Sell Art

A recent trip to a Florida arts festival revealed artists using signage in different ways to catch the eye and interest of shoppers.

Have you ever had trouble standing out in a crowded show? Using signs in your booth is a great way to grab attention and make a statement. Consider these different types of signs, and how and why they are used:

Make your work visible. Jewelry is too small to make impact at any distance, so using blown-up images of your work can reach across the crowd and pull in people who never would have seen you otherwise. Leon and Eva Oziel hang multiple large images of their collection in the back of their booth. They move the signs depending on booth setup. Placing these images on the side walls near the aisle can also often catch the eye of attendees as they walk toward the booth.

Share your story. Stacy and Bill McLauchlan use a complex process in their 2D art that starts out with batiks and involves digital technology on various substrates. Most people have no idea about their medium. The signage they use starts the conversation. How did they develop their technique? What makes it so special? Stacy mentions that the sign intrigues shoppers, who stop to learn more and then become collectors.

Show your process. Glassblower Henry C. Duquette could demonstrate in person or use a video to show how he creates each piece, but signage on the back of his booth wall illustrates his studio process very well. He is also easily recognized as the artist, and the expert, on his work!

Highlight your selling points. Handcrafted? Check. Made in USA? Check. Repurposed and Recycled? Check. These are all buzzwords that connect with what many people care about. And with the crowd pouring into her booth, it appears that artist Mariangela Marshall has used her sign quite effectively.