Graphically Speaking: Creating Beautiful Bulletin Board Displays

Our April 2013 Bulletin Board Theme 

An impressive bulletin board boasts of a teacher's creativity, ingenuity, professionalism and style. It greatly impacts the general atmosphere of the classroom environment, can depict important holidays, curricular themes, and points of view and can elicit positive comments from both parents and school administrators.

There are some important aspects to think of when designing a sensational bulletin board:

• Size
• Shape
• Colors Chosen
• Materials used to Decorate the Board
• Multi-cultural and Curricular Appeal
• Showcasing of Holidays
•  Title Lettering and Theme

Size: Is your bulletin board very small? Overcrowding with too many small graphics not only distracts the eye from the message you are trying to get across, but also shows a lack of preparation for the task at hand. It is best to stick with medium-sized student-made art or clip art which draws the eye to your board.

Is your bulletin board quite large? This is another quandary which takes time and patience to counteract. A simple way to get around this factor is to make more items than you may actually need.

By hanging the art on your bulletin board with thumbtacks you can easily remove or change the layout of your design. You may also find that larger and bolder lettering and designs may be in order to fix this concern (especially if you have a very small class and not much artwork to display).

Shape: Is your bulletin board square or rectangular? Larger prints work well on longer boards and more compact designs balance out the hard edges of a shorter square board.

Colors Chosen: Bright, bold colors depict an energetic spirit and can be used to entice the viewer to your board. Reds, Cobalt blues and vibrant greens add a summery vibe, cool pastels are perfect for springtime, and colors such as white and black are safe colors which offer more contrast and allow the student's artwork to do the talking.

Materials Used to Decorate the Board: Generally, teachers tend to stick to the old reliable: bulletin board paper. It's inexpensive and fits the exact size of standard bulletin boards. But, think of the possibilities that you could encounter if you used the following materials instead of the old reliable:

Wrapping Paper
Old Maps
Newspaper
Burlap
Student-Made Murals
Old Magazine Covers
Cellophane
Collaged Tissue Paper on Bulletin Board Paper ......

Multi-cultural and Curricular Appeal: Remember to respect your children's ethnicities. Certain colors may depict sorrow (such as white in Asian cultures) or other traits which are unbecoming and religious-themed  (unless you are in a religious school) should be avoided.

Boards can also be used as a springboard to organize and explain information about your current unit. Informative boards such as these include a unit on frogs depicting their life cycle etc.

Showcasing Holidays: Holidays are a time to rejoice! Why not celebrate them with a festive bulletin board?: Leaping Leprechauns on St. Patrick's Day, wrapped presents during Christmastime and Springtime bluebirds or bunnies.

Title Lettering and Theme: Font is an important aspect of your board design. Letters that are too small or hard to read will cause the viewer to lose interest quickly in the overall message of the board. Letters that are not within scale (overly large) will make the bulletin board's statement feel crowded and look slightly haphazard.

I hope you find this information helpful in creating beautiful bulletin board displays. For more inspiration, visit the following sites for some more stunning ideas:

Sparklebox Classroom Photo Gallery: Overall excellent site for printables, clip art, classroom banners, lettering and more! You need to definitely check this one out.
http://www.sparklebox.co.uk/gallery/#.UVwS9HZUPgG


Dltk-teach.com: Great site featuring crafts, fingerplays, bulletin boards ideas etc.
http://www.dltk-teach.com/boards/