The sign in design

Who hasn’t seen a bad sign? They’re everywhere: confusing text, unclear icons, or actions that don’t make sense. 

Signs expose some of the problems that content designers try to fix in our work. We try to  choose the right combination of words and design to help our users do, get, or know something. And really, that’s what signs are trying to do too: whether it’s directing us somewhere, telling us what to do (or not do), or giving us important information.

If you’ve ever wanted to re-write a sign with a Sharpie, or wondered what an icon is supposed to mean, this post is for you. 

What is a sign

Signs are usually made up of icons, words and colours. They might use all these elements, or just one. 

A poorly designed sign can have big consequences, whether it's sending you in the wrong direction on a highway or in a hospital, giving misinformation that leads to a parking fine, or causing a danger to life. There's real power in these small bits of content.

Icons

Icons should be easily understood, basic images. We use them to add meaning, either by replacing or pairing them with words.

Unless you’re studying for a driving test, you don’t often sit down with a book of signs and learn what they mean. And even if you are doing this for a driving test, the signs aren’t always clear, intuitive, or easy to understand.

We also need  to think about people’s mental models. The experiences we bring, and our own contexts, can change how we interpret icons. 

There is no universal language, meaning we have to think a bit harder about how to communicate. This is a problem that’s been wrestled with on an apocalyptic scale by people responsible for containing nuclear waste. A nuclear site is buried and can remain dangerous for thousands of years. Nuclear physicists, engineers, anthropologists, sci-fi writers and artists have been trying to leave a message that future generations will understand, when we have no idea what their language will look like. The BBC has a great article about what they decided.

Words can help

Words can add context, information, and clarity. The easiest way to explain (or replace) an icon or image might be to use words. But they’re not without problems too. Too many words, or technical words, can be difficult to understand. If someone only has a few seconds to read and digest it, there’s a high chance they could misunderstand the information. And then we add in context, for example if you’re:

• in a hospital,
• driving somewhere new,
• in a different country.

All of these can make it harder to understand words on their own.

Colour

Colour can convey different meanings to people. 

Here’s an example of a bad sign one of our team spotted:

This sign uses colour for meaning - but doesn’t use the established icon for “do not” (a red circle with a line through it). For someone who is colour blind, this is a less clear construction. And remember that different cultures can have different meanings for colour - here’s a great LinkedIn post from Juliette Xing that reminds us that context matters.

The personal touch

We like information that speaks to us where we are. When we’re talking about signs, that’s quite literal. If we’re driving, we might rely on some kind of navigation device. We love them because they:

• give personal results and tells us where we are and what we need to do,
• give the information we need in small increments, as we need it, 
• adjust for mistakes and errors,
• reduce cognitive load, making it easier for us and removing the need to make decisions, or read signs!

In places like hospitals you might have reassuring lines on the wall that you follow to your destination. And of course, there’s often no substitute for someone just showing us where we need to go.

So with the popularity of smartphones, Google maps, and sat navs, do we even need signs?

The short answer is yes. Even with the constant improvements of GPS devices, they don’t always get it right. Whether it’s picking up on a recently changed speed limit, or recognising a newly built road, they can sometimes lead us astray. They also rely heavily on having signal and access to the internet.

We should also always design so that people can act independently, in any context. Content should empower people and support them to act with knowledge and safety. 

Don’t be deceptive

A badly placed sign in Manchester caused drivers to get fines after buying parking tickets from the wrong machine. It’s likely that this sign is not deliberately obscure, but drivers are clearly confused by it.

The best way to avoid deceptive design is by doing user testing. Your users will be the first people to tell (or show) you if a sign is in the right place. For example, if you have new signs in a hospital, ask someone to take you from the car park to a specific ward. See if they can clearly follow the signs, or if there are any directions that they stumble over.

What good looks like

There’s lots of examples of good signs that people notice and understand. But one of our favourites is Max the cat who isn’t allowed into the library.

We love this sign because it uses plain language and easily recognisable iconography. An earlier version of the sign was less effective because it didn’t give people the information they needed. But this version gives enough explanation as to why you shouldn’t let Max in, without overcomplication. It’s memorable, and it captures the imagination. And it achieves the goal.

Good content doesn’t have to be boring. It can be clear, concise, and still make people feel part of the story, or goal.

Signing off

Sometimes our designs might be small (literally): a few words in an error message, or the text on a button. But no matter how small, there’s still logic and research that goes into the design. 

We use the whole design library to help our users do, get, or know what they need. And we do that in all kinds of formats and contexts, from patient information to selling a product to helping people get from one point to another.  We bring design elements together to create messages that are better understood, clearer, and easier for our users: if we do them right. The aim, for any content we create, is to help someone get to where they need to go: literally, or figuratively. (Except Max.)