When you are creating printed information to hand out, these are a few guidelines which may prove helpful.
- Consider first, who is going to see the information. The general public? College students and professors? People interested in art? The press? Aim the information at the type of people who you are trying to recruit. You may want to create several handouts for different purposes.
- Art work keeps people interested in reading what you have printed. Use period looking art work that will photocopy clearly (photographs usually do not work here). Remember to use only art works for which you own the copyright or have formal permission from the copyright holder. SCA art is not always free for general use; check with the artist before you use it.
- Do not try to give too much information in a handout, rather keep it simple and let the reader know where to get more information.
- These things should be included in every handout:
- information about the SCA in general (what the SCA is),
- information about the local group (what the local group does),
- the address of the Office of the Registrar,
- the real name and phone number of a local contact person.
This ensures that a person can find the SCA at a later date, even if the person is living in another area. - Use 21st century language, not SCA jargon. (This applies to demonstrations, too). Also avoid words that have a different meaning in the SCA than in the real world, i.e. mundane, killing blow, and peer. In particular, do not include "gaming" in your handout, because the public will assume this means 21st century fantasy games.
- Remember that the SCA is a "non-profit, educational organisation", if you choose to include that information.