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Signs With Fine Print

Designing legible signage typography

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A picture might be worth a thousand words, but a well-designed sign can be worth much more. Thus, it’s important to consider all aspects of a sign’s design, including color, materials, form and typography. Because a sign’s primary goal is to first garner attention and then communicate with targeted audiences, its message should be simple, readable and visually appealing. This article discusses typographic solutions to achieve effective signage.

Suitable typography fosters readable sign messages. Therefore, letter sizes should be easily seen and leave lasting impressions. Jim Garballey, a Butera School of Art (Boston) sign-design instructor with more than 25 years’ teaching experience, teaches students to acquire an eye for balance and a feel for what looks good. Unfortunately, few students have such God-given abilities, so proper proportion is commonly learned via experience.

When designing a sign, Jim concentrates on balancing positive and negative space. Positive space refers to a sign’s copy and graphics. Conversely, negative space, which illuminates the positive space and projects a balanced appearance, begins at the edges of the positive space and includes the frame or border. Jim typically prefers a sign’s negative space to be at least 50%.

Further, because margin widths are usually the most abused spaces on a sign, he recommends right and left margins to be at least as wide as a standard letter. Ten percent of a sign’s height represents suitable top and bottom margins. A 48-in.-tall sign’s top and bottom margins, for example, would each measure 4.8 in.

Although these are good ap-proaches, they might not always produce desired visual results. This is why sign designers should also develop their intuitive skills.

The next step involves font types. According to Jim, "Once you can visualize the negative space and margins, you can think about fonts and their proportions. You can’t tweak typefaces much without altering their features and intended appearance. Most typefaces aren’t designed for signage and, therefore, won’t read properly from a distance if used on exterior signage. Going through your computer and eliminating useless typefaces will better help you choose a type style." For exterior signs, Jim prefers display fonts. Developed as advertising fonts, display fonts are intended for limited use at larger sizes to catch readers’ attention.

When choosing font types, consider the end-user’s type of business. A sign for a local diner might require sans-serif fonts because, not only are they easy to execute, they’re suitable for most applications. Conversely, a Ritz Carlton hotel sign would probably demand a more formal lettering style,such as script. Similarly, a sign for a beauty parlor — depending upon the age of the shop’s clientele — might call for either a playful or more serious, elegant font style. "Everything is relative," Jim notes.

Numerous choices and available combinations make color a complex issue for many sign designers. Thus, to simplify the selection process, Jim follows the "CoLoR" rule of thought: "C"ontrast and "L"egibility are "R"equired. He cites Wonder Bread and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus as examples of brands that, for many years, have successfully incorporated primary colors (red, blue and yellow) in their advertisements. Note that blue and yellow are also effective contrast colors.

"Relativity, reference, knowledge and experience," he explains, "are the most important factors in determining proper colors for signage fonts."

Jim concludes by advising sign designers to collect and safeguard as many reference materials as possible, especially trade magazines. Because designers can’t possibly remember details of every project they encounter, they need something tangible from which to garner new ideas.

Jim’s Signage Typography Dos and Don’ts

* Use simple, legible lettering styles.

* Don’t use overly ornate lettering. It can’t be read from a distance.

* Develop font styles that work, and use them routinely. Every sign doesn’t require a new, specialized font.

* Don’t use heavy/bold font types when creating secondary copy. They can de-emphasize a sign’s primary text.

* Learn about spacing, line value, and positive and negative relationships in type.

* Don’t rank aesthetics higher than legibility. A sign’s primary purpose is to communicate readable ideas and messages.

* Study signs. Learn what makes them work and why.

* Don’t forget there are exceptions to most sign-design rules. Therefore, use common sense in every case.

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