run a grammar and spelling check, no matter how short the message. It takes about 10 seconds and should catch misspelled words.
- Ask a coworker to check your punctuation and make sure things make sense.
In case you are wondering, the store issued fishing and hunting licenses. That’s the “Fish & Game” reference.
Few people would judge the large store I visited based on its sign. But that’s not always the case. An error-filled sign could cause a visitor to lose confidence in a business’s ability to communicate and its attention to detail.
If you like finding errors and thinking about ways to revise signs, these blog posts are for you:
How Would You Revise This Sign?
Another Sign for You to Proofread
Signs That Need Your Proofreader’s Eye
Here are two good courses for better signs–and better writing: Proofread Like a Pro and Punctuation for Professionals.
Lynn
P.S. A little bonus sign for your proof-reading pleasure and amusement!
