The Road to Clarity. ⇒
12 August 2007, lunch time
On the redesign of US highway signs. This link was found via Daring Fireball.
This is a post from my link log: If you click the title of this post you will be taken the web page I am discussing.
12 August 2007, lunch time
On the redesign of US highway signs. This link was found via Daring Fireball.
This is a post from my link log: If you click the title of this post you will be taken the web page I am discussing.
A interesting article. The signage in the US sucks and mostly due to problems other the typeface.
1. The directions are ambiguous. In Greater Seattle, the highways have exits on the right, the left, and with lots of lanes being added/removed, sometimes you need to be the middle because a mile later that lane will be on the edge. They’ll do something like put a sign on the left saying “Exit 123 in 2 miles” and the exit will really be on the right.
2. The directions lack meaning. Rather that put “Highway X East”, they’ll label it “Kirkland”. You know you’re looking for the 520 and have never heard of Kirkland, good luck finding the right turnoff. (Moreover, the entire state of Washington generally uses just four “directions” – Seattle, Portland, Vancouver BC, and Spokane. Imagine trying to nagivate around southern Ontario if you had the directions Toronto, Detroit, Niagara Falls, and Kingston…how would you get from Guelph to Hamilton?)
3. The signs are horribly placed. If you’re lucky there will be two signs – one a couple miles from the exit/turnoff (see problem #2) and one immediately at or even after said exit. In reality you need the sign a few seconds before the exit so you can read it and act accordingly.
by Ryan on August 12 2007, 10:46 pm #