Sustainable Signage Ideas from Pisa: QR Map Signs, Picture Labels and Plaques
Three ideas stood out on our spring 2026 visit to the Pisa Botanical Garden and Museum: QR code signs in place of paper maps, small hanging labels under portraits, and information plaques beside exhibits. All three cut printing and suit museums, galleries, gardens, heritage sites and hotels. Here is what we saw, and how to get something similar from our existing range.
The trip was part of a visit to the MIDA craft fair in Florence; what we learned at MIDA Florence covers the fair itself.
1. QR code map signs
Instead of handing out paper maps, the gardens use signs that visitors scan to open an interactive map on their phones. One sign replaces a constant supply of leaflets, and the map can change without anything being reprinted.
We don't list a dedicated map sign, but our general-purpose QR code signs, such as the custom QR code solid oak Blocks, can link to any web address, including an online map, with wording such as "Scan for the garden map". The single-purpose signs in our QR code range, such as WiFi and review signs, are set up for their own job.
2. Hanging picture labels
In the museum, portraits of the people behind the botanical garden had small hanging name labels beneath them, giving the name, the artist and the year. It is a neat way to label a picture without fixing anything to the wall.
Our double-sided personalised hanging sign can carry a name, a title and a date in the same way.
3. Information plaques
Small plaques beside pictures and exhibits gave a few lines of detail. The lesson is about length: unlike a phone screen, you can't zoom in on a plaque, so keep the wording short and the text large, and link to more detail with a QR code if you need to. Our freestanding custom text solid oak Blocks work as desk or shelf plaques.
A good idea we decided not to make
The garden office used laser-cut wooden screens as blinds. They looked good, but the amount of material and machine time would make them expensive to make and to post, so we have left them to specialist makers and kept to signs, badges and smaller pieces.
And, finally, a stop at the Leaning Tower.
Materials
Our signs are FSC-certified oak veneered MDF for indoor use, or FSC-certified Moso bamboo (certificate BV-COC-190523) where they may face damp; our 5mm bamboo can be fixed outdoors. The freestanding Blocks are solid oak.
Ordering from us
Everything is engraved to order in our workshop in North Wales. Choose a product, add your wording or logo where the listing offers it, and add to basket. Bulk discounts apply automatically at checkout, per product: 10% off 20+, 15% off 50+, 20% off 100+, 25% off 250+, 30% off 500+ and 35% off 1,000+.
All items are made to order. Dispatch time is shown at checkout. UK orders via Royal Mail Tracked 24. International via Royal Mail International Tracked.
Frequently asked questions
What should a picture label say?
Usually just the name, the artist or maker, and the year, in two or three short lines. Put anything longer on a separate plaque or behind a QR code.
Do you make museum labels and plaques?
We don't list museum-specific products, but our personalised hanging signs and custom text solid oak Blocks can be engraved with a name, title, date or short description.
How much text should a plaque have?
As little as possible. Visitors can't zoom in on a physical sign, so keep it to a few short lines in large text and link to more detail with a QR code.
Also see: sustainable alternatives to printed signage, which covers what to swap and what to keep printed, and our guide to QR codes on wood.