This story was passed to me today by Matt Shipman, who writes about research on The Abstract.
An excerpt:
[Right – Comparison of two road signs, Highway Gothic on the left, Clearview on the right, 2007. Credit: Wikimedia Commons – click on link to see large]
The previous road sign font, Highway Gothic, was hard to read because of very small counter spaces, or the enclosed shapes of a letterform (the inside of an “O” or “P”). Clearview, with larger enclosed shapes, taller lowercase letters and better letterspacing, is easier to read from a distance and at night.
[Left – Clearview letterforms. Credit: Wikimedia Commons – click on link to see large]
Clearview improved drivers’ reading accuracy, reaction time, and recognition distance – all with a few small tweaks to the design. In this case, proper type is crucial for public health and safety.”
Really, it is worth reading the whole article. Enjoy!
Neat SciAm Blog Post on InfoVis: This story was passed to me today by Matt Shipman, who… http://goo.gl/fb/hRYJb
The new UI for Windows Phone 7 (called Metro) was inspired by signage. Clear typography, simple icons. I like it quite a bit. More information at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=189338 (pdf).