Legibility is the cornerstone of sign layout

Sometimes, as I drive home at the end of the day, I’m not interested in seeing anything related to signs. I don’t care if a sign looks good or bad, reads well or is one killer advertisement. It’s as though I’m wearing blinders. This may be a good practice of balancing work with life—somewhat of a mini vacation from what I do all day at work.

But every once in a while, that trip home will take me past a nicely done truck-lettering job or a sign in front of one’s business that will take my breath away! Believe me, I savor those jobs and store them in the sign-memory area—under I for Inspiration.

The past few weeks I have driven the same roads that I usually take. My blinders have been snuggly fit to protect me from any unwanted sights. A louder dose of my favorite music keeps me boppin’ and focused.

I’m not sure, but there may be a new trend to completely disregard readability, good design and use of color. One has to wonder if part of the sign community is now people who produce printed material from stock type and graphics. On the other hand, though, it may not be intentional. It could be a matter of people running machines without the training and knowledge they need.

So yesterday I turned down the music, slowed down way below the speed limit and actually tried to comprehend one of these typical layouts as I drove by. It took every bit of concentration to understand the message.

I’m sorry to say, but in the busy pace of our lives, no one traveling at a normal speed would be able to read or understand such advertisements. I find that if a message is in any way difficult to read, the eye will ignore it and go on to the next visually pleasing object—whatever it may be.

As most of us already know through experience, the art of creating signs is not easy. It takes years of studying other sign people’s work, reading available material relating to effective sign design and learning the proper use of color and typefaces.

The art of letter spacing is a whole subject by itself (not to be confused with “kerning”). Spacing is a visual art done by humans who can balance the space between each letter without mechanical measurements, visually assessing equal spaces as if pouring equal amounts of water into the space between the letters.

Here are a few drawings of layouts that I’ve seen that weren’t as effective as they could have been. I reconstructed each one to make a sign that is easier to read and understand in a short amount of time. These are very simple examples of everyday signs. With just a little attention to layout, though, they can do their job so much better.

I’m a firm believer in helping every sign work to its fullest. When I can’t read a sign, I get frustrated and want to change it so people can understand it. This is the ultimate purpose of any sign, isn’t it? After all, if a sign doesn’t work, what good is it?

This text appeared in the July/August 2004 issue of SignCraft.

The typeface used on the Hoffman sign was difficult to read quickly. And too much script creates an interesting look, but our eyes will not have enough time to comprehend the message.

On my version, I used a similar typeface with heavy strokes and thin centers, then I used a minimal amount of the script in a more readable typeface.

I’m sure the For Sale sign was homemade with letters the owner purchased somewhere. It looks like the seller wanted to make sure buyers knew the owner was a seller. But prospective buyers need to know that it’s for sale! They may not care who is selling it.

In the revised version, “Sale” and the phone number are the most important elements. The typeface is less ornate and easier to read.

This sign has a typical, extra-compacted-and-pushed-to-the-edges layout that tries to utilize every available inch of space. It would be hard to know if this is client-produced or the designer’s choice. Either way, this piece is not readable at any speed.

On the new layout, an imaginary border is established to allow our verbiage some breathing room. Two lines of upper and lower case help minimize the monotonous look of sticks in a row. Reverse panels separate the message into two thoughts.

A dark green pickup was parked in a neighbor’s driveway and for the past few days I tried to read the message on the tailgate. I wasn’t exactly sure, but I think it was something like “Presumptuous.” You see how hard it is to actually read it. The script is overpowering and appears very bumpy and cluttered.

Using a clearer typeface for the name in italics and a more legible block style on Service Company helps your eye read both easier.

Garage sale fans are no doubt able to understand any kind of sign layout. But the typeface used on this one resembles a wedding invitation with all the round swirls and dingbats. There is absolutely no contrasting type. It’s as if everything is equally important, so it should all be the same size.

Here upper- and lower-case block style again allows for quicker, easier readability on the main copy. Creating an arrow in the negative space forms a channel for the secondary copy. It flows in the same direction that your car is turning to hit the big sale! Putting two elements in the space of one like this always helps people read and understand a message more quickly.