Wayfinding in New York Gets a New Look

With the Federal Highway Administration mandating mixed-case signage nationwide, New Yorkers are getting used to the city's new generation of street signs, writes David W. Dunlap.

1 minute read

August 15, 2012, 10:00 AM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj

With 250,000 street name signs spread throughout New York City, residents may have yet to notice the 11,000 that have been replaced recently to meet controversial new national standards in typography and surface
reflectivity.

Rather than just change the case of its street name signs to meet the new standards, the city has gone one step further, by implementing a new typeface. According to Dunlap, "For its new signs, [the New York City Department of Transportation] has chosen to use a
typeface called Clearview (licensed as ClearviewHwy)."

"With
its crisp, clean design, Clearview represents exactly what its name
suggests," the transportation commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan, said in a
statement. "Whether through our signs, markings or sidewalks, we're
bringing clarity and simplicity to street design."

FULL STORY: Throughout the City, a New Generation of Street Signs

Tuesday, August 14, 2012 in The New York Times

Transportation New York Wayfinding New York City Department of Transportation Street Signs Typeface View More

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