This blog is a celebration. Usually, those in authority order people about, as they use imperious and clipped language or leaden images to tell us what to do. On roads or in other public spaces we are surrounded by their ‘Do’s’ and ‘Don’ts’ with warnings and, for transgressors, threats of fines. Exceptionally, however, their advice is more measured – hence this blog. 

Over several years I have collected examples of sensitively-created official ‘advice’ where those in authority have chosen a different tack and, by being careful and attentive, have produced notices that offer messages that appeal. And importantly, as I see it, they work! 

The first illustration shows a sign that I saw in Kew Gardens almost two years ago. It was standing alone in a newly-planted flower bed and, struck by the presentation of its message, I went back several times just to re-read what it said. Here was a message that was carefully targeted, appealing and easily accessible. By showing a vulnerable plant at risk of being squashed by a trainer-wearing foot, and adding the words, as though from the plant, ‘Please don’t tread on me, I am trying to grow’, it just worked.

How different was the approach I discovered in another large botanical garden. The second illustration shows a bank of much harsher signs taken in the Jardins des Plantes in Paris. The panel, which applied to the whole garden, shows a long and unwelcoming list of ‘Don’ts’ with heavily-drawn images and no targeted or sensitive wording. Hardly inviting! Indeed, for me they were totally unappealing. 

It would be wrong if I gave the impression that advice in France is always unfriendly. Near our home in France there has been for over a year a delightful warning sign for drivers that asks them to slow down (‘Ralentir’) because mother ducks and their ducklings also use the road. Here is a sign that is charming, immediately accessible and therefore effective (see the third illustration). Unfortunately the sign is so unusual it has already been stolen several times!

Illustration four shows a similarly thoughtful, if not slightly quirky, sign in England. However, it seems unlikely that this one, which is attached to a wall in a tiny side street in Lewes in the south of England, actually reduces local toad mortality.

In general, announcements to the public that are solely text-based are also unappealing as they are written in heartless jargon that is often unintelligible. As such, they are wasted because they fail to draw readers on and so to impart their message. There are however exceptions – just over a year ago a notice appeared in London’s St Jame’s Park, that was both a surprise and a delight. The message gave an update on the plight of birds in the Park which were then facing an outbreak of avian flu. It read “During the current national outbreak of avian influenza, we have been advised by the Animal and Plant Health Agency to move the pelicans of St. James’s Park to their enclosure on Duck Island as a precaution. We want to reassure the public that all six pelicans are healthy.” How warming and understandable is this last line.

Messages from public authorities have to be clear and, in most situations succinct. They also have to be read, understood and adopted. As I see it, information, whether written or in picture form, has more chance of being effective if it is created in such a way that its appeal ‘goes to the heart’. While such an approach is clearly possible and, when it arises worth celebrating, it is certainly not a common goal!

The first I llustration is a photo of a sign that appeared in Kew Gardens around eighteen months ago. It was standing alone in a newly-planted bed. The second illustration was taken in the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. Its unwelcome, old fashioned heaviness stands out. The third illustration appears in a country road near our cottage in Brittany and could not be ignored. The fourth and final illustration is a photo of a rather quirky sign on a roadside in Lewes, in southern England. 

For helping me write this blog, I would like to thank Anne-Marie, Rohan and Vivien.