Thoughts from Mississippi

 

Posters:

15x24 is fine, but no larger please

Host sites vary on how they deal with labeling so one way is probably as
good as another

50 is plenty

The posters are useful

 

Postcards:

Although I personally love postcards, I'm not completely convinced that
most are as enthused about them.

Less images and more space on card probably makes more sense.

Host sites vary on how they use their postcards ranging from selling
them to using for program promotion

500 per site is plenty

If leaving the by-line off will save a ton of money, please do (but does
this mean there will be no description of the image on the back as
well?)

 

From: Museum on Main Street [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Harsh, Carol
Sent: Monday, August 16, 2010 12:10 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: question about MoMS posters and postcards

 

Hi all,

 

Hope you are having a wonderful summer and have enjoyed some time of
relaxation.

 

We are in the early stages of designing and printing the posters and
postcards for The Way We Worked and we want to get some quick feedback
about posters and postcards.

 

We are considering a horizontal poster for The Way We Worked that may be
about 15" tall x 22" wide.  As you know we design them in such a way as
to leave space for the  host communities to  overprint their names and
exhibition dates on the poster.  Council names and logos are on the
posters, too.

*         Is this size about right, or should the posters be smaller?  

*         Do your host towns use clear labels to put their info on the
posters or do they go to a printer and have them done?

*         Is 50 posters per town about right? Or is that too many?

*         Do you think your venues find the posters useful? Or should we
change them in some way?

 

For the postcards, we are considering changing things up a bit and
making them a little larger, 5" x 7" rather than 4" x 6"-and using 6
images rather than 10 images. This will give the host communities more
space to print their program schedule or other info that they want to
put on the postcards.  

*         How popular are the postcards?

*         How are the postcards used in your states?

*         Currently we print enough for each town to get  500 postcards.
Is that a good number? 

*         On the back of each postcard, we currently include a statement
like, "Brought to you by the XXX Humanities Council." It would save MoMS
a ton of money if we didn't customize the postcards.  How important is
it to keep that phrase on them?

 

We would appreciate your responses to these questions.  It will help us
plan appropriately and spend MoMS money wisely.

 

All the best,

 

Carol

 

Carol G. Harsh

Director, Museum on Main Street

Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service

P.O. Box 37012, MRC 941

Washington, DC  20013-7012

202-633-5333

202-465-5267 (cell)