Michigan State University Extension
Tourism Educational Materials - 33719793
06/06/02

Roadside Signs


33.71
University of Wisconsin-Extension
Cooperative Extension Service

Burnett, Claron, Visuals Specialist
University Extension
University of Wisconsin

At 60 miles per hour a motoris covers 88 feet per second.
In five or six seconds he comes within good reading range
and passes most smaller highway signs and roadside
advertising. Outdoor advertising, illustration and
verbal, must therefore be visible, legible, and organized
for rapid understanding if it is to be effective.

A road sign should have high visibility to attract
attention from a greater distance than it can be read.
Size, shape and color determine visibility.

A sign should be legible from 250 feet in areas where
traffic moves about 30 miles per hour and from at least
500 feet where speeds are around 60 miles per hour.
Suggested sizes for average daylight viewing of medium or
heavy stroke block letters with strong contrast between
lettering and background are:

Viewing Distance Lower Case Letter Height

64' 2"
128' 4"
256' 8"
512' 16"

To check legibility, make a layout or have a sign painter
provide one using the color scheme for the sign. View
this layout from the "appropriate distance" and you will
get about the same visual impact as from the completed
sign. To get the appropriate viewing distance for the
layout, use this formula:

Viewing distance for sign divided by Width of finished
sign = multiple for viewing layout.

For example, you plan a sign 12 feet wide and want it to
be visible at 500 feet. Then: 500 divided by 12 = 41 2/3.

So view the layout at 41 2/3 or 42 times its width. If
the layout is 6 inches wide, view it from 42 x 6" = 252
inches or 21 feet. The scale for the layout is not
important. If the layout were some other width, for
examples:

8" layout x 42 = 336" or 28'
12" layout x 42 = 504" or 42'
20" layout x 42 = 840" or 70'

To check whether your message can be read and understood
within the normal viewing time, cover the layout with a
flap. Have someone not familiar with the layout stand at
the appropriate viewing distance. Raise the flap, count
slowly to six, and drop the flap. If the viewer gets the
message, your sign will meet acceptable standards of
legibility and understandability.

WEX Cooperative Extension Service, University of
Wisconsin-Extension
Recreation Resources Center
602 State Street
Madison, WI 53703
608-263-2621

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