Reviewed as of 10 October 2026. This guide offers professional practice guidelines. If you spot an error, write to me.
A label is read while standing, in front of the work and while also observing the space. It must allow the piece to be identified quickly and, if context is added, do so without competing with the work. Not all works require an interpretative text, but all labels must organise information effectively.
Basic data
It is usually useful to present them in this order:
- authorship;
- title of the work, in italics;
- date;
- medium and support;
- dimensions or duration;
- procedencia o crédito: «Colección de», «Cortesía de» o «Préstamo de».
This data must match the work's technical sheet. If there is uncertainty regarding authorship, date or technique, the label must not conceal it through a categorical statement.
The label text, if any
When the label includes a paragraph:
- Develop a single idea. Explain something that assists in viewing and is not evident in the work itself.
- Maintain brevity. If the argument requires several paragraphs, it is better suited to a gallery text, an audio guide or a brochure.
- Start with something concrete. A material, a formal decision, a spatial relationship or a necessary context offer a clearer entry point than a general abstraction.
- Distinguish facts from interpretation. If you propose a reading, present it as such and not as an indisputable property of the piece.
- Evita valorar por quien lee. Adjetivos como «magistral», «fascinante» o «imprescindible» sustituyen la explicación por un juicio.
How to write it
- One main idea per sentence.
- Active verbs and recognisable subjects.
- Commonly used words.
- Technical terms explained when necessary.
- Acronyms defined upon their first appearance.
- Dates, names and figures verified.
- The same information and hierarchy in all languages.
Royal Decree 707/2026 distinguishes between clear language, plain language and Easy Read. They are not equivalent: Easy Read requires a specific method of adaptation and validation. A clear label should not be presented as Easy Read text if it has not followed that process.
How to design it
- Use a sufficiently large font size and a legible typeface.
- Maintain clear contrast between text and background.
- Avoid placing text over an image or a reflective surface.
- Distribute information using spacing, not by drastically reducing the font size.
- Position the label where it can be read from different heights and without obstructing the path.
- If there are multiple languages, avoid relegating one of them to a clearly inferior size or contrast.
The appropriate size, height and contrast depend on the reading distance, lighting and space conditions. It is advisable to test the installed label, not just on the screen.
Check that it works
Before printing:
- verify all data against the work's technical sheet;
- read the text aloud and remove repetitions;
- print a proof at actual size;
- place it in the space and check for reflections, distance and height;
- ask several people external to the project to explain what they have understood.
If readers understand something else, revise the text before attributing the problem to the public's lack of knowledge.
If you exhibit in a public centre
Royal Decree 707/2026 will come into force on 2 January 2027. It establishes cognitive accessibility obligations and requires Easy Read for certain brochures and information panels in publicly owned and managed cultural centres within its scope. The regulation does not expressly mention every work label. If you exhibit in one of those centres, find out which materials the institution must adapt and who will carry out the adaptation and validation.