Design
4 min read
Why good signage is quiet
The best signs are the ones you read without noticing. A short guide to wayfinding that respects the reader.
Theo Brandt
Filed under
Design
Objects, screens and signs that get out of the way.
A good sign answers one question at the moment you ask it. A bad sign answers six questions you didn’t have.
Most of the craft is subtraction. One typeface, one arrow style, one colour for each kind of information. Then remove every word the reader doesn’t need at that spot.
Height matters more than size. A modest sign at eye level beats a large one above the door, because people look ahead, not up.
The test is simple: stand where the reader stands, and time how long it takes to know where to go. Anything over two seconds needs work.
Written by
Theo Brandt
Theo runs a two-person type studio in Leipzig and writes about signage, print and running small businesses.
