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Motorway Typefaces:
Research driven type design
Niteesh Yadav
MA Typeface Design –
Department of Typography & Graphic Communication
University of Reading
April
1.
Motorway or controlled access Highway is a highway that is designed for high
speed traffic and forbids walking or parking, based on the definition1 issued
in Vienna convention(1968). It is known by different terms such as freeway,
expressway, autoroute, autobahn, interstate etc. in different parts of the world.
In early 20th century, there were two main factors in creating motorway
sigange: the speed of vehicles and the time it took to read road signs while
driving. Over the decades, materials and technologies evolved and brought
new challenges for designers. It has resulted in a collaborative effort between
designers and researchers to come up with innovative design solutions, including
the typefaces being used. Politics and social influence have become an integral
part of these typefaces as they now represent national identities of their
respective countries.
. Motorway, means a road specially
designed and built for motor traffic, which
does not serve properties bordering on it,
and which:
(i) Is provided, except at special points or
temporarily, with separate carriageways
for the two directions of traffic, separated
from each other either by a dividing strip
not intended for traffic or, exceptionally, by
other means;
(ii) Does not cross at level with any road,
railway or tramway
track, or footpath; and,
(iii) Is specially sign-posted as a motorway;
Type systems 1: Motorway Typefaces
2
The automobile industry was booming in the USA in the early 20th century
however, the late 1920s introduced buyer saturation in the market. In order to
push the industry further, National Highway User Conference (NHUC) led by
Alfred Sloan2 lobbied the US government to promote highways3 and increase
public spending on new infrastructure to connect cities across the country.
1.1 FHWA Series typefaces (Highway Gothic)
Over the next decades, popularity and accessibility of long-distance road
travel increased, road markings were erected across the country without any
consideration towards uniformity or consistency. It created a need for a coherent
nationwide system and a typeface that would be legible at a distance for vehicles
traveling at a high-speeds. To address this issue, the Public Roads Administration
(later FHWA) developed a series of 6 typefaces, Series A-F (from narrowest to
widest, respectively), originally the typefaces only included uppercase letters.
These typefaces were officially defined by the FHWA’sStandard Alphabets for
Traffic-Control Devices, published in 1948 along with the specifications for size,
shape and placement of road signs.
The California Department of Transportation carried out a research between
1949 to 1950 and developed a modified version of Series E (uppercase only)
with wide stroke width to accommodate button reflectors (Fig 2) for ground
mounted signs.They also developed lowercase of series D typeface for mixed-
case lettering that was used in externally illuminated overhead signs. The FHWA
specifications released in 2000 introduced updated shapes of few letters and
inclusion of lowercase letters for all typefaces.
The US standard has been adopted by several countries like Peru, Australia,
New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Mexico. The Netherlands started using
modified version of FHWA in 1956 that was replaced by RWS-Ee and RWS-Dd
based on FHWA series D. The FHWA series has a new name linked to it now,
Highway Gothic.
. ClearviewHwy:
Reflective materials, such as 3M’s Diamond Grade and VIP Reflective Sheeting
were introduced in the late 1980s, bringing a new set of challenges. The thick
strokes of typefaces caused a phenomenon known as halation, the spreading of
light beyond its proper boundaries to form blurry edges (Fig 4). It was a serious
legibility issue particularly to the increasing elderly population who were more
susceptible to it.
1.
. Alfred Sloan was the CEO of General
Motors Corporation.
3. Gutfreund, 2004
Fig. 1. Alphabets from ‘Standard Alphabets
for Traffic Control Devices’ 2000 issue.
From left to right: Series B, Series C, Series
D, Series E, Series E Modified and Series F.
Fig. 2. Closeup view of sign using button
reflectors.
Fig. 4. Effect of Halation observed on FHWA
E-modified.
Type systems 1: Motorway Typefaces
3
In order to solve the problem, the Highway engineers started consulting with
environmental designer Don Meeker4. Intrigued by the problem, he decided to
work on a new typeface with his team (Christopher O’Hara and Harriet Spear).
Their idea was to open the counter spaces in letters which trapped light and
created a fuzzy appearance.
The initial research5 experiments on the new typeface by Meeker showed
16% increase in recognition distance, giving an additional two seconds to read
and respond to signs. After receiving positive responses from the authorities,
Meeker reached out to typeface designer James Montalbano6 to improve the
typeface. Their collaboration resulted in an enhanced version of the typeface
with large x height, named Clearview.
In 2004, FHWA granted Clearview interim approval7 for use, the permission
to use Clearview was limited to positive contrast road signs (light text on dark
background) due to similar legibility in comparison to existing signage.
FHWA announced plans to rollback to old FHWA Series typefaces in 2014,
attributing better performance of Clearview to the fact that older, worn signs
were replaced with new, clean ones using brighter materials. It is believed that
the cost of obtaining8 Clearview was of concern to various states which forced
FHWA to make this move. However, a new bill was introduced in April 2017 that
requires FHWA to issue a final rule that would approve the use of Clearview.
Since the public debut of Clearview in the US, it has been adopted to be
used in signages in Canada, Indonesia and Philippines.
2.
The German autobahn is considered to be one of the greatest achievements of
Nazi rule, which was a part of Nazi propaganda9.Hitler promoted a vision of
individual mobility for the new regime in the early 1930s since Germany was
falling behind France and Britain (US was beyond competition) in terms of private
ownership of cars. The construction of the autobahn also benefited the type
industry as it gave way to the introduction of DIN typeface to the masses.
. DIN
The origins of DIN 1451 Engschrift for hand lettering dates back to 1905s when
it was made to be used in master drawings and later adopted for signages in
railway stations in 1915. DIN was published by DIN, Deutsches Institut für
Normung (German Institute for Standardisation) in 1931 as a pre-norm and
Fig. 5. Overhead signs in Clearview
Typeface on Interstate 4.
. Tests were conducted by Martin
Pietrucha, and Philip Garvey of
Pennsylvania Transportation Institute
. James Montalbano, type designer
who had made his name for drawing
custom fonts for magazines like
Glamour and Vanity Fair during during
those days.
. Don Meeker was working on
solving the problem of information
clutter in Oregon at that time.
. It allowed the individual states to use
the typeface in their road signs. https://
mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/ia_clearview_
font.pdf
. Quito, 2016
. Zeller, 1999
Fig. 6. “Speed Along German
Reichsautobahnen”: poster by Robert
Zinner, c. 1936.
Type systems 1: Motorway Typefaces
4
later officially released in 1936 for wide usage. It included DIN Engschrift, DIN
Mittelschrift (medium width) now very popular and DIN Breitschrift (Extended)
which is rarely used. At that time these typefaces were made keeping in mind
engravings, lettering, stencils and signages, traffic signs and lettering on
technical drawings. The whole idea behind the typefaces was a quick and easy
reproduction, they were based on course grid that can be executed with compass
and ruler.
It gained wide scale adoption and popularity in 1938 when a temporary order
was released that mandated the use of DIN 1451 in German Autobahn. Since
then several companies and foundries have released their interpretations of
DIN typefaces for various applications (such as Letraset, stencils, cast metal for
signages). Linotype adopted the redrawn DIN typefaces by Adolf Gropp for digital
photo-composition and together with Adobe they released DIN Mittelschrift and
DIN Engschrift in 1990. The most popular digital version FF DIN (1995) which was
created by Albert John Pool for Font Font.
Last year (2017), Microsoft released “Bahnschrift,” a digitisation of DIN 1451
as an OpenType variable font in its Windows 10 fall creators update10.
.
Discussion on motorway signage started in the Ministry of Transport long before
World War 2 broke out. These discussions were a response to rapid growth of
motorways in other countries (Germany, US and Italy).A working party was set
up after the war in 1953 and a short report on ‘signs for motorways’ was produced
in the ministry on 8th November 1955. In 1957, the work began for M1 (London -
Birmingham).The Anderson11 committee on ‘Motorway Signs’ was established in
autumn 1957 to submit an initial report.
. The Motorway typeface
Anderson committee found the existing signage inadequete12 so they consulted
a large number of organisations and appointed Jock Kinnier as a professional
designer in June 1958, who had already designed the signage system for Gatwick
Airport. The committee’s initial wish13 was to employ in German DIN, however, he
rejected it on the basis of ‘aesthetic grounds’ and went on to design a newsans
serif alphabetwith his assistant Margaret Calvert14. It is speculated that social
and political factors also played a crucial role in the decision of not adopting DIN
which had strong feelings attached to it during that time.
The new alphabet was influenced by Akzidenz-Grotesk15 and Johnston
Underground with an aim to minimise confusion of letters and to increase the
Fig. 7. Signs at the town of Eisingen in
Engschrift, Mittelschrift and Breitschrift
(left to right).
. Announcing Windows 10
Insider Preview Build 16273 for
PC, https://blogs.windows.com/
windowsexperience/2017/08/23/
announcing-windows-10-insider-
preview-build-16273-pc/
. Sir Colin Anderson (1904‒1980) had
a distingused career in transport and
was president of the National Council
of Design and Industries Association
1950‒53.
. The report stated “We came to
the conclusion that this type of sign
would be completely inadequate on
the motorway conditions and that the
problem of layout, lettering and colour
must be examined afresh.”
. ‘We have as a committee got into
the habit of accepting the general
weight and appearance of the German
alphabets as being the sort of things
we need! I think therefore something
on these lines as what the committee
believes it wants.’ Letter from Colin
Anderson to Jock Kinneir, (26 June 1958)
. Margaret Calvert was Kinneir’s
student at Chelsea School of Art.
. Mosely, 1999
Type systems 1: Motorway Typefaces
5
legibility. Kinnier and Calvertconducted some informal tests with reflective
materialin an underground garage to determine the weight, and in Hyde Park
to figure out the width and x-height. They performed additional experiments to
create an appropriate letter spacing system (Fig. 8) based on positioning each
letter in relation to the next one.
One of the crucial decisions made by them was to use mixed-case lettering
instead of all capitals, it was partly because lower-case was more fashionable
in communications design at the time16, and the mixed-case lettering was also
being used on the most thoroughly researched traffic signing systems in the USA
and Germany.
3.2 The public controversy
The first public appearance of new signs took place in 1958 on the first motorway-
standard-road in Lancashire (now part of M6) and the system was approved.
It sparked a public controversy 17 as small letters with initial capitals were
never used on standard British road signs. The use of sans serif instead of serif
letterforms was also debated in the public discussion of letterform legibility.
The major figure of opposition was traditionalist letter cutter David Kindersley
(a former apprentice and assistant of Eric Gill), supported by Brooke Crutchley
(the printer to Cambridge University), both related to the mid century British
typographic establishment in which Stanley Morrison was the central figure.
The participants of the debate proposed18 to have a comparative
experimental research conducted by Christie and Rutley for Road Research
Laboratory (RRL). The experiments were done to test which typeface can be
read from a greater distance as well as the claims of capital vs small letters and
their legibility. Four different types of letterforms (Fig 11) were chosen for the
experiment:
- Sans serif capitals based on designs by Edward Johnston
- MOT serif capitals designed by David Kindersley
- Kinnier’s small letters with initial capitals (which were already being used)
- Kinnier and Calvert’s sans serif in smaller size and with more interlinear
and margin space
. Although standard Direction signs at
present make use of uppercase capital
letters only, the experimental traffic sign
erected on the Preston bypass employ
lower case lettering with initial capitals
in accordance with the provisional
recommendation made in our interim
report. This is the practice both in USA
and Germany. ‘Anderson Report’, p.4.
. Covered in publications like New
Scientist, Design, Road and Road
Construction, Traffic Engineering and
Control, The Times, The Telegraph, The
observer and Cambridge Daily News
18. Especially at a debate meeting
organized by Design Magazine in 1959.
Fig 11. One of the 24 basic signs that were
used in the experiment (here shown in
four alphabets)
Fig. 9. Original artwork of motorway
alphabet, lowercase letters, tiling
system 1957–64.
Fig. 8. Spacing system devised by Jock
Kinneir and Margaret Calvert.
Fig. 10. This scale mock-up (artboard, gouache, paper,
Cow Gum) was made for presentation to the Worboys
committee. Photo by Anthony Oliver for Eye 34.
Type systems 1: Motorway Typefaces
6
The initial results19 indicated that Kindersley’s serifed capitals fared better than
other two Sans serif letters with a difference of 3%. However, Christie and Rutley
wenton to do further experiments20 and later concluded that none of these three
scripts tested has any appreciable advantage over others with regard to legibility.
In 1963 the government decided to review the British road signage. The RRL
performed another comparison test for the Worboys committee and Kinneir and
Calvert were commissioned again to develop modified versions of Motorway
for all-purpose roads. The new alphabetswere named Transport Medium and
Heavy. The ‘medium’ weight was designed for white letters on a blue or dark
green background. ‘Heavy’ was for black letters on white or yellow (light)
background.To ensure correct spacing when manufactured, the letters were
produced on tiles, to imitate the bodies of metal type.
Since 1964, the acclaimed system has been tweaked several times, but no major
change has been done on a large scale. New signage has been added, such as
brown signs for tourism, and some adjustments have been made to warning sign
symbols, although most of the things have remained the same.
4. :
The domain of typefaces for motorway and roads has been scarce, dominated by
Highway Gothic (FHWA), DIN, Motorway and less functional typefaces (Helvetica,
Univers). Clearview being one of the forerunners in understanding the new
challenges and acknowledging them with an improvised approach. Yet some new
typefaces have emerged as a result of public and individual research.
. 6336 reading distances were recorded.
. Since they indicated that the spacing,
layout and width to height ratio might
have been the confounding factors.
Fig. 13. Scale mock-up from the collection of St. Bride
Library. Photo by Anthony Oliver for Eye 34
Fig. 12. Layout diagram of road signs showing the grid of
letter tiles, quite evident in the word Maidenhead.
“The results do clearly indicate (…) that none of the three scripts
tested has any appreciable advantage over the others with regard to
legibility (…) Since there is little difference in legibility between the
different types of lettering, it seems reasonable to make the choice on
aesthetic grounds” (Christie and Rutley, Design 152, p. 59)
Type systems 1: Motorway Typefaces
7
. Tern
The road traffic typeface Tern(Trans-European Road Network) comes from a
European research programme in transport infrastructure and safety, developed
in Austria between 2005 and 2008.
TERN was created by Ralph du Carrois with Erik Spiekermann as a consultant
designer for condensed typefaces21. The range of Latin and Greek alphabet
variants cover all European languages, plus the requirement for text to be
presented legibly in Variable-message Signage(VMS)22 as well as on standard
static displays. The family includes 3 styles for standard signs: Regular, Narrow
and Italic. And 4 styles for VMS signs: Tern VMS31, VMS24, VMS20 and VMS14. The
number after VMS indicates the height in LEDs used from ascender to descender.
4.2 Wayfinding Sans
The last major development is Wayfinding Sans designed by Ralph Hermann,
who explored legibility issues in various typefaces in signage of several countries
around the world. The design process was heavily tested using a custom
simulation software. Still, Wayfinding Sans managed to create a good balance of
aesthetics and utility. Making it a multipurpose typeface suitable for signage at
airports, buildings, schools etc. however, it has not been used or tested in any
real motorway setting.
5. :
Bilingual signs (or in some cases multilingual) are usually observed in regions
thatlegally recognise bilingualism or in regions of national borders. For
designers, it has been a great challenge for various reasons such as information
clutter, sizing and the availability of extended families of typefaces designed for
motorway usage.
Fig. 14. Tern in use on A8 motorway in Austria
Fig. 15. TernVMS24 in use on
A28 motorway in Austria
Fig. 16. Overhead signs on the border of
Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
. VMS, A variable- (also changeable-
electronic, or dynamic) message sign,
often abbreviated VMS, CMS, or DMS, is
an electronic traffic sign often used on
roadways to give travelers information
about special events.
. Tovey, 2016
Type systems 1: Motorway Typefaces
8
The countries which use Latin script have adopted stylistic methods to
differentiate between languages, Greece uses colour: yellow for Greek and white
for English (Fig. 17); in Ireland, italic is used for Irish.The the other major issue
in bilingual signage is the use of different scripts in countries like China, Japan,
Saudi Arabia and India (where signs are usually in Englishalong with the regional
language). Beyond that Trilingual signs are a basic norm in some countries, Israel
(Hebrew-Arabic-English) and Sri Lanka (Sinhala-Tamil-English).
.
In Cognitive research23, the learning process is divided into 4 areas that can be
related24 to type for signage:
• Detection: When you first see a sign in the environment.
• Discrimination: When you first differentiate the sign from other similar
elements in the environment.
• Identity: (also called Comprehension and Recognition): When you first
understand the message on the sign.
• Orientation: When you learn how the message and sign fits into a system of
similar messages and signs.
Signs found in airports and shopping malls are information intensive which
requires the user to stop and read in most scenarios. In the case of Motorway
signage, the essential goal is the same, to give information but in fraction of a
second. They need to convey the maximum amount of information using the
minimum amount of content which puts a restriction on vocabulary, for type
Designers, that defines the crucial aspect of width in the design brief. However,
there are several parameters which can aid the design of typeface based on their
impact on legibility.
6.1 Large legibility impact
• Negative Space: Greater negative space increases the chance of detection
and discrimination, making comprehension much easier.
• Letter Height: Reading height is measured in "time x speed” with roughly
two inches of height for every 10 mph of speed on the roadway. This usually
means that letter heights can get pretty big. Four inches minimum for a car
going 25 miles per hour and 12 inches or more on the highway.
• Open Counterforms: The introduction of reflective vinyl and lighting to signs
has made letters so bright that the counterforms (space inside of letters)
shrink, particularly for older drivers. Thinner stroke widths and more open
counters mitigate this issue.
23. The study of learning, reasoning,
problem-solving and decision making.
Fig. 17. Signage in Greece with
colour diffrentiation.
Fig. 18. Signage in Japan with
complex layout.
Fig. 19. Signage in Israel in
multiple scripts.
24. Berger, ‘Typography,
Placemaking and Signs’, p. 15.
Type systems 1: Motorway Typefaces
9
6.2 Smaller legibility impact
• Positive and Negative polarity: Research has shown that dark letters on a
light background are easier to read than light letters on a dark background,
often as much as 30%. The problem is that research also shows that sign
panels on a light background are more difficult to find in the daytime. The
verdict: It depends on the situation.
• Upper-Case/Lower-Case: Research developed by the California Highway
Commission and the British Transport Authority in the 1950s and 1960s
showed that upper-case and lower-case type was about 10-15% more
effective than just upper case.
7.
Typefaces designed for motorways carry a huge responsibility, where the
ramifications of bad decisions pose a threat to the life of everyone on the road.
The design process of motorway typefaces is slow and methodical. Research
and collaboration with experts from other fields familiarises the designer to the
extremes of type design in all aspects. Because these typefaces are thoroughly
tested for both visual performance and financial investments, the designer
must pay significant attention to functionality in order for the design to be
implemented. Additionally, it carries the burden of politics and social acceptance
as part of national identity. Due to the difficulties in creating and implementing
motorway typefaces, they are the best examples of the systematic process and
application of design. When done correctly, they prove to be a design milestone
which stands tall for decades.
10
Type systems 1: Motorway Typefaces
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