Clearview, or not?

In these initial tests the US typeface Clearview Hwy performed well relative to the other types. One consideration with the US type is the issue of longer lengths of Irish place names produced by this typeface, which might hinder it as a solution for Ireland.

Above: Illustration showing the relative differences in the design of Clearview Hwy (USA) versus Transport (UK). Clearview occupies a greater length than upper and lowercase but uppercase place names occupy more sign space.

Above: Early sketches for an open letter form, with some exaggerated characteristics, to help increase the clarity of Ireland’s signs (compared with Transport type, left).

Width versus fit

Early sketches of a test typeface were based on the open proportions of Frutiger. In initial sign comparisions, Frutiger was clearer in some respects than Transport because of its open letter shapes and high x-height. Later sketches attempted to achieve a narrower proportion, aimed at keeping the width of Irish place names at a manageable length.

Compact, but open

Being dissatisfied with the width of the earlier tests when used in Irish language place names I set about drawing a new version. The intention was to maximise the x-height, but condense the width as much as practical without impacting the legibility.

How high is too high?

I increased the x-height by increments, arriving at almost 82% of the uppercase height, which certainly ‘pushes the envelope’ in terms of word shape, creating what could be described as an almost ‘upper case’ lower case design.

Distinctive but uniform

In creating individual characters, the objective became emphasising the distinctive quality of each letter whilst maximising the inner ‘white space’ – to facilitate clarity at distance and minimise the effects of halation. Frequently, this was a ‘circular’ design process with seemingly appropriate letter forms suddenly causing problems when set as whole words. The overriding objective was always clarity, rather than an aesthetic judgement.

Above: A comparison of the Transport design (left) with the test typeface (font) Turas design, by Garrett Reil, Rain design partners. Turas has an increased x-height and open character shapes, this is designed to resist infill and ‘overglow’ caused by halation. It is more compact than earlier test designs, which is particularly important for Irish language place names.

Above left: Sign on M8 motoway in the current design. Irish is ‘squeezed’ to fit and abbreviated (Main. Fhear Maí). Note: Arrangement of ‘Toll’ information is confusing. A pictographic symbol should be explored here.Above right: A prototype sign design using colour differentiation of languages and the Turas test typeface.

Encouraging tests

These tests would suggest that an improved sign system design is indeed possible. The test typeface design would suggest that a typeface of high x-height, with open letter forms, and compact (rather than condensed) in character, could provide a way forward in designing a new sign system for Ireland’s dual-language signs.

Real scenario testing is required

It is important to state that the design should not be progressed to a more complete state until some initial user testing (if possible in a road-test scenario) can take place. Such testing with scientific rigour applied could direct further development and improvement of the sign type, and may lead to unexpected outcomes.

I did, however, test users views of the clarity of these prototype signs versus the current sign design and the design used in Wales, which doesn’t differentiate between the languages. I will post further information on those tests here soon.

Tags: Design, Research, Colour differentiation, Bilingual signs