11 replies to this topic

[natcase]

Intersting article in the NY Times about Clearview, the new standard font for interstate highway signage.

What started as a project to organize information for tourist routes in Oregon would soon turn into an all-consuming quest, and one that marked the first time in the nation’s history that anyone attempted to apply systematically the principles of graphic design to the American highway.

[Derek Tonn]

Very interesting. I have to say that I personally find Clearview to be a marked improvement over the former "Highway Gothic" standard. In particular, I think that the more efficient use of space and larger individual characters creates faster visual processing (AKA better signage). I love things like that....little, subtle improvements that most people never think about, yet will make their lives fractionally better/easier along the way.

[Hans van der Maarel]

Very interesting. I have to say that I personally find Clearview to be a marked improvement over the former "Highway Gothic" standard. In particular, I think that the more efficient use of space and larger individual characters creates faster visual processing (AKA better signage). I love things like that....little, subtle improvements that most people never think about, yet will make their lives fractionally better/easier along the way.

The funny thing is that Highway Gothic, white on green, to me screams "America"... Interesting to see though that they did compare a lot of different typefaces (Univers, Helvetica, DIN1451 and so on) currently used for road signage, would have liked to see a more in-depth comparison between the various faces.

[natcase]

The funny thing is that Highway Gothic, white on green, to me screams "America"... Interesting to see though that they did compare a lot of different typefaces (Univers, Helvetica, DIN1451 and so on) currently used for road signage, would have liked to see a more in-depth comparison between the various faces.

That's be in the feature article in Typography today, not the article in the NY Times Magazine...

[Sky Schemer]

I applied the principals of Clearview to the signs I created for our garage sale this coming weekend. Really.

Alas, I don't have my own print shop so I had to make do with my crude, hand-drawn letters, but they still look great from a distance. I'll be sure to let you all know what our turnout is.

[CHART]

Thanks for the post Nat.

I am curious...

Did anyone apply this font to maps as opposed to large signs?

Would be interesting to know if makes reading maps better for the end user.

I looked up www.clearviewhwy.com for pricing. Expensive, but it could worth it for map production. I did not find an Italic version. Also not sure why they have a negative (black) and a positive version (white) of the font?

[DaveB]

Also not sure why they have a negative (black) and a positive version (white) of the font?

For signs that have light backgrounds like white or yellow? For use on paper? I wonder, are the 2 versions different in any way other than color, such as widths, counter size, shape, etc. If so, maybe they are optimized for the "halo"-ing effect for light text on dark backgrounds vs. dark text on light backgrounds.

Interesting article.

Go Penn State!

[CHART]

For those interested there is a similar font available at

http://www.triskele....roadgeek-fonts/

The font is for non commercial use. So it is good for testing purposes.

I took this link off http://freegeographytools.com/

Regards,

[Casey Greene]

I guess the real question here is that of readability...The researchers say Clearview reads, well, clearer when driving. To me though, it just dosn't look as good.

[BioGeoMan]

My two cents...they could have adjusted the kerning. The words look a bit crowded at first glance, but definitely an easier read than the previous font.

[Casey Greene]

I just stumbled upon a nice little audio cut from "Studio 360" about highway signs and the new font. You can find it here

[Spaniard]

I read an article about it quite some time ago that suggested the testing was pretty limited, and performed only by the makers of the font.

The fact that it performs so terribly when used outside of signage may be a testament to its suitability on the road.