Letter sizing is a key component to the quality of any well designed sign. There are standard rules of thumb such as 1 inch for every 10 feet. That rule of thumb only works when lighting conditions are nominal, standard fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are used, and the white space around the letters is large enough to allow for proper contrast. If the sign is to be read at a speed of 50 km/h or 100 km/h makes a large difference as well. Billboard type signs require a driver to take their eyes off of the road therefore decreasing reaction time. I know for me personally, if I have to strain to read a sign, I ignore it.
MAXIMUM READABLE DISTANCE | READABLE DISTANCE FOR MAXIMUM IMPACT | LETTER HEIGHT |
100' | 30' | 3" |
150' | 40' | 4" |
200' | 60' | 6" |
350' | 80' | 8" |
400' | 90' | 9" |
450' | 100' | 10" |
525' | 120' | 12" |
630' | 150' | 15" |
750' | 180' | 18" |
1000' | 240' | 24" |
1250' | 300' | 30" |
1500' | 360' | 36" |
1750' | 420' | 42" |
2000' | 480' | 48" |
2250' | 540' | 54" |
2500' | 600' | 60" |
Other factors that come into play are the colour contrasts that make a sign work.
The bottom 4 colour contrasts on the chart have a tendency to colour bleed together and are hard on the eyes to distinguish so a bordering contrast colour such as white or yellow around the letters is commonly used.
Well, I hope this has been useful to you and you now have a quick reference guide to help in designing a sign which allows for maximum impact. Stay creative my friends.
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