AARoads Forum

National Boards => General Highway Talk => Topic started by: treichard on February 22, 2009, 06:43:57 PM

Title: Highway shield number fonts
Post by: treichard on February 22, 2009, 06:43:57 PM
What are the names of the fonts used for the shield numbers in these images?

1. The font used in New Brunswick:
http://cf.geocities.com/srcanada1/nb-victa.html (http://cf.geocities.com/srcanada1/nb-victa.html)
and in British Columbia:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1242/1153791102_61ecc4742f.jpg?v=0 (http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1242/1153791102_61ecc4742f.jpg?v=0)
http://www.interstate-guide.com/images005/i-005_nt_04.jpg (http://www.interstate-guide.com/images005/i-005_nt_04.jpg)

2.  The old font that PA used before switching to the standard:
normal: http://www.m-plex.com/roads/pamplex/treichard/pa54ew_pa405s.jpg (http://www.m-plex.com/roads/pamplex/treichard/pa54ew_pa405s.jpg)
wide: http://www.m-plex.com/roads/pamplex/treichard/pa31e_pa281ns_turnbackeast.jpg (http://www.m-plex.com/roads/pamplex/treichard/pa31e_pa281ns_turnbackeast.jpg)
jumbo (US 6): http://www.m-plex.com/roads/pamplex/dslauenwhite/6s_wild_6_660_6miles_6miles.jpg (http://www.m-plex.com/roads/pamplex/dslauenwhite/6s_wild_6_660_6miles_6miles.jpg)

3.  This oddity in PA:
http://www.m-plex.com/roads/pamplex/treichard/pa233n_pa850w_split.jpg (http://www.m-plex.com/roads/pamplex/treichard/pa233n_pa850w_split.jpg)

4. The font used in the Yukon:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3252/2358180274_7f8ecf5bd6.jpg?v=0 (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3252/2358180274_7f8ecf5bd6.jpg?v=0)
http://www.teresco.org/pics/signs/yukon1-whitehorse-dc-small.jpg (http://www.teresco.org/pics/signs/yukon1-whitehorse-dc-small.jpg)
http://www.teresco.org/pics/signs/20010613/yukon6jct.jpg (http://www.teresco.org/pics/signs/20010613/yukon6jct.jpg)
http://www.teresco.org/pics/signs/20010613/yukon1Aeast.jpg (http://www.teresco.org/pics/signs/20010613/yukon1Aeast.jpg)
http://www.teresco.org/pics/signs/20010623/yukon2yukon8-close.jpg (http://www.teresco.org/pics/signs/20010623/yukon2yukon8-close.jpg)

5. Another font used in British Columbia:
http://www.teresco.org/pics/signs/20010611/bc2north.jpg (http://www.teresco.org/pics/signs/20010611/bc2north.jpg)
http://www.teresco.org/pics/signs/20010612/bc97-close.jpg (http://www.teresco.org/pics/signs/20010612/bc97-close.jpg)

To see the teresco.org pics, browse first to
http://www.teresco.org/pics/signs/ (http://www.teresco.org/pics/signs/)
then paste the image URL into the location bar of the tab. 
Title: Re: Highway shield number fonts
Post by: Voyager on February 23, 2009, 04:48:03 PM
Mostly highway signs use Clearview and also Gothic in some cases.
Title: Re: Highway shield number fonts
Post by: deathtopumpkins on February 23, 2009, 05:12:03 PM
Those sure don't look like Clearview to me!  :spin:
Title: Re: Highway shield number fonts
Post by: Chris on March 21, 2009, 05:58:09 AM
What is actually so bad about the Clearview font? I kinda like it, but I see people responding with "Eww Clearview".
Title: Re: Highway shield number fonts
Post by: ctsignguy on March 21, 2009, 10:31:23 AM
i think many of us simply prefer the older FHWA fonts...

Clearview in my eyes (and they arent the greatest) simply isnt worth all the expense for whatever marginal improvement it represents over the classic highway fonts...franjkly, i think it is one UGLY font for signs!

(i AM biased....my word processors at home and my office computers are set up to use Roadgeek Series D font [very close to FHWA D font] as default...i find it easier to read than New Times Gothic or Arial

Title: Re: Highway shield number fonts
Post by: treichard on March 27, 2009, 04:20:11 PM
Any idea what the names of those fonts from the first post are?  None looked like Clearview to me.
Title: Re: Highway shield number fonts
Post by: Alex on March 27, 2009, 07:20:58 PM
A lot of states used custom fonts. Maryland definitely did, and Delaware did with its wider 4's. Jake (http://www.artistjake.com/) (aka agensteel53 on the forum) would know
Title: Re: Highway shield number fonts
Post by: ctsignguy on March 28, 2009, 12:51:07 AM
The following states used custom fonts (to my knowledge, based upon phots and my collection:

Maine
Massachusetts
Vermont (but not to any great extent)
Massachusetts
Rhode Island
New York
Pennsylvania
Maryland
Virginia
Michigan
Montana
Nevada


anyone care to add any others?
Title: Re: Highway shield number fonts
Post by: Alps on March 28, 2009, 11:06:25 AM
Georgia uses a custom version of a standard font, does that count?