The Design of Wayfinding Signage by Tom Shorey

The Design Of Wayfinding Signage Thomas Shorey 1103791

Thomas Shorey - U1103791 University of East London School of Arts and Digital Industries - BA (Hons) Graphic Design VT3045 Design and Fashion and Textiles Thesis

THE DESIGN OF WAYFINDING SIGNAGE

Contents 1 Introduction to Wayfinding 7 Wayfinding Signage Design 17 Comparison of Wayfinding Systems in Urban Transport 45 The Evolution of the Road Sign 49 Conclusion 51 Bibliography

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Urban Environment Models (Clockwise from top-right): District, Landmarks, Connectors, Streets

Introduction to Wayfinding As urban spaces expand and transport systems increase in complexity, the design of signposts and directional aids has become progressively more important. This is to such a degree that the term “Wayfinding” has been coined to cover all things that help the user get from A to B. There are many aspects to wayfinding which work in harmony to create a wayfinding solution.

These can include a sign telling you where you are or a sign telling you which way to go. Within this discourse I shall be looking at the design of wayfinding solutions and how they impact and influence users. I will also critically analyse current wayfinding systems and compare designs in similar areas, for example in transport systems. This will allow me to look to the future of such solutions and reflect on how they will evolve in years to come.

The term “Wayfinding”, in terms of the urban environment, dates back to Kevin Lynch’s book The Image of the City. Lynch (1960, p.4) describes maps, street numbers, route signs and bus placards as “special wayfinding devices”. Before this use of the word, wayfinding was historically related to the way travellers orientated themselves over land and sea. Before, individuals used compasses, maps and the stars to direct themselves. Today, technology means large volumes of people can be directed with ease and efficiency.

There are four different type of wayfinding systems for urban environments. Each one uses different aspects to navigate by.

District systems uses areas or sections with defined boundaries to direct visitors. An example of this could be the different college areas of universities like Oxford or Cambridge. Each college and residential area has its own identity with a name and a coat of arms. Another example is the arrondissements of Paris, numbered from 1 to 20, spiralling out from the centre. This means a large city like Paris can be easily broken into smaller sections, aiding directions.

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Where Paris is planned around districts, another city might use landmarks to be the key focal points behind its wayfinding strategy. A city like Rome, uses key landmarks such as central points with most roads converging on one of these points. A perfect and simple example of wayfinding by landmarks would be a set of directions including instructions like “turn right after the tree” or “second right after the pub”.

New York City uses its numbered street system to give itself order. Knowing the street number means you know where along the central avenues it is situated. Also, a method mostly unique to American cities where the intersection between two streets is used as key points, means a location can be more precisely found.

The final model for urban planning is the connector model, which works with a grid system similar to New York’s street model. An example is The Forbidden City in the Chinese capital, Beijing.

A central avenue runs from the entrance to the palace, with various courtyards and smaller buildings found on smaller paths off the main route. Every wayfinding system is tailored to each different model with the different focal points used for orientation.

Within each system of wayfinding, signs can be broken down into four categories. Directional signs are the core to any wayfinding system as they keep the user on the move to their destination. These may use typography, symbols or a mixture of both to show the way to a particular place. Within a district model it may direct the user in the direction of other districts. In a landmark system, it would direct users to the central landmarks. A street system would direct users to certain places down each street, and a connector system would have signs stating what was off the main connecting avenue.

Directional signs may incorporate identification signs as well. These simply state the certain area they are place in. With district systems this would state the University College, or the arrondissement of Paris. It may have several levels of identification, for instance building number and floor number. With a street system, it would state the street that it lay on, and with a landmark system it would be the name of the landmark.

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Orientation signs use maps to make a space more familiar to the user, this can double up as an identification sign, however goes further to identify the surrounding area as well. The most common way is the coupling of text in a directory of destinations coupled with a graphical map showing where these destinations are.

The final set of signs are regulatory signs, which ensure the building or area meet certain planning criteria. These could let the user know of certain rules and laws or warning them of certain hazards. These four categories of sign cover every need for a user finding their way around a certain place. Each sign may fall into one category, or it might combine various methods for efficiency. However a designer would have to make sure that the sign didn’t include too much, which would lead to confusion and information overload.

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Use of a sans serif font (Helvetica) and a serif font (Galliard) in Upper and Mixed Case

Examples of Hierarchy using different weights of font (Left), or different point sizes (Right

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Wayfinding Signage Design The design of the aesthetic and graphical look of a sign is imperative, as it needs to engage the user by looking aesthetically pleasing, yet also be functional to convey the right information.

The typography, use of symbols and colour, and its placement are all key factors in the graphic design process.

Legibility is the scale of how easy something is to read. Some typefaces are more legible than others, and the legibility can also differ depending on the size of the type. Novels use certain fonts which are designed to be read at a small size on a page of continuous type. Examples are Palatino and Baskerville. These fonts also take into consideration the printing techniques that would be used at the time. Wayfinding signage however uses type at large sizes, in small amounts. This requires a different type of font. Sans serif fonts are generally used as they are deemed more user friendly at larger sizes. Also the use of lower case letters are sometimes used instead of all capitals, as they have a smaller footprint, and it is believed that people can recognise the word quicker, thus reducing reading and decision time.

Fonts which have lots of variation are very useful in a signage system as a typographic hierarchy can be built with the various different weights and letter types. More important information can be in heavier weight text, with sub-text in lighter font. This keeps a consistent look throughout a signage system, but is efficient at conveying important information quicker than less important information.

Colour is a very important factor in terms of legibility and acting as a visual aid. Different colours are more legible on different colours, for example white text is hard to read on a yellow background because of their vibrancy and luminosity. Also to help people who suffer with colour-blindness, certain colour combinations should be avoided, the most common being red and green or blue and yellow (Colour-blind Awareness, no date). Colour-coding can also be useful in distinguishing between different areas or parts of a larger system. Downtown Baltimore use colour to distinguish between different districts of the city, with each sign corresponding to the colour of the district it is situated in. This means the user instantly knows when they’ve moved into a different part of the city as the colour of the signs will change (Two Twelve Associates, no

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date). A colour palette should be decided early in the graphic process, too many colours can lead to an inconsistent design, yet not enough variation in colour can lead to a lack of different ways to convey information.

A perfect example of how placement is also carefully considered in the design process is British Road Signs. Depending on the type of road and landscape the sign is situated on, the sign must be placed a certain distance away from the edge of the carriageway and at a certain height above the ground. For example, a sign on a high-speed dual carriageway has to be placed at least 1200mm away from the edge and at a height of between 900mm and 1500mm. However, a sign placed along side a street in a built-up area with a pavement would have to be placed further away from the carriageway to compensate for the pavement and at a higher height because of the passing pedestrians. The angle of orientation is also taken into account in order to improve legibility. To reduce the amount of glare from car headlights travelling towards the sign, signs on straight stretches of road are positioned at 95° away from the direction of travel.

These small alterations to the placement of signs can make a huge difference to how users see them, and the importance is further multiplied when the driver is travelling at faster speeds, therefore the decision time is significantly reduced. The placement of a sign should always consider the environment around it and the direction that the user is travelling (Great Britain.

Department of Transport, 1982).

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Where a sign is placed can also make a big difference in pedestrian situations. A designer of a wayfinding system has to make sure signs are in prominent places and visible to the people who use them.

This is a diagram showing a bad example of sign placement. As the sign (Blue) is attached to a wall hidden by a wall (Grey) around the corner, the area at which the sign is readable (Green) is reduced. If the sign was attached from the ceiling then the reading area is significantly increased.

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These diagrams compare the placement of a sign to inform people travelling down an escalator or a set of stairs. The first diagram shows the reading area if the sign was placed at the end of the escalator. The height (Shown by an arrow) is the eye-level height of the user.

The next diagram shows the sign placed on a wall above the escalator. This shows that the sign would be better positioned above the escalator as it is visible to a larger area, thus a longer time in travel. A perfect solution would be the duplication of the sign, with one at each position, which would mean the information is visible at an even larger area. This is ideal, as people who haven’t made a decision from seeing the sign above the escalator, still have the information available to them at the bottom of the escalator, an area which is easier to stay in a static position. Having the reading area at the largest possible amount is important to keeping the users of that place moving and reducing congestion.

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Transport for London’s roundel logo used on it’s various departments and services

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Another factor that needs to be considered is what information is included on each sign. Kristen Force (no date), believes that if a decision hasn’t been made within 8 seconds of looking at sign then the user will move on anyway, ill-informed. Therefore, the design needs to have the right balance of enough information for the user to make a decision, but not too-much which would lead to confusion. The sign should give the user enough information to make the decision needed at that point, but not too much. Paul Marchant, a member of the design team at Transport for London, calls this “Phase Disclosure” (undergroundseries, 2012).

In an environment where there are multiple sign systems being aimed at various different users, a consistent and recognisable design and identity is required. Transport for London have done this by using the roundel image, and Johnston type face. These two things visually let the user know that these signs are part of their transport network, without implicitly telling them. Other way to achieve a link to the environment could be use of colours which reflect the brand identity, or other graphical elements and shapes which are similar to other aspects of the company, organisation or environment.

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Comparison of Wayfinding Systems in Urban Transport In this section I shall be comparing the signage systems in two of the largest urban transport systems in the world, the London Underground, and the Paris Metro. I shall be making various journeys on each network, documenting decisions I have to make and the corresponding signs which help me make those choices. I shall then be criticising or approving certain aspects of the signage.

London Underground London is home to the oldest underground railway system in the world. Over one billion people travel on the London Underground each year, as many as the entire rail network of the UK (Transport for London, no date). Many of its users are familiar with the complex networks of lines running underneath the city, yet they still rely on the signage system deployed in stations to get from A to B. Transport for London sees its signage system as a means for ensuring efficiency as well as customer satisfaction. They also recognise that a lack of clear directions can lead to user anxiety (Transport for London, 2002).

The corporate identity of the London Underground and the iconic place it has with in the design world, can be dated back to Frank Pick. Pick worked as part of Underground Electric Railways Company of London, and later London Transport, when the former absorbed the latter. Pick started a brand identity for London which encapsulated the underground railway and which now has spread across every mode of transport in the capital.

“The test of the goodness of a thing is its fitness for use. If it fails on this first test, no amount of ornamentation or finish will make it any better; it will only make it more expensive, more foolish.”

- FRANK PICK (Wolmar, 2005) Frank Pick was working for the UERL when it was losing passengers to rival services above ground. He was put in charge of promoting the newly opened Baker Street and Waterloo Railway (Now the Bakerloo Line), the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampsted Railway (Northern Line)

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and the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway (Piccadilly Line). After previously complaining that the company’s marketing strategy was inconsistent, he worked towards creating an aesthetic feel for posters and advertising. With general manager Albert Stanley, Pick developed the “Underground” brand, establishing a joint booking system and standardised fares across all of the Underground lines, even those not owned by the UERL (Wolmar, 2005).

Pick was in charge of commissioning many of the iconic posters which advertised the system and informed passengers of certain information. He recognised that if they had a consistent graphic style and restricted to particular parts of the station, they would be more efficient and easily recognisable by the public. Another piece of Pick’s legacy is his commissioning of a new typeface by the calligrapher Edward Johnston in 1916. Pick wanted a font with “the bold simplicity of the authentic lettering of the finest periods while belonging unmistakably to the 20th century”. Since 1916, the Johnston Sans typeface, with a slight revision in 1979, has become synonymous with the London Underground. Edward Johnston also designed the Roundel, which has evolved into a world icon for London. Before Johnston got involved, the UERL used a solid red disc with the station name in white on a blue bar through the middle. Pick thought this looked cumbersome, so asked Johnston for ideas. Johnston knocked out the disc, turning it into a ring, and used his new typeface for the type through the middle. This symbol has evolved through the various companies running the underground and is now used by Transport for London as a symbol for various divisions, with a different colour for each one. This is a perfect example of colour distinguishing the difference between various areas or departments, but keeping the shape and layout the same to keep a visual link with the whole system (Frank Pick, no date).

The generic design for signage within the London Underground signage is dark blue type in the Johnston typeface, on a white background. For signs which point towards a certain line, a corresponding colour coded bar is added above the text. This means that all the text is uniformly legible. However there is colour present to link the text to the line it is referring to. This means sometimes users know a sign is pointing towards the line they need, just by the colour.

A sample journey I made on the London Underground is between Barking Station and the Eurostar at St. Pancras International. I went via West Ham, Canning Town and Bank. This isn’t the best possible route to take between the two stations, however I feel it gives a very good sample of different station layouts.

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Fig 1.1

Fig 1.2

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Barking Station Barking Station’s eight platforms serve the District and Hammersmith and City lines on the London Underground, the C2C National Rail route and the London Overground route towards Gospel Oak. The is owned and maintained by Network Rail. This means signage is slightly bias towards the National Rail routes. The multiple platforms in a relatively small station, means keeping a constant circulation of travellers is key to reducing congestion.

One of the first items of signage I encountered within the station concourse was a suspended dot matrix display above the ticket barriers (Fig 1.1). It has the information of the next 6 trains to leave the station, but this only covers National Rail and Overground services. Its prominent placement means I can read the information whilst moving towards the ticket barriers. This enables me to make an informed decision of what platform I need. The one problem with this sign is the fact the three sections for the London Underground lines are not working, so this means I was not informed at all about the line I needed, which was the westbound District line.

After this, I encounter a sign which tells me the platform numbers of each of the London Underground lines. This is coupled with a separate sign underneath indicated that London Overground was on platform 1. I feel that these two signs would be better off combined into one.

A digital display at this point could also state the destination of the trains and time of arrival at the platform.

At Barking Station the C2C line and the District line run across the same tracks, both stopping at West Ham, an important interchange station. Myself and many people have to make the choice each time we make a journey towards West Ham whether taking the C2C or the District line would get us to West Ham the quickest. If the train arrival times of each line were shown together in one display, this would aid the decision making process.

The duplication of the signage (Fig 1.2) from the ticket hall to here on the concourse keeps travellers up-to-date with departure times and platform numbers. The identical layout means users can quickly find the relevant information as they are familiar with the layout from seeing it in the ticket hall.

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Fig 1.3

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This is a good use of suspended signage which means users can make a decision whilst moving down the stairs (Fig 1.3 & 1.4). There could be the opportunity to include a display showing the times of departures and destinations at this point on the stairs, to reassure users that it is the right platform and train. In personal experience I have seen a train on the platform and, in haste, got on it, before realising it was the wrong train. A piece of signage reiterating the destination of the next trains would decrease the amount of mistakes like this.

The inconsistency between signage related to the various routes means various designs, colours and fonts are used. This means navigating around Barking station can be confusing and difficult.

Around 5% of the National Rail commuters use Barking station as an interchange point (Office of Rail Regulation, 2010). I feel there should be more signage at platform level for commuters to find the correct platform for their connecting train sooner after getting off their train.

West Ham Station West Ham station is another large complex station, linking National Rail services with the London Underground network. The winding passageways and concourses mean there are lots of decision making points. From West Ham, I was heading towards Canning Town on the Jubilee Line.

As soon as you get off the train, you are faced with an identification sign of a roundel with the station name and a plaque above it with directional information (Fig 2.1). These are positioned on pillars along the length of the platform (Fig 2.2). This placement means that wherever you disembark from the train, you are near the information you need to make the first decision of which way to travel along the platform, and then informing you to go down the stairs at the end of the platform (Fig 2.3).

These signs lead you down the stairs, where there is a suspended dot-matrix display (Fig 2.4).

As the direction of circulation is only to the left, directional signs are not needed. However a dot-matrix display can provide regulatory information and other pieces of information that might change, for example, delays and closure of service.

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Fig 2.5

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Further along my journey I come across signs above reassuring me that I am going the correct way for the Jubilee Line (Fig 2.5). Further along there’s a larger sign with additional information with station names (Fig 2.6). This means if I’m unsure of my choice of taking the Jubilee Line, I can double check before I commit to going up the escalator.

Instead of a regular sign stating the Jubliee Line is straight ahead as well as down the stairs, it is illuminated. This means it can be easily turned on and off (Fig 2.7 & 2.8). This is useful in situations that need crowd control, such as the escalators being turned off or one end of the platform being more crowded than the other. I feel that there should be text along side the symbols stating that the lift is this way as the symbols are fairly small and could be seen as ambiguous.

Another decision point is at the bottom of the escalator, with the westbound platform on my left, and the eastbound platform on my right. I first see the signage above me, with simple directions to each platform (Fig 2.9). However, if I can not make a decision based on this information, I have larger signs at the bottom with the duplicated sign, with a list of stations underneath (Fig 2.10). This is a good use of multiple signs with different levels of information depending on where they’re placed. It would be useless putting the larger sign above the escalator, as it would be difficult to read the expanse on information whilst moving.

West Ham station is a good example of how consistent signage can make navigating a station with long distances between various lines easy. Its use of a combination of signs to reassure users they are going the right way and disclosing the right amount of information for users to make a quick decision, means circulation is kept at a quick rate.

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Fig 3.1

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Canning Town Station Canning Town is a slightly smaller station than West Ham, with 4 platforms serving the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), and 2 serving the Jubilee Line. Though with multiple DLR platforms serving same destinations, deciding which platform you need to be at for your next train is rather confusing to someone who isn’t accustomed to the workings of the DLR and Canning Town. Here I needed to make the journey to a DLR train going to Bank Station.

When leaving the train you are presented with the familiar roundel identification sign (Fig 3.1).

However, unlike West Ham, there is no directional signs with it. Instead there is a sign stating that it is possible to change for the DLR to certain popular destinations. Looking along the platform (Fig 3.2), there aren’t any obvious signs to the DLR, though there is one in the distance next to the bottom of some steps. This sign is telling me that DLR Platforms 1-4 are this way, however, I do not yet know which platform I need to get to Bank. I decide to guess and travel up the stairs to platforms 3 & 4 (Fig 3.4), where I am met with a barrage of signs giving me lots of different information (Fig 3.5). In the centre is an Orientation sign, with a topological map of the whole DLR network. This is flanked by navigational signs pointing to each platform, stating what stations they serve. Around these signs were additional wall and floor mounted signs with timetable information and planned engineering works. This wall of information means the important information of which platform I need is lost amongst the other peripheral information.

This means that dwell times at the top of the stairs is increased which can lead to congestion and a back up down the stairs. It would be better if this less important information was moved to along the platforms, where people would be waiting for their trains anyway and have more time to read the signs.

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Illustrated Cutaway of Bank-Monument Station

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Bank-Monument Station The Bank Station and Monument Station complex is considered one of the most complicated and vast stations to navigate. With three ticket halls, six lifts, ten platforms, fifteen escalators and two moving walkways, being one of the 96,000 passengers who use the station each day at its morning peak can be a stressful task (Transport for London, no date). It has been voted as the worst station on the London Underground network (BBC, 2013). From the DLR, I needed to get to the northbound platform to King’s Cross St. Pancras.

When leaving the DLR train at Bank, there is no Roundel identification sign, just the work “Bank” in large metal letters affixed to the wall. With this is a section with navigational information to each line (Fig 4.1). Confusingly, the Northern line is apparently both to the left and right. I take a right and I find a sign with just one direction to the northern line (Fig 4.2), and followed the following sets of signs towards the northbound platform (Fig 4.3, 4.4 & 4.5).

This journey between platforms was relatively easy compared to other interchanging journeys within the station. In previous experiences I have followed other signs from the DLR to the Northern line which have taken me on much longer routes. There is one instance which takes you via the District and Circle lines in the Monument section of the station. At points along this route you are confronted with signs which are pointing towards the DLR and Northern line, something which is unnerving, as I had just come from the DLR.

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Fig 5.1

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Fig 5.4 Fig 5.3

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Kings Cross St. Pancras Station and St. Pancras International Station The journey from the platform to the Eurostar area at St. Pancras International is a relatively simple journey, thanks to the comprehensive and simple signage system. The King’s Cross St. Pancras Underground Station serves both King’s Cross and St. Pancras International Rail Stations, therefore a simple National Rail symbol wouldn’t suffice to correct guide users. However for the first part, both stations share the same path, so it isn’t until later that “Trains” is replaced by separate signs to each station (Fig 5.1 & 5.2).

Along the stretch of the platform is a constant series of signs directing the user to each of the connecting lines. This is repeated multiple times down the platform, which means wherever you step off the train, the information you always need is near. Intermittently between signs for connecting lines are signs to specific exits for specific destinations at ground level. These are in yellow text on a black background. This makes them stand out separately from signs related to the station complex, however the Johnston typeface is still used to make them fit in with the aesthetic look.

At the bottom of a set of stairs is a regulatory sign who main purpose is to make sure people don’t make a common mistake, namely using these stairs to access the Hammersmith and City, Metropolitan and Circle lines (Fig 5.3). The sign stops people making an unneeded journey which means their time within the station is reduced, thus increasing circulation and reducing congestion.

Soon after crossing the ticket barriers towards St. Pancras International (Fig 5.4), the signs turn to the design used in most of the St. Pancras International station (Fig 5.5 & 5.6). This design is used throughout the High Speed 1 network, of which St. Pancras is the terminus. A condensed sans serif font in white is used on a dark blue background. A large majority of the signs in the station are back-illuminated, which means they are easy to find. However the light bleeding out from the white letter means the condensed characters can seem to blend together, reducing legibility.

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Fig 5.6

An example of the new signage system for St. Pancras Internation Station designed

by Portland.

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When moving into the Eurostar area of the station, the signs change again to meet the design of the Eurostar identity (5.6). A dark blue background is still used, however the typeface is no longer condensed, and yellow is used, with white used for secondary information, such as french translations.

These changes in signage are useful to mark the boundaries between the different areas of the station. Within these defined areas, the signage uses its own consistent signage. This results in users are less confused than places like Barking station, where a mixture of different designs are all used in one area.

Due in January 2014, a new signage system, designed by Portland, will replace the current system at St. Pancras International and the other stations serving High Speed 1. The condensed font called Barlow, created by Dalton Maag, will be replaced with the Din typeface (Lanlsey et al, 2008, p. 195). Portland will instigate a colour coding system, with signs with primary information linked to rail operators on a dark blue background, and secondary information on a lighter blue background (Gosling, 2013). I like their re-design of the signage system, as I think the two-tone colour coding adds a sense of depth and hierarchy. However, I feel the use of Din, which is used for other signage designs, means the unique identity of the signage is lost, something which the Barlow font gave the design.

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Guimard’s Metropolitain font used on a signpost

Frutiger’s Alphabet Metro still in use on an identification sign

The most recent font used, Parisine

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Paris Méetropolitain The Paris Métro system opened in 1900, 37 years after the London Underground. Lines fall into two categories, with 16 Métro lines and 5 RER (Réseau Express Régional) lines. RER are denoted by letters, with Métro lines given numbers. Each line has it’s own logo, with the letter or number in a circle. Métro lines are in a solid disc of the line’s colour with the number in black or white depending on the colour of the disc. RER lines are reversed with a circular coloured stroke and letter on a white background.

Across the Paris Métro, multiple different fonts are used. The first font used as an identity for the Métro was Hector Guimard’s Métropolitain from 1901. This is still used in its iconic form above entrances to various stations. In the early days, a lot of the lines were run by different companies, much like the early days of the London Underground. However, in the 1970s, the RATP (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens or Autonomous Operator of Parisian Transports, the Paris version of Transport for London) set up a study group to design a typeface to replace the twenty different fonts used on signs around the network. In this group was the Swiss typeface designer, Adrian Frutiger and it was Frutiger who the RATP asked to design the typeface. This typeface called Alphabet Métro was a variant of his Univers typeface. To fit in with the historical roots of the Métro, text was set in all capitals. Though after the same font was used at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport using a mixture of upper and lower cases, the RATP started to make signs on the Métro with a mixture of cases as well.

By the early 1990’s the RATP sought to find a new typeface for use throughout Paris’ transport systems, from the Métro to buses. They initially decided to choose from one of the fonts already in use. These were Frutiger’s Alphabet Métro which was used solely on the Métro, RER a rounded font used on its namesake; Gill Sans, which was used in official documentation and Helvetica Neue, which was used on the French capital’s bus network. Helvetica Neue was chosen to be used, however they soon found it had its drawbacks and as such, a variant was made called Parisine (stbride.org, no date).

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Fig 6.1

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Fig 6.2

Because of the RATP’s decision not to change all signs straight away and instead change them to new signs using the Parisine typeface when they needed to be replaced for other reasons, there is still a mixture of different fonts in use. This same problem isn’t as obvious on the London Underground as the variations in the typeface used is minimal compared to the differences between Alphabet Métro and Parisine.

“It is the special charm of the Paris Métro that its applied aesthetics are not stamped with a uniform style. Forms of expression of the past hundred years, such as the beautiful Art Nouveau portals, are in many cases still present. This variety should be preserved as well as possible, as an enrichment of the scene. The joining together of typographical elements into a new harmonious order was a task requiring a certain degree of restraint so far as the creation of new forms was concerned.”

- ADRIAN FRUTIGER (st.bride.org, no date)

Journey 1 Gare Du Nord to Tour Eiffel From the Gare Du Nord, the French terminus for the Eurostar, I needed to take the RER B, change at St. Michel Notre-Dame for the RER C to Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel station.

At my first decision point (Fig 6.1 & 6.2), I needed the RER line B. Métro Line 4 is straight ahead, with the RER, connections to an airport and Métro Line 5 to the left. To assure the traveller, there could be subheadings saying which airport is referenced, and what RER line it is.

These signs are designed to the conformities of Paris’ mainline stations, with white on blue, as opposed to blue on white which is used for the Métro network which can be seen in the background (Fig 6.2). The differences in design give the mainline stations a different identity, letting commuters know where they are. However, the variance in symbols, fonts and layouts used means signs can be hard to locate when travelling from one area to another.

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Fig 6.3

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Fig 6.6

Another decision point in the Gare Du Nord was in the main concourse, trying to find RER Line B. The signs were laid out in three columns (Fig 6.3), clearly stating which direction to go for each line. The main problem with this decision point is that the signs are far too small for the space available, and the fact that this was on a main concourse with people needing guidance from a far distance. Also the signs are of set size, which in the instance of the middle sign, leaves a lot of negative space, this means the information is lost within.

My solution (Fig 6.4), replaces the signs with wall-mounted symbols. This uses the wall space more efficiently and increases viewing distance. With the right hand set of signs, I’ve removed the destinations of the lines because, as with the other lines, the decision at this moment is not reliant on the destination. You would take these directions whatever your destination is. The lack of background on the signs, with them mounted directly to the structure means that the signage feels like it’s part of the building, as opposed to a generic sized sign attached to the wall.

The main difference between the way users are directed on the Paris Métro, compared to the London Underground is that the direction of travel isn’t denoted by northbound/southbound or westbound/eastbound, but by the terminus station (Fig 6.5). This can be confusing as you need to know the final destination of the line you are boarding, as the general direction of travel won’t suffice. However, by using place names as the main direction of travel, it means there are no language barriers and also no ambiguity in the case of lines which aren’t orientated north-south or east-west.

After consulting my map and finding that the southern terminus of RER B is Robinson I descended the correct escalator which had Robinson as a destination and a list of stations below it. However, whilst descending the escalator, I found a platform to my left and right, with no apparent signage to help me make the decision between the two. When I got to the bottom of the escalator, I found a set of signs affixed to the walls above the entrance to each platform (Fig 6.6).

Because they are perpendicular to the escalator, they are nearly impossible to read until you get to the bottom. This increases dwell times and congestion. To improve this there should be signs facing the escalator.

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Fig 6.7

Fig 6.8

Fig 6.9

Fig 6.10

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Fig 6.11

From Gare Du Nord, I took the RER B to Saint-Michel Notre Dame. On the platform I find a section with directional signs to various exits and connections to other lines (Fig 6.7). The use of different colours means the exit signs stand out and the use of grey means the sign directing towards the exit, equipped with a lift, stands out further. However, I needed to change to RER C, which is not on this set of signs. I searched along the platform and find another sign which did include directions to the line that I needed (Fig 6.8). I followed these set of signs (Fig 6.9), after once again checking the terminus station of the direction I needed. On the platform I found multiple digital screens showing various information (Fig 6.10). This included orientation information of the stations on the line, but also an estimated time of arrival for each station. This is something that isn’t given on the London Underground. Also shown on this digital sign is regulatory information scrolling along the bottom of the screen, along with the current time. I was very impressed with this, as it felt more modern than the dot-matrix displays used on the London Underground.

Once the train travelling along the RER C, I realised that there were no orientation signs near to the seating area. Also there were no announcements stating the station that the train was arriving at. These two problems coupled together meant I had to stay alert and aware of my location to make sure I didn’t miss my stop.

Once I arrived at Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel I immediately found an exit sign for the Tour Eiffel (Fig 6.11). However, travelling along the platform, I then couldn’t see any more signs. Because of the bend in the platform it meant the sign at the end was obscured from view at most points on the platform. A simple sign reassuring users that they are still going the correct way would be useful.

At this station, the signs used weren’t of the same design as other Metro stations. This could possibly be due to the station only being served by an RER line. This is another example of the fragmentation of signage design on the Paris Metro network, something which, in the main, the London Underground doesn’t suffer from.

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Fig 7.1

Fig 7.3

Fig 7.2

Fig 7.4

Fig 7.5

Fig 7.6

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Journey 2 Ecole Militare to Louvre Rivoli My second journey took me from the Ecole Militare station nearby the Eiffel Tower, to Louvre Rivoli, the station which serves the famous Louvre gallery. École Militare is a small station just serving the Metro line 8. The decision point of which platform I needed was before the ticket line. On my approach to the ticket barriers, which I was about to go through, I realised this direction took me to the wrong platform. The signs with the destination information I needed to make an informed decision were placed in obscured places. One was hidden around a corner, which isn’t visible on the approach to the decision making point (Fig 7.1 & 7.2). The other sign is orientated perpendicular to the direction of travel, which makes in illegible on approach to. A simple suspended sign with one destination ahead, and one destination to the right would improve efficiency. The existing larger signs would still be useful in providing additional information.

On the platform I noticed another type of signage used to show the time of arrival of the next train (Fig 7.3). This one was a normal plastic sign which small dot-matrix displays for the current time, and time of arrival for the next two trains. The design is very similar to signs used on the London Underground, with blue text on a white background, with a colour coded strip.

When changing at Concorde, there was very little information facing me when getting off the train, except for a large identification sign in the old Alphabet Metro typeface (Fig 7.4). The only sign was at one end of the platform (Fig 7.5). The rest of the journey was covered by well placed signs with good use of phase disclosure (Fig 7.6).

This journey which solely used the numbered Metro lines had much more consistently designed signage. This suggests that the RER is the cause of the disjointed feel of the first journey compared to this journey.

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The Evolution of the Road Sign One of the first instances of considered design in order to direct people was the introduction of a consistent signage system across the British road network. Before this many different organisations implemented their own signs for their members. These included cycle clubs and automobile associations. This led to duplication of signs, inconsistency and contradiction in information. In 1961, graphic designer Herbert Spencer published two photographic essays in his publication Typographica. These essays documented a journey from London to the newly opened Heathrow Airport, with every road sign photographed along the way (Jock Kinneir + Margaret Calvert, no date). Spencer’s findings led to the formation of the Worboys committee in 1963 to review all non-motorway signage. This committee consisted of Sir Walter Worboys of chemical company ICI, T. G. Usbourne of the Ministry of Transport with Jock Kinneir and Margaret Calvert as design consultants.

Kinneir and Calvert had recently designed road signs to be used on the brand new motorway system, as part of the Anderson Committee. This was the first point at which the government realised the need for a considered design to be used for the motorists travelling at higher speeds on the new network. This work led to them being asked to work on a design for road signs across the entire road network. One of the most radical design choices they made was the use of upper and lower case letters on the signs, as opposed to all upper case lettering used on previous signs and road signs in mainland Europe (TopGear, 2010). Kinneir and Calvert modified the typeface Akindenz Grotesk to be softer and curvier than other signage fonts, they believed this made the text friendlier and more appealing to British drivers. This font is now called “Transport”.

Prior to the Anderson and Worboys committees, any government advice on signage wasn’t mandatory, just guidelines. However the Anderson and more importantly the Worboys report gave birth to Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions law. This came into force in 1965, which meant every road sign in the country had to conform to its strict rules. This document has been revised 6 times in total, adding in new provisions as drivers’ needs evolved. The TSRGD is coupled with the Traffic Signs Manual, which is a document which includes all the information of the TSRGD but in a user-friendly way.

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Correct - Heavy on Light Background

Incorrect - Medium on Light Background

Correct - Medium on Dark Background

Incorrect - Heavy on Dark Background

Example of how the tiles are twice the height of the letter x.

Old style of dot-matrix displays used on motorways

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New style of display used on managed motorways

Use of Text Colour One of the design choices of Traffic Signs Manual is the choice of typeface depending on the colour of text and background. The Transport typeface comes in two variations, medium and heavy. Light-coloured surfaces such as white and yellow, especially when illuminated, appear to leak into adjacent dark colours. Therefore it is deemed necessary to have black text in the heavy variant when on a white background. On the other hand, white text is more legible when in the medium variant when on dark backgrounds.

Letter Spacing The spacing of the letter is based on a tile based system. This means signs are easy to fabricate as each letter tile is placed flush to the adjacent tiles. The height of each tile is double that of its x-height. This means that the person who lays the letters out on a sign, doesn’t need to have any typographic knowledge.

Digital Road Signage One of the newest introductions into the family of road signs is the use of electronic displays.

These displays allow the Highways Agency to show different messages depending on the current situation. The first set of dot matrix displays were used on motorways via a large unit which could display two lines of text, along with a smaller unit per lane of traffic which could display speed limits or lane closures. This type of sign though could only display one colour, so any speed limits shown weren’t legally enforceable as they weren’t surrounded by a red ring.

Recently the Highways Agency have been introducing “Managed Motorways”, where the hard shoulder can be opened up in times of congestion. Within these new systems, a new style of dot-matrix display has been introduced. For speed limits, red rings and white numbering means speed limits are enforceable by law. Also a higher resolution on the text means letters resemble the Transport font, as opposed to generic all caps dot-matrix text. This means important signs are more legible and more information can be processed by the user.

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Conclusion In conclusion, I feel this discourse has enabled me to become more aware and knowledgeable on the process behind the design of signage and it’s related areas. By researching wayfinding signage systems in different countries, it has made me discover that a certain sensitivity and appreciation for the culture of the area is required to create a timeless design that works within that environment. By keeping certain heritage features intact, it can give a link to the history of the past.

With the examples of the signage on the London Underground and British Road Signs, I have come to realise the strict guidelines on how some signs can be designed and implemented. I feel this is one of the key ways to ensure a signage system can survive constant expansion. It also means the designers vision can sometimes outlast the designer himself. A disadvantage of this for the designer is that their constant input is no longer needed.

I have also seen that the advance in digital displays means more expansive and up-to-date information can be shown to users. However it is important to have the design of the information shown on such signs to keep the same identity as fixed signs. In the future, typefaces designed for signage may be designed primarily to be shown on a display, rather than printed on to material. With the reduction of cost of installing such displays bound to follow the general depreciation in cost of electronic equipment, I believe digital signage can be implemented into other environments to improve the efficiency of its wayfinding systems

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