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Sign Markers

April 9th, 2010 admin No comments

Sign Markers

Social Activism Making A Protest Sign

Something's inspired you to go protest. Well, you need a sign. Something clever always gets attention at a protest. Even if you're not creative, you can make a protest sign that'll get attention and hopefully inspire.

It doesn't take more than an hour's worth of work to create a protest sign or two.

First of all: Try to keep your protest sign as simple as possible - you know know what you're protesting and the slogan you put on your sign should be about the protest you're going to. Brainstorm some ideas for slogans or if you're really at a loss, get on the Internet and hunt around for some ideas. There are lots of bumper stickers to support causes that get a lot of attention and coverage.

Remember this is all about getting attention and you want your sign to be read. You won't want anything that takes time to read or comprehend and should be able to be read at a distance, so size is important. The best signs will match a relevant image to a short, witty slogan that should not be any longer than 10 - 15 words.

Make a quick trip to the hardware store and purchase the following if you don't have them already: Posterboard, tape (preferably strong clear packing tape), paint or strong permanent markers, and stencils if you need something fast and don't trust your drawing skills.

Choose colors for your sign that will stand out on the background. The goal is to be as readable as possible, so mix light words on darker backgrounds and dark words on lighter backgrounds.

Here are some more tips:

If it's going to be windy: Get thicker pasteboards and/or make a smaller sign.

If you're short: Consider mounting your sign to a broomstick, paint mixing sticks, or a tall ruler so you can hold it up high in the air.

If it's going to rain: Cover your sign with plastic, or if you're really serious about it, get a large vinyl sign made at Kinko's or a sign shop so you can hold up with your friends.

Another suggestion is to make double-sided
protest signs
. This way no matter which way you're facing, someone can read your sign. The best way is to have two slogans on your protest sign, one on each side.
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JunkActivism.com is a resource for funny activism, funny protest reviews, funny protest signs and news in the world of strange and unusual social activism.