The FEDs are here! They've taken our beloved Clearview font! :(

[AlTech]

The FEDs have decided to change their font to their original  font called "Highway Gothic". It was previously using a font called "Clearview" but they decided to change.

 

 

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Unless you're a typography buff, you might not have noticed the new font that's been popping up on highway signs over the past decade. It's called Clearview and it's been around since 2004. For much of its life, researchers (including its designer, Meeker & Associates) believed the font could provide for better legibility at night and at longer distances.

But, it turns out, later research has not backed up this initial belief. It turns out that all that research suggesting the new font might be more legible was more due to the fact that older, worn signs were being replaced with nice, fresh, clean signs which were, naturally, more legible.

 

Clearview also made legibility worse on signs with what's called negative-contrast color orientations — dark letters on light backgrounds — like speed limit or yellow warning signs. As such, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is killing off Clearview after 12 years, and all new highway signs again be labeled in Highway Gothic, the old standard font.

 

 

 

 

Here is a side by side shot of the new fonts (below):

Note - The old one is on the right and the new one is on the left.

 

 

 

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"This is a good move by FHWA," said Colorado Department of Transportation spokesperson Amy Ford. It also lets highway departments avoid wasting "tax-payer dollars replacing signs with a font that didn't turn out to be as effective as it was thought it could be, so our system doesn't end up with a mixture of fonts, and allows researchers more time to continue to evaluate font effectiveness for driver legibility."

 

 

Leave a comment below!

 

http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/4/10919686/clearview-highway-font-fhwa-highway-gothic

[Macronus]

I really dislike those Green signs you Americans use, there are other colours, which are much better especially at night, but hey who am I to judge data  Good luck with the new font I guess

[zacRupnow]

I only see two differences. First the New-Old shown is weathered alot (its old duh). Second the lower case 'L' has no curve at the bottom. THAT IS ALL.

[Bsmith]

is there any big difference between the fonts?

[TrigrH]

2 minutes ago, zacRupnow said:

I only see two differences. First the New-Old shown is weathered alot (its old duh). Second the lower case 'L' has no curve at the bottom. THAT IS ALL.

not worried about the missing mile?

[ShadowCaptain]

2 minutes ago, TrigrH said:

not worried about the missing mile?

 

not only a new font, everything is closer!!!


The new font is cleaner for sure

[AlTech]

2 minutes ago, Bsmith said:

is there any big difference between the fonts?

The Highway gothic is easier to see when driving apparently.

[zacRupnow]

1 minute ago, TrigrH said:

not worried about the missing mile?

Between the time the two pictures of the sign were taken the town must have grown by a mile, or the signs are from different sides of the town.

[Lethal Seraph]

I agree that the new font is clearer I'd rather have them look up the dying public infrastructure all around the US. We need modern public transport, new bridges or ones that badly needs repaired not just some fonts.

[patrick3027]

28 minutes ago, Bsmith said:

is there any big difference between the fonts?

The space between the bars in 'H' is bigger, the 'l' doens't have a 'curvy' end and the top is slanted instead of being horizontal, the top of the 'h' and 't' letters are also slanted, the 'o' is more oval shaped and the 'B' has a flatter look.

I think the new one (which is apparently the old one used before 2004) has more charachter. I quite like the change.

[Deli]

This is Tech news??

[Kherm]

Clearview SUCKS, especially the numerals

Especially with how PennDOT handles it. 

FHWA Highway Gothic here we come!
 

You can hear from roadgeeks and what they have to say on the issue here http://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=1411.msg2122122#msg2122122

[AlTech]

34 minutes ago, Kherm said:

Clearview SUCKS, especially the numerals

Especially with how PennDOT handles it. 

FHWA Highway Gothic here we come!
 

You can hear from roadgeeks and what they have to say on the issue here http://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=1411.msg2122122#msg2122122

Looks like we have some advertisement for a competing forum there.

[Guest Kloaked]

This is... Tech news? 

[alpenwasser]

4 hours ago, Deli said:

This is Tech news??

 

1 hour ago, Kloaked said:

This is... Tech news? 

I suppose that depends on how much technology you see in fonts and typography. It's a pretty complex subject actually. But I think in the context of our forum, Off-Topic is probably the better fit. Therefore, moved.