What started as a snippet of information has transformed into an urgent message through the evolving use of colour, typography and design. This prime and unobstructed real-estate, front and centre each day, has taken on many forms. Below takes a look at how the design of the podium placard has changed over the past two months of briefings.

18 March, 2020 — Self Service messaging

From the very first briefing, the UK government has made the most of this space displaying key messages to the public. As the virus reached the UK, the early approach was self-service. Featuring a new URL for the public to find out what basic measures to take to protect themselves.

20 March, 2020—Action, Action, Outcome

As the impact of the Coronavirus continued to change, it was hard to keep up with the latest advice. Information was being delivered daily to the public via these press briefings and became the best source of information.

The URL was replaced with what would become the slogan of the Coronavirus in the UK. Three key messages were displayed on each of the three podiums used in the daily briefings.

24 March, 2020—Three into one

With the camera fixed on the speaker throughout the briefings the remaining messages were getting lost. Enter this new execution. Featuring the consistent messages from the previous days, this design brought all 3 messages into view at all times.

Another obvious change was the introduction of the primary colours. Colour use and meaning, in the context of safety signs and markings, is globally standardised via ISO3864 and aligns with the approach from the government only in part:

Stay at home — Yellow used as a warning and implying caution
Protect the NHS — Blue, used as a mandatory, often also used for displaying vital information
Save lives — Red, however, indicates prohibition of an action (or fire protection). It was likely used here symbolically to emphasise the danger of the situation to a Western audience.

Above all, fitting all this into the vertical space made for a hard to read message on live TV. The inclusion of the official NHS logo, different type sizing, colour and kerning also made the entire graphic hard to read. Only lasting a single day on the podium this design seemed to fall short of delivering an impactful and accessible message.

25 March, 2020

Using the same message as the day before, this execution fixed some of the shortcomings. Strong type, sectioned messages and better use of space made an effective placard design. Cleaning up the typography and making it consistent in size and kerning made this a lot easier to read for everyone. Mentioned by Google accessibility team about the “curb cut effect”;

“…if a product is made to work better for people with disabilities (mobility, visual, hearing and more), it will work better for everyone.”

The dark text on a red background could have been tweaked to improve its legibility and accessibility on screen. However, the use of block colours did keep the messaging informative without implying these were orders or inflicting panic.

30 March, 2020

As the lockdown was in full swing, everyone knew the rules and why they should stick to them. Yet, as increasing reports showed how some people continued with their normal routines, the placard took on a change of tone.

Reiterating what the message had been for almost two weeks, this time the colour blue was removed from the placard leaving the colours of caution and danger. The emergency style around this design references exclusion tape, directional orders and a need for caution. The bold use of arrows to direct the viewer is reminiscent of wayfinding; recognising the importance of clear messaging, use of symbols and consistent colour coding to guide people in an emergency.

This design was unmissable, almost distracting, in the daily briefings.

With such a bold change, that may have spiked anxiety and worry around the virus, was this the most effective way of increasing the urgency around the communication?

2 April, 2020

An evolution of what we had been seeing for the last few days, the placard design was simplified and balanced. Arrows were reduced and less aggressive, while the stripes were fewer and bolder — the messaging had returned to being the primary element.

Having said this, had this been the design that followed on from March 25, this may have been too alarming.

The week of Easter, 2020

A direct action for the UK public. Answering the main question for everyone at home, this bold and frank message was displayed to ensure no confusion.

The removal of the supporting “Protect the NHS” and “Save Lives” messaging, transformed this interim placard into a warning sign.

11 May, 2020

Four weeks later, the UK government unveiled their new slogan to the public. To support their new message, a refreshed colour scheme was on display.

Within hours of being revealed, it was turned into a plethora of memes to echo its ambiguity. Even with the internet’s language amends, the new design was undeniably unique and instantly recognisable.

The government continued with the same template of bold type, directional arrows and ‘exclusion style’ stripes; all backed by a slightly tweaked yellow. The biggest change on the placard was the introduction of green, replacing red.

When reviewing the design as stand-alone elements they may make sense as the government is allowing an ease (green) in restrictions (yellow). However when viewed holistically, this design makes for a confusing artefact.

In the context of signage, green can be seen as ‘Exit to safety’ and yellow as ‘Warning, don’t proceed’; a combination of colours and instructions that are not usually presented this way. This results in a piece of visual communication that is hesitating; unable to pick a side and give clear direction to the public. Leaning on the standardised visual language of ‘Proceed with Caution’ may have been more widely understood. ⚠️

Whether the resulting confusion was intentional, only time and the history books will tell.

The evolution of the placard

The continued iteration by the government has produced memorable visual communication for key moments in the virus’ timeline. Their speed to adapt messaging and design to be suitable for all viewers should be recognised. Throughout these 8 variations we can see the direct representation around the urgency in response to the Coronavirus. What started out as a URL for more information has led to striking, urgent and bold messages to the public.

Which do you think has been the most effective and why? What else could this prime real estate be used for during these briefings? I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas. Please do reach out, or comment, if you were involved in creating, designing or writing these vital messages. I’m sure everyone would been interested to know about the process and execution of them.

I will keep adding to this article as more iterations emerge.

✍️ Co-written with Janita Patel.