Last week in class we examined signage. Signage is one of the most basic and omnipresent example of visual design and interface design. Decisions about color, typography, composition, standards and interface all come into play in designing signage.
Signs let you know where you are or where to go, or, what to do (walk, park, exit) or not to do (don’t smoke, don’t turn, don’t go). For signage to be effective the messages need to be clear, concise and intuitive. Design should be used to reinforce the message.
Below is an example of a badly designed New York City Parking sign and a draft of how it could be improved. In my draft I have focused more on getting the message across then visual aspects. Part of the new design is meant to be digital (the part that tells you the day and time and whether you can park or not).
Please consider it to be a work in progress.