The Clearview thread

[AMLNet49]

Are these signs (recently installed near me) in Clearview? 

No that's FHWA/Highway Gothic.

[Brandon]

^^ No.  Those are FHWA typefaces.  Probably D and C.

[Eth]

Yeah, several different FHWA widths:

[hbelkins]

Telltale sign of Clearview is the "feet" on the "l."

[kphoger]

Telltale sign of Clearview is the "feet" on the "l."

Yep!  I know very little about highway fonts, but I took one look at the lowercase Ls and knew immediately it wasn't Clearview.

[vtk]

Yeah, several different FHWA widths:

There might be some stretching going on with those signs too. And I think that might be the PixSymbols variant, which has less-uniform stroke widths than the official series, and may have had lowercase letters before 2000 when the feds added lowercase to series B — F.

[seicer]

I wish we used more symbols. The use of the train station symbol would make the sign more legible to those who are bilingual - which is highly probable up that way.

[paulthemapguy]

I wish we used more symbols. The use of the train station symbol would make the sign more legible to those who are bilingual - which is highly probable up that way.

That would be perfect.  On the two posts holding the green guide signs, one post could have the "JCT-302" panels, and one post could have two panels for "(TRAIN SYMBOL) (->)."  Maybe throw this in the "redesign this!" thread heheh

[Ian]

I was driving on I-95 north in Delaware yesterday, and I noticed two new signs for the DE 141 south exit that were done in Highway Gothic. I'm guessing (and very much hoping) that DelDOT has finally scrapped Clearview?

[ekt8750]

I was driving on I-95 north in Delaware yesterday, and I noticed two new signs for the DE 141 south exit that were done in Highway Gothic. I'm guessing (and very much hoping) that DelDOT has finally scrapped Clearview?

Yeah depending on when the sign contract went out there's going to be a transition period. There's new signs on the southern end DE 1 that are in Clearview still.

[PHLBOS]

IMHO, the DE 141 shield on the northbound BGS (in Series D) looks better.  The Series C numerals on the newer BGS seems to be unnecessarily close together.

[Ian]

IMHO, the DE 141 shield on the northbound BGS (in Series D) looks better.  The Series C numerals on the newer BGS seems to be unnecessarily close together.

I agree, but it's really the only thing the sign on the left does better. The exit tab on the left sign looks as if someone from DelDOT held the space bar down when creating it. "EXIT...........................................5B." Maryland has a problem with this as well.

[ekt8750]

Maryland has a problem with this as well.

Maryland has the worst looking BGSes I've seen and it got worse when they switched to Clearview. It's like they took the MUTCD and chucked it out of the window.

[odditude]

Maryland has a problem with this as well.

Maryland has the worst looking BGSes I've seen and it got worse when they switched to Clearview. It's like they took the MUTCD and chucked it out of the window.

The sign for the Scaggsville exit on I-95 NB is even pictured as a "don't do this!" in an official posting regarding lack of proper whitespace/padding.

[vdeane]

Nice to know that Delaware's love of Maryland-style exit tabs has faded.

Maryland has a problem with this as well.

Maryland has the worst looking BGSes I've seen and it got worse when they switched to Clearview. It's like they took the MUTCD and chucked it out of the window.

Don't go to California.

[jakeroot]

Maryland has the worst looking BGSes...It's like they took the MUTCD and chucked it out of the window.

While diverging a lot from the MUTCD can be perceived as a bad thing, that doesn't necessarily make them bad-looking. California (as just mentioned by vdeane) diverges a shit ton from the MUTCD, but, I think the uniformity is aesthetically superior, even if the occasional BGS comes across as cramped.

Another example might be British Columbia. Clearview is everywhere (almost without exception); some might call it ugly, because they've been versed to believe that Clearview is the devil's work. But, because the MOT is very consistent with its use, it ends up looking quite nice.

Anyways, my point is that not following the MUTCD does not automatically make it a bad sign.

[thenetwork]

After seeing a butt load of Clearview in OH, MI, IL and IA on my vacation, as nicely spaced it was, I cannot wait to get back to my Highway Gothic in Colorado.

[Android]

Drove down I-25 and back yesterday, here in Wyoming, and I noticed several shiny new gore/exit number signs, in Clearview.  Yechh.   Not sure when they went up,  2016 year codes,  hopefully WYDOT gets the Clearview memo someday. 

[brycecordry]

This is kind of off topic, but I make almost all the signage/maps/reference material for my school. I started out using Clearview, but just recently got through changing everything to Highway Gothic. Much of the staff seem to think it looks better, to which I agree with. Someone told me that the Highway Gothic on signage looks more official (for example, telling students not to open the door for visitors, who must buzz in, https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1URDteA8SWyRklycWxuVHMxV0E). Shows that new is not always better!

[jakeroot]

Someone told me that the Highway Gothic on signage looks more official

I could understand this. Those with a keen eye might recognize the font from "official" signs (like road signs). Just the word "Attention" in your document, just in plain black, does scream at the reader. Maybe it's the block text -- Clearview is very humanist (in other words, friendlier).

[PHLBOS]

The exit tab on the left sign looks as if someone from DelDOT held the space bar down when creating it. "EXIT...........................................5B." Maryland has a problem with this as well.

IMHO, DelDOT likely copied from Maryland.

[ekt8750]

The exit tab on the left sign looks as if someone from DelDOT held the space bar down when creating it. "EXIT...........................................5B." Maryland has a problem with this as well.

IMHO, DelDOT likely copied from Maryland.

Wouldn't surprise me. Their signs are just as gross looking.

[jakeroot]

The exit tab on the left sign looks as if someone from DelDOT held the space bar down when creating it. "EXIT...........................................5B." Maryland has a problem with this as well.

IMHO, DelDOT likely copied from Maryland.

Wouldn't surprise me. Their signs are just as gross looking.

Maybe it's just being used to full-width exit tabs here in Washington, but I quite like that style. The word "exit" and the exit number are always in the same location on every sign.

[vdeane]

Wasn't there a report here or elsewhere a while back that Delaware had indeed adopted the Maryland spec as their official signage standard?

[J N Winkler]

Wasn't there a report here or elsewhere a while back that Delaware had indeed adopted the Maryland spec as their official signage standard?

I don't remember that precisely, but I think I have commented in the past that Delaware DOT signing plan sheets look exactly like those from MdSHA and MdTA, the only conspicuous difference among the three being the agency name in the plan sheet collar.