Composing Your Message
Figure out what you want to say. If you feel like you have a million things to say, pick one message that you feel really passionate about. You can always make a few signs to represent your ideas, but it is best to choose one message per sign. Then, decide whether you want to use text and imagery to convey your message or an image or a symbol without text. If you want to say something about women’s rights to fair pay, you could write, “Equal pay for equal work.” If you want to say something about human rights at a women’s march, you could write, “Women’s rights are human rights.” If you want to say something about the inequitable impacts of global climate change, you could use the term “Climate justice.” To convey the urgency of the need to tackle climate change, you could write, “Climate justice now.” Then, you could visually highlight this statement with a symbol, such as an image of the planet melting on an ice cream cone.
Practice brevity when using text on protest signs. If you decide to use text to convey your message, compose a short, clear statement to represent your message. In terms of brevity, you are best sticking to a statement of 7 words or less, since it can be hard to fit long text on a protest sign. You can say a lot in 7 words! At the March on Washington in 1963, protestors held signs saying, “We demand an end to bias now.” These 7 words convey the urgent need to end racial bias in America.
Choose a symbol. You may want to convey your message with a symbol, which can be used either in place of text or alongside a written message. You could make your sign really popular by using an eye-popping and recognizable symbol, such as a peace sign! The peace sign was designed by British artist Gerald Holtom. It was originally designed for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). The symbol for the female sex is often used in women’s marches and feminist campaigns. The equals sign can be used to represent equality. The fist can be used as a symbol for social justice. Symbols that go well together can be combined.
Make your message personal. Protests often have popular slogans and statements that are repeated on many signs. To stand out from the crowd, you should personalize your statement! For instance, if you are a fan of a particular show or film, draw on your fan wisdom to make a political statement. If you identify as queer, transgender, female, working-class, or something else, connect your statement to this particular identity or intersection of identities.
Get peer feedback. After composing your statement but prior to writing it on the sign, you may want to get some feedback from friends. They could give you really helpful advice. If you get critical feedback, try rewriting the message to improve whatever is missing, such as clarity, brevity, wit, force, or personal resonance. If you are protesting with friends, you could also ask whether your statement goes well with the signs they will be carrying. People often read signs in relation to one another, especially when protestors stand next to one another.
Writing Your Text
Layout your text on the sign. Use a pencil to draft your message on the sign. If you have images or symbols on your sign, layout the text so that there is space for images. Try to use large fonts so that people will be able to read it from a distance. You could design your sign in Microsoft Word or Adobe Illustrator, print it out, and use the printout as a guide when writing the message on the sign. If you have to start writing the letters really small on the edge of the sign, people are unlikely to read it.
Outline the words with paint markers. Start by outlining the text. Then, fill in the text with darker colors that contrast with the background color or imagery on the sign. Paint markers work great for writing text on protest signs. You can get paint markers at art supply stores. Repeat this process on the other side of the poster board. If you are expecting your protest to receive any form of media attention, you should design a double-sided sign.
Choose a font color. Some of the best protest signs use font colors that reinforce the message they are trying to convey. Dark colors are often used to emphasize the gravity of a message. A rainbow of colors can be used to represent diversity, such as the use of a full rainbow of colors to represent the diversity within the LGBTQ+ community and pride parades.
Use a strong contrast between the font color and background design. Consider your font or text color in relation to the background design of your poster. For instance, you may want to use black text against a white background or blue text against an orange background, as opposed to yellow text against an orange background.
Make a connection between the text and the image. The writing should be reinforced by the image or symbol used on the sign and vice versa. Some of the best protest signs use imagery that supports the text written on the sign, such as the use of the symbol for female alongside a text saying ‘Women’s Day March.’
Designing Your Sign
Limit your color palette. Consider using 2 or 3 colors instead of incorporating every color you can imagine. Some of the most successful protest signs use a very limited color palette, so think about which 2 or 3 colors will work best for your message and keep it simple. Artist Lorraine Schneider designed a protest sign with only yellow, orange, and black. The sign included an image of a fragile flower and read ‘War is not healthy for children and other living things.’ It became famous during the Vietnam War protests.
Try mixed media. If you are feeling ambitious or are more artistically inclined, you could try mixed media or even three-dimensional designs. Foamcore tends to work better for attaching three-dimensional objects to the surface of a protest sign. For instance, you could attach a three-dimensional globe to a foamcore poster at a climate justice protest.
Download an existing poster design if you need more guidance. If you are in a rush, you could always download an existing poster design. Some organizations involved in the protest you are attending may have some preexisting poster designs available on their websites. You could also alter an existing poster design with your own text.
Look at the sign from a distance to check readability. Lean your sign against a wall. Walk back 10–20 feet (3.0–6.1 m) and see if you can read it. If you can’t read it from a distance, the text may be too small. If you can’t discern the symbols on your sign, you may want to make them larger. You could also ask a friend to hold your sign up when testing for legibility.
Add decorations. Depending on the message you are trying to convey, you may want to add some decorations. Glitter, sparkles, and other eye-catching decorations can help to make your protest sign more attractive.
Building Your Sign
Choose the material for your poster boards. The material for the poster board is important to consider, especially if you have to travel to the protest. The main options are foamcore, corrugated plastic, and poster board. Regardless of the material chosen, you will need 2 boards to make each sign. Poster board is a popular and cheap option. The disadvantage is that it is easily damaged and bent, which can make your sign hard to read. Foamcore is a sturdy option if you want to use mixed media or incorporate any three-dimensional elements into your design, but it's a little more expensive than poster board. Corrugated plastic sign blanks are very sturdy and can be obtained at most hardware stores since they are also used for real estate signs. If you use this material, you will have to attach the sides together with tape.
Choose the material for your handle. In order to hold your sign at the protest, you will need to attach some type of handle. The main options are 3 by 1 inch (7.6 by 2.5 cm) lumber, dowel, paint sticks, and easel backs. You will be securing it to the poster boards with tape, staples, nails or self-sticking glue. Easel backs are a self-sticking attachment. You can attach one on either side of the sign and fold out the tabs to use as handles. They are self-sticking so you don’t need extra adhesive. These are great for both poster board and foamcore. Single pieces of 3 by 1 inch (7.6 by 2.5 cm) wood are often used, since you can easily staple or nail the base to a single piece of wood. You will need staples or nails to attach this type of handle to your poster boards. If you are using a heavier base like corrugated plastic, this can be a good option. However, wood is not permitted at many protests. Dowel is sometimes used, which is a little easier to hold for long periods in comparison to 3 by 1 inch (7.6 by 2.5 cm) wood. This is a good option for corrugated plastic sign blanks. You will need staples or nails. However, wood is not permitted at many protests.
Attach the handle to the poster boards. Place 1 of the 2 poster boards on the ground. Then, place your handle in the middle of the sign. Attach the handle to the base of the sign using tape, staples, or nails. Then, place the second poster board on top. Alternately, you could just attach one poster board to the handle. You will have a one-sided protest sign. Normally, protest signs have things written on both sides. If you are on a budget, or one of the boards is torn up, it is very simple to make a sign with only one side.
Make the handle comfortable. You may want to wrap the handle with some tape to make it easier to hold for long periods of time. Wrap hockey tape or electrical tape around the handle to make it easier to hold. If you have a hard time making the handle comfortable to hold, you may benefit from a plan B. For instance, you could attach a string to the top of the sign. When you get tired of holding the handle, you can put the string around your neck.
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