The New York City Transportation Department announced last week the replacement of more than 6,000 parking signs with an easier-to-follow design.
According to the NYTimes, key changes include “more breathing room” (white space), eliminating a colour (blue), and reducing the number of characters needed to explain the rules to a Twitter-friendly 140 (from 250).
The new format displays more prominently the length of time for which parking is allowed, setting the information off in large type inside a box in the upper left corner. The previous opening line on the sign – “No Standing” – has been moved to the middle of the new layout. Beyond the added white space, the department said the new signs, created in a partnership with Pentagram Design, were more readable because they included mixed cases and skinnier arrows, making them easier for the eye to scan.