Signs of Change: How a new font called “Clearview” is changing America’s highways
July 17, 2009
Filed under Detours
From time to time we take a break from economic stories to show you some of the other interesting things we see along the way. We call them “Detours,” and this is one of them.
Something was definitely up with the L’s.
In the first weeks of our trip, we began noticing something subtly but decidedly different on the interstate road signs we passed. Something about them was changing and it had to do with the lowercase L’s. On closer inspection, we realized there was a whole new typeface being used on some signs.
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It was difficult to describe exactly what was different. The letters were skinnier, curvier somehow. The L’s were the most obvious change from the old road sign font. The new ones had “feet.” Unlike the old L’s, which were essentially vertical lines, the base of the new lower case L curves sharply to the right. The new A, the G, the E and the T look quite distinctive as well.
See a slideshow from this story here.
Turns out the new font is called “Clearview” and has been in development for nearly 15 years by a team of traffic experts that includes graphic designer Don Meeker, Penn State Professor Martin Pietrucha, who runs the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute, and Penn State Senior Research Associate Philip Garvey.
We tracked down Pietrucha and Garvey at Penn State’s State College campus and learned that a font is sometimes more than just a font. Every angle, curve, shape and stroke on every letter of the Clearview alphabet was engineered, analyzed and tested to maximize readability and reduce the effects of glare.
In this story they explain why a new font was needed for America’s road signs and how Clearview is different from what came before. You may never look at a road sign quite the same way again.
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Another interesting roadside/who-knew? story. Thanks. If only Boston would hire these guys to make their street signage intelligible. Have y’all passed up Kansas City by now? If you make it there I once heard there’s a restaurant bar that serves “Gut Bomb and Dom.” I think it’s a hot dog, a Twinkie, and a glass of Dom Perignon for about $25.
We already passed KC, unfortunately. Would’ve been interesting.
Sounds like a punchline, though!
“A hot dog, a Twinkie and a glass of Dom Perignon.”
Not sure what the joke would be.
The City of Phoenix is now using Clearview fonts for our street name signs, because of the research at Penn State. We get many positive comments on the readability of our signs now. They were very helpful to us in getting started with Clearview. (Thanks, Marty!)
15 years of research must have cost the taxpayers millions.
Now let’s change all of the signs everywhere and spend lots more! I seem
to have found my way around without all this fuss and nonsense.
This is so funny! We’ve been on the road for more than 2 months now and have covered all of the states west of Mississippi except for Washington and North Dakota. I’m going to have to pay closer attention! I confess my favorite font is still ComicSans with all it’s controversy. Too bad they didn’t pick that one!