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Librarian Design Share

inspiration for library creatives

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Designing Displays on a Budget

Ah, the time honored librarian tradition of book displays. Even for a well-funded library, creating a display that’s eye-catching and well designed can be a tall order. What’s a librarian to do? Well, sometimes you just work with what you’ve got.

Ella Hassett from Arup Library has this to say about her International Women’s Day book display:

This is the International Women’s Day (IWD) book display, which was launched in our library space on 8th March 2018. As is evident from the image below, the space available for book displays is narrow and sits in front of staff desks, so it is difficult to work with, as any display cannot block the area behind. It is also restricted as there is no wall or board to display information behind the display, so this has to be done using the units underneath instead. As this was my first display, it was very much an exercise in frugal creativity.

This book display was created with zero budget and utilised whatever stationery was available from the cupboard. It shows what can be done with access to office supplies! The books on display are a collection of titles about significant women working in the built environment and books about gender equality in the workplace. The display encompassed upright Venus signs made of paper cups with the motif glued to them, which were visible when approaching the library space. Some of the books were also standing upright to attract attention, with others laid flat for people to browse. I designed a simple sign to indicate what the display was for and used the same red colour as the IWD firm campaign, of which we included some posters on the unit underneath, as this created consistency. The stars were leftover Christmas decorations that added some sparkle to the display.

Although it was a small display, I am proud of the results, as the majority of the books were checked out over the course of International Women’s Week. Going forward, I will continue to utilise this display space to promote our collections and engage with our users.

photo of an international women's day book display in an academic library

Ella used Adobe Photoshop CS5 to create the signs for the display. Nice work Ella!

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Love for Logos

Data in the ATL logo

Some of my favorite design inspiration comes from logo design. I love following logo design boards on Pinterest and discovering interesting typography, color combinations, and unique layouts. Today’s design is a great logo from Kelsey Jordan and Mandy Swygart-Hobaugh at the Georgia State University Library.

Data in the ATL is a speaker series that brings in members of the Atlanta data science community to share their experiences and demonstrate how they use data analysis to improve the city of Atlanta and create innovative models for change. This is the first time the Georgia State University Library has run this series, and we needed a logo to identify the events and help them stand out among our other workshop offerings on the library calendar. My fellow librarian Mandy Swygart-Hobaugh came up with the original idea for the type set against the Atlanta skyline, but we needed to tweak the text spacing and replace the previous skyline .jpeg image with cleaner, more detailed linework. I used Adobe Photoshop to redesign the skyline, with the help of reference images and Google Earth to find the perfect perspective of the city’s most prominent buildings.

I love the color combination of orange and aqua–it’s definitely one I’ve used in the past–and the type choice of Gill Sans MT. The words look great against the dark grey skyline.

You can find the original, adaptable Photoshop file of this logo on the Librarian Design Share Google Drive.

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When In Doubt, Make Buttons

If you’ve been following Librarian Design Share for a while, you’ll know all about my love of buttons and button makers. We’re spreading the library love with our 1″ American Button Machine at virtually every event on campus thanks to my crafty colleague and user engagement librarian, Amanda VerMeulen, and hope to add another larger machine to library in the near future.

Today’s submission is all about sharing the button love. Bill Rooney, Circulation Assistant at the University Libraries at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia has not one but two lovely button machines that are in heavy use throughout the year. Here’s Bill talking about his designs.

Continue reading “When In Doubt, Make Buttons” →

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Jet Stream of Creativity

Some of us are lucky to have a library name that’s just made to aid in marketing. I work at the Bryan Wildenthal Memorial Library at Sul Ross State University, so I am not one of these people! However, Susan Bloom, Associate Librarian, Head of Instructional Services at the James E. Tobin (JET) Library at Molloy College definitely is!   Susan has made numerous marketing designs for her library, but some of the best play off the JET theme:

tour-flyer

The above services for patrons in the style of an airline departure board is immediately familiar and clever, as is the air-mail themed pizza party invitation below:

2014-pizza-party

 

Susan explains her process and reactions from others about her designs:

All work was created by me using Photoshop CS6. I always get some emails from people saying how much they like them. I really love creating the fliers, it is very different from the other work I do and it allows me to flex some creative muscle. I always use Photoshop. I have tried using some other programs but they don’t give me the flexibility Photoshop does.

Susan has produced lots more library-related designs, and you can view those here. If you are interested in modifying Susan’s designs for your use, contact her directly. What about you guys? Has the name or a feature of your library inspired you in creation of designs? We’d love to feature them if so

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Publicizing Social Media Accounts

Michigan Technological University Archives social media bookmark

Follow the Michigan Tech Archives on Social Media - bookmark side twoLike so many libraries and archives, the Michigan Technological University Archives was trying to publicize their Twitter account to their campus community. Their solution? A web advertisement on the library homepage and a great bookmark. Sawyer Newman, Communications and Research Assistant at Michigan Tech’s J. Robert Van Pelt and John & Ruanne Opie Library, created the bookmark to publicize the Archive’s new Twitter account and remind patrons of their other social media accounts.

Side one of the bookmark (above) is also a digital slide within the library and on the library’s homepage. Side two (left) includes all of the Archive’s social media accounts for the community to follow.

You can find the PDF version of this bookmark along with the original Photoshop and Illustrator files on the Librarian Design Share Google Drive.

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The Anti-All-Nighter

As we continue to make our way through finals week and the end of another academic semester, it’s clear that you are doing some amazing outreach work at your libraries. Earlier this week we shared the emerging trend of The Finals Fairy, a benevolent creature whose power lies in its ability to bring sugary snacks to stressed out students. A bit less magical, but just as effective, are libraries that seek to help take some of the stress out of the end of the semester with study break activities and research and writing help.

Ashley Chassé at the Boston College O’Neill Library did an amazing job promoting her library’s Anti-All-Nighter program with this lovely poster. Here’s Ashley discussing her design:

Continue reading “The Anti-All-Nighter” →

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A Reading Journey

Selling adult reading programs can be a challenge. The demands of family, work, and day-to-day life can easily overpower leisure time that might be spent on reading, and finding the right marketing message to reach this busy audience can be tricky. Earlier this month we received a beautiful and thoughtful design submission from Stephanie Huff, Marketing & Communications Manager at the Wichita Public Library. Her poster and brochure designs highlight this year’s theme for WPL’s Adult Winter Reading Program, “Tour de Wichita: a reading journey,” which incorporates city sites and attractions. It’s a stellar example of community outreach and attractive design.

Continue reading “A Reading Journey” →

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NIH Compliance in Four Steps

In 2013, when the National Institute of Health began enforcing its Public Access Policy to withhold or delay federal grant funding if peer-reviewed publications were not submitted to PubMed Central (PMC), it caused a great stir in the world of researchers and in the academic and medical library community.

Continue reading “NIH Compliance in Four Steps” →

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That Librarian with the Beard

That Librarian with the Beard

We might be surprised by what stands out to our patrons or students about our respective libraries. Sometimes it’s a spot in the building with just the right amount of sunlight and privacy for studying; sometimes it’s a Facebook post that makes them smile; and sometimes it’s just a friendly librarian with an epic beard.

Stacy Taylor, Emerging Technologies Librarian at Adams State University’s Nielson Library, took an aspect (well, person, really) of the library that made a positive impression on students and used it to market the library’s ability to help students. It’s genius, really. Here’s Stacy’s take on this outreach effort:

Continue reading “That Librarian with the Beard” →

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