Above: Junction 14 cantilever on the M8 motorway (Cork), April 2009 (WIkipedia Commons).

At the outset of this design research project, I speculated that in the future Irish roadsigns may need to be redesigned, or grow substantially in size (perhaps a degree of both) to become effective on higher speed roads. Now, very large cantilever signs have replaced standard signs on many new sections of motorway.

Above: Gantry signs on the N7 near Naas (From Junction 6), August 2006 (Wikipedia).

This represents an engineering solution to a design problem, and carries forward the inconsistencies of the current system, at great expense relative to a clearer typographic design solution. Observing these signs at distance, it is difficult to see any obvious improvement in readability from distance. Another worrying typographic development on these signs is the enormous non-standard arrow which has begun to appear, which serves as a distraction. It is noteworthy that with these structures in place, it would be easy and cost-effective to add a more effective graphic solution retrospectively.

Tags: Design, Design for an ageing population, Typographic design