Are there implications of road sign design for national identity?

Intentionally designing style attributes into road sign types is contrary to best practise, the focus must remain on clarity. But it is notable that motorway signs become a visible expression of national identity. I would argue that this even more the case in countries with dual-language signs. Margaret Calvert, co-designer of Transport mentions this unintentional by-product in relation to the design of the UK’s signs…

We never thought of it as a corporate identity, because a corporate identity is not just signs, but if you see it everywhere, it is part of the look of Britain. For me, and this is speaking of London, it goes with red buses and black cabs. (Poynor et al. 2004)

Tags: Bilingual signs, branding, National Identity, Cultural landscape, Legal framework