watershed outreach diagram

[rachelb]

Hello all,

I recently created a diagram for a permanent sign at a compost demonstration site...there are already plenty of signs on composting, but the purpose of this sign is to educate the public on watersheds and what they can do to prevent pollution in addition to composting. Folks who have already given me feedback mostly either hate or love the symbols within the text of the "legend."

Thanks so much for your help and I look forward to your comments.

Sincerely,

Rachel Borgatti, MA, MS
Education and Outreach Supervisor
Watershed Protection Program
County of San Diego--Public Works

[hawkey]

Hi Rachel,
Great use for a conceptual diagram! The mirror base is perfect and you seem to have most of the symbols. Here are a few suggestions you might want to consider.
The dark brown background of the earth base makes the text hard to read. I would go with a much lighter brown - light tan even.
Try reducing the text. It is very small in font size and most people don't take time to read that much text. In fact, if this is to be a sign or poster, the rule is that the text should be legible 10' away. You may not be able to do that, but get as close as you can. This will enable you to make the symbols embedded in the text much larger too.
Based on the lead headline "..things you can do..", make the sub-headers (pet waste) into 'active' titles, i.e. "1. clean up pet waste".
You might want to add some continuous buffer vegetation along the river on the "clean" side of the diagram.
And lastly, make sure that all the symbols in your diagram are also embedded in your text. If they are not, then perhaps they are simply "decorating" your diagram and taking up wasted space.
Good job, Rachel!

[jwoerner]

Hi Rachel,

I agree with Jane! This diagram is great! You've presented a lot of information in a very clear way.

I think the love/hate reaction to the embedded symbols can be cleared up. You could increase the leading (or the space between lines) in the text. This will create more space around the embedded symbols and make the caption easier to read.

The very back of the diagram seems a little empty. Do you really need the green space and the mountains? If they are features of the watershed, they should stay. If not, you might think about removing them. It would give you more space to increase the text size and leading.

Well done! Thanks for sharing!