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Category | Sans-serif |
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Designer(s) | Donald Meeker [1] James Montalbano [1] Christopher O'Hara [1] Harriet Spear [1] |
Foundry | Terminal Design Inc. |
License | Proprietary |
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Sample |
Clearview, also known as Clearview Hwy, is the name of a humanist sans-serif typeface family for guide signs used on roads in the United States, Canada, Indonesia, the Philippines, Israel, Brazil and Sri Lanka. It was developed by independent researchers with the help of the Texas Transportation Institute and the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute, under the supervision of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). It was once expected to replace the FHWA typefaces in many applications, although newer studies of its effectiveness have called its benefits into question. [1] [2]
Initial testing indicated that Clearview was 2 to 8 percent more legible in both day- and night-time viewing than the then-dominant Series E (Modified) on overhead signs, particularly benefiting older drivers, with a 6 percent increase in legibility distance. [3] A design goal of Clearview was the reduction of irradiation effects of retroreflective sign materials. [3] Reduced nighttime overglow or haloing was expected also to improve recognition rates for computer road sign detection. [4] However, these tests also compared new signs in Clearview to existing, weathered signs in the existing Highway Gothic font. [5] The new font's apparent legibility "was more due to the fact that older, worn signs were being replaced with nice, fresh, clean signs which were, naturally, more legible." Better testing also revealed that legibility was worse for negative contrast signs (dark lettering on light backgrounds) such as on speed limit and yellow warning signs. [5]
The standard FHWA typefaces, developed in the 1940s, were designed to work with a system of highway signs in which almost all words are capitalized; its standard mixed-case form (Series E Modified) was designed to be most visible under the now-obsolete reflector system of button copy, which has since been superseded by retroreflective sheeting. [6] The designers of Clearview sought to create a typeface adapted for mixed-case signage, initially expecting it would be based on an existing European sans-serif typeface. [7] Instead, using a similar weight to the FHWA fonts, a new font was created from scratch. Two key differences are much larger counter spaces, the enclosed spaces in letters like the lower case "e" or "a", and a higher x-height, the relative height of the lower case "x" to the upper case "X". Smaller counter spaces in the FHWA fonts reduced legibility, particularly when the letters glowed from headlight illumination at night.
Clearview was granted interim approval by the FHWA for use on positive-contrast road signs (light legend on dark background, such as white on black, green, blue, brown, purple or red) on September 2, 2004, [8] though not on negative-contrast road signs (dark legend on light background, such as black on white, yellow or orange), given its inferior legibility to the existing FHWA typefaces in these applications. [9] The FHWA also refused to add Clearview to the 2009 MUTCD, citing lack of testing on Clearview's numerals, symbols, and narrower typefaces. [10] In April 2014, FHWA indicated it expected to rescind Interim Approval to use Clearview in the future, [2] eventually doing so in January 2016. [11] [12] Congress ordered the FHWA to reinstate the interim approval on March 28, 2018. [13]
Outside the US, Clearview has been adopted in Canada where it has been the standard typeface for signs in British Columbia since 2006 [14] and used for street signs in Toronto. [15] Clearview has been adopted as the standard typeface for road signs in Indonesia since 2014. [16] Since 2016, Ontario's Ministry of Transportation has started using Clearview on some signs on the Queen Elizabeth Way.
In addition to its appearance on road signage, a customized version of the ClearviewText typeface was adopted by AT&T for corporate use, including advertising, used from 2006 to 2016. [1] Since 2018, Toyota has used another variant of ClearviewText in its advertisements. ClearviewText and ClearviewADA are versions of the typeface intended for use in general graphic design and ADA-compliant signage. An example of ClearviewADA in use is signage at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. [17]
Between 20 and 30 states have adopted the use of the typeface as of 2013. [18] [19] [20] It was not the official font recommended for use by the FHWA and states were required to request interim approval from the Federal Highway Administration to use the font. [18]
On January 25, 2016, the Federal Highway Administration issued a notice in the Federal Register of the agency's intent to rescind interim approval for use of the Clearview font in 30 days. [11] FHWA discussed the current state of road signage research and concluded that "the consistent finding among all the research evaluations is that the brightness of the retroreflective sheeting is the primary factor in nighttime legibility." [11] Even worse, significant misunderstandings and misapplications of the interim approval for Clearview were resulting in badly designed non-uniform signs that violated the uniformity central to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. [11] Accordingly, the notice concluded, "FHWA does not intend to pursue further consideration, development, or support of an alternative letter style." [11] The rescission of the interim approval drew negative response from government officials as well as one of the typeface's designers. [21] [22] [23]
The FHWA reinstated the interim approval on March 28, 2018, [13] per Division L, Title I, Section 125 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018. [24]
The Transportation Association of Canada's MUTCD for Canada allows the use of Clearview, and the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario uses it for positive contrast guide signs. [25] The Ontario transportation agency Metrolinx has adopted Clearview for its wayfinding design standard. [26] Toronto has been replacing its black-on-white street signs with newer white-on-blue signs that use Clearview since 2004, with exceptions for certain older neighborhoods. [27] [28] [29] British Columbia has been switching to Clearview for all signage, including regulatory and guide signage.
The Ministry of Transportation promulgated a regulation in 2014 to introduce new road signs that would use the Clearview typeface. [30] This new regulation was intended to meet ASEAN Economic Community standards starting in 2015. [31] Previously, road signs in Indonesia had traditionally used FHWA Series fonts since 1993. [32]
Signage in the Philippines uses Clearview on newer signs. The numbered shields in the Philippine highway network use Clearview.[ citation needed ]
Traffic signs or road signs are signs erected at the side of or above roads to give instructions or provide information to road users. The earliest signs were simple wooden or stone milestones. Later, signs with directional arms were introduced, for example the fingerposts in the United Kingdom and their wooden counterparts in Saxony.
Bike lanes (US) or cycle lanes (UK) are types of bikeways (cycleways) with lanes on the roadway for cyclists only. In the United Kingdom, an on-road cycle-lane can be firmly restricted to cycles or advisory. In the United States, a designated bicycle lane or class II bikeway (Caltrans) is always marked by a solid white stripe on the pavement and is for 'preferential use' by bicyclists. There is also a class III bicycle route, which has roadside signs suggesting a route for cyclists, and urging sharing the road. A class IV separated bike way (Caltrans) is a bike lane that is physically separate from motor traffic and restricted to bicyclists only.
The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways is a document issued by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) of the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) to specify the standards by which traffic signs, road surface markings, and signals are designed, installed, and used. In the United States, all traffic control devices must legally conform to these standards. The manual is used by state and local agencies as well as private construction firms to ensure that the traffic control devices they use conform to the national standard. While some state agencies have developed their own sets of standards, including their own MUTCDs, these must substantially conform to the federal MUTCD.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway Program. Its role had previously been performed by the Office of Road Inquiry, Office of Public Roads and the Bureau of Public Roads.
The U.S. Route shield is the highway marker used for United States Numbered Highways. Since the first U.S. Route signs were installed in 1926, the general idea has remained the same, but many changes have been made in the details. Originally, the shield included the name of the state in which the sign was erected and the letters "U S" on a shield-shaped sign. Over time, the shield has been simplified to consist of a white shield outline on a black square background, containing only a black route number. However, because each state is responsible for the production and maintenance of U.S. Route shields, several variants of the shield have existed over the years.
A superstreet is a type of road intersection that is a variation of the Michigan left. In this configuration, in contrast to the Michigan left, traffic on the minor road is not permitted to proceed straight across the major road or highway. Drivers on the minor road wishing to turn left or go straight must turn right onto the major road, then, a short distance away, queue (wait) into a designated U-turn lane in the median. When traffic clears, they complete the U-turn and then either go straight or make a right turn when they intersect the other half of the minor road.
In road transport, a yield or give way sign indicates that merging drivers must prepare to stop if necessary to let a driver on another approach proceed. A driver who stops or slows down to let another vehicle through has yielded the right of way to that vehicle. In contrast, a stop sign requires each driver to stop completely before proceeding, whether or not other traffic is present. Under the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, the international standard for the modern sign is an inverted equilateral triangle with a red border and either a white or yellow background. Particular regulations regarding appearance, installation, and compliance with the signs vary by some jurisdiction.
A street name sign is a type of traffic sign used to identify named roads, generally those that do not qualify as expressways or highways. Street name signs are most often found posted at intersections; sometimes, especially in the United States, in perpendicularly oriented pairs identifying each of the crossing streets.
The Standard Alphabets For Traffic Control Devices,, is a sans-serif typeface developed by the United States Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The font is used for road signage in the United States and many other countries around the world. The typefaces were developed to maximize legibility at a distance and at high speed. The typeface has 6 fonts, from narrow to wider strokes:
Transport is a sans serif typeface first designed for road signs in the United Kingdom. It was created between 1957 and 1963 by Jock Kinneir and Margaret Calvert as part of their work as designers for the Department of Transport's Anderson and Worboys committees.
Interstate is a digital typeface designed by Tobias Frere-Jones in the period 1993–1999, and licensed by Font Bureau. The typeface is based on Style Type E of the FHWA series of fonts, a signage alphabet drawn for the United States Federal Highway Administration by Dr. Theodore W. Forbes in 1949.
A radar speed sign or speed feedback sign is an interactive sign comprising a speed-measuring device and a message sign generally constructed of a series of LEDs, which displays vehicle speed of approaching motorists. The purpose of radar speed signs is to slow cars down by making drivers aware when they are driving at speeds above the posted limits. They are used as a traffic calming device in addition to or instead of physical devices such as speed bumps and rumble strips.
A HAWK beacon is a traffic control device used to stop road traffic and allow pedestrians to cross safely. It is officially known as a pedestrian hybrid beacon. The purpose of a HAWK beacon is to allow protected pedestrian crossings, stopping vehicular traffic only as needed. The HAWK beacon is a type of traffic control alternative to traffic control signals and/or where an intersection does not meet traffic signal warrants.
James Montalbano is a Brooklyn-based type designer and founder of Terminal Design Inc. He is a past president of the Type Directors Club, and has taught typography and typeface design at Pratt Institute, Parsons The New School for Design, and the School of Visual Arts. He has designed custom fonts for magazines including Glamour and Vanity Fair.
Logo signs are blue road signs used on freeways that display the logos or trademarks of businesses before travelers reach an exit or interchange. Typically, a business pays a small fee to a transportation department to have their logos displayed on a large panel alongside other businesses. Depending on the jurisdiction, businesses may have to meet certain criteria such as hours of service and distance from the sign.
Road signs in Indonesia are standardized road signs similar to those used in other nations but with certain distinctions. As a former Dutch colony, until the 1970s road signs in Indonesia closely followed The Netherlands rules on road signs. Nowadays, Indonesian road sign design are a mix of European, US MUTCD, Australia, New Zealand and Japanese road sign features. According to the 2014 Minister of Transport's Regulation No. 13 concerning Traffic Signs, the official typeface for road signs in Indonesia is Clearview. Indonesia formerly used FHWA Series fonts as the designated typeface though the rules are not being implemented properly.
Overpass is a geometric sans-serif digital typeface, derived from Highway Gothic, but instead with a focus on usage as a webfont on digital screens for user interfaces and websites. It was designed by Delve Withrington with Dave Bailey, Thomas Jockin, Alan Dague-Greene, and Aaron Bell between 2011–2021. Overpass comprises 18 variants: 9 font weights and corrected obliques for each weight.
The Ohio Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices is the standard for traffic signs, road surface markings, and traffic signals in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is developed by the Ohio Department of Transportation's Office of Roadway Engineering "in substantial conformance to" the national Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices developed by the Federal Highway Administration. The first edition of the OMUTCD was published in 1924; the most recent edition was published in 2012. Ohio is one of ten states that publish their own editions of the MUTCD.
The California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices is the standard for traffic signs, road surface markings, and traffic signals in the U.S. state of California. It is developed by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Division of Safety Programs "in substantial conformance to" the national Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices developed by the Federal Highway Administration. The first edition of the CA MUTCD was published in 2006, replacing an earlier supplement to the national MUTCD. The most recent edition was published in 2014, incorporating the 2009 edition of the national MUTCD. California is one of ten states that publish their own editions of the MUTCD. The CA MUTCD defines the content and placement of traffic signs. Design specifications are detailed on a section of the Caltrans website that is based on the national Standard Highway Signs and Markings (SHSM) document.
This article is a summary of traffic signs used in each country.
FHWA is directed to suspend enforcement of actions terminating the interim approval of this alternate font for highway guide signs until the agency provides an opportunity for public comment on this matter, and documents the safety and cost implications of this decision for affected states. [...]
For this fiscal year, the Federal Highway Administration shall reinstate Interim Approval IA–5, relating to the provisional use of an alternative lettering style on certain highway guide signs, as it existed before its termination, as announced in the Federal Register on January 25, 2016 (81 Fed. Reg. 4083).