Traffic Signs
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Every now and then I have to help design, print, trim, laminate, mount, or ship signs for tradeshows. It’s usually not challenging to design or produce them, but it’s work. So I started to think signs were not as important as the mailer or brochure to attract people to the tradeshow. That is, until last Wednesday when I was rained out from work.
Yes, rained out. I travel 22.5 miles every day to work, and Wednesday I didn’t get further than 5. All I wanted to do was head east. My primary highway was stalled, and my second highway was stalled—going nowhere. So I tried a backroad. Road block. I was diverted back to where I started. Then I tried a second backroad, farther north, but still headed east. I was once again diverted back to where I started the first time. The roads were washed over with water and mud. I tried asking the police officer how I could get east. My mistake. I simply had to watch his fingers and turn in the big circle. By this time I was highly annoyed because driving in circles was costing me .75 hour already. Had I seen a sign that said which roads were closed, or which routes were open, I would have stayed out of the way of others, or actually have gotten to my destination.
Next time I’m at a design conference and I’m complaining that the directional signs weren’t created by a designer, I hope I’ll remember that mediocre signs are better than no signs at all.
Comments (1)
Adrian said:
Kyle, I thought of your post today when I read an article describing changes in modern road design in Wired Magazine. It proposed that the design of a better intersection involved removing curbs and signs among other things. According to them, this seemingly backward way of thinking actually increases safety and efficiency. The article doesn’t support your statement that, “mediocre signs are better than no signs at all,” but it does offer hope for anyone wanting better design in their road systems. It was a fascinating article if you can track it down. It will probably be on the Wired site in a week or so.
Posted on November 21, 2004