Comments on: Uniform Signage in Veracruz’s Libraries

By: Nationwide Signage Program in Mexico | Walking Paper

Nationwide Signage Program in Mexico | Walking Paper — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:03:40 +0000

[...] A few years back I wrote about uniform signage in the libraries of Veracruz, Mexico. [...]

By: Jason Priem

Jason Priem — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:06:01 +0000

Whoops, sorry; poor typing. The font is Frutiger. Fruitiger was a later, less-known face in which the ‘a’ was carved from an apple, the ‘b’ from a banana, and so on.

By: Jason Priem

Jason Priem — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:03:49 +0000

I think that rational design doesn't have to be in opposition to fun and humanity, although it certainly can be. The excesses of modernism are pretty well-documented. But a modernist typeface like Fruiteger, commissioned for the signage at Charles de Gaulle airport, shows how clarity and geometry can nonetheless have a warmth and humanity to it. Of course, this isn't always easy. But at it's best, the clarity and order sought by modernist design make it more user-friendly in in contexts where users need clear, ordered information--like signage. The Veracruz signage is pretty sweet, and you make a good point about the utility of standardization. Although I kind of wish that the signage used color-coding as an additional visual cue. Cool post; thanks for sharing the photos.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 23:16:44 +0000

btw, your website seems really happy to see me. Is that normal?

By: Andrew

Andrew — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 23:15:55 +0000

Love the signage, and amen to the taped paper thing. And guess what, even when you stick that paper in one of those plastic protector things, it still looks crappy.

I am not down, however, with the universal signage idea.