Create Custom Signs In Conroe, TX: Design Lessons Learned From The TxDOT

August 10, 2023 customsignhaus

Whether you are marketing to motorists in Conroe, TX, or you just need some tips to make your custom signs more conspicuous, the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) 2012 Standard Highway Sign Designs for Texas (SHSD) is an excellent resource.

Though intended for highway and traffic signs, not promotional materials, these design standards were made with maximal readability in mind. If they work on the road, helping drivers spot and read messages in low light conditions and at highway speeds, they’ll work for your company’s custom signs, too.

Read on to learn what makes highway signs so eminently readable, even in challenging conditions, and find out how you can use these same design choices to enhance any custom sign, or call The Custom Sign Haus at (936)-539-4200 to speak directly with our in house design team.

Custom Sign Design Tips: 3 Lessons Learned From The TxDOT

1. Combine Text And Graphics For Better Readability And Retention

Combining text and graphics makes signs much easier to read and remember. Not only does the brain process visuals an estimated 60,000 times faster than text, but combining the two triggers a “dual coding” process, forcing the brain to encode information using two different “channels” for easy recall and long lasting learning.

For this reason, combining text and graphics is especially common with warning signs, where split second recognition is critical to keep drivers safe.

Combining words and text in custom signs can greatly increase readability.

As an added benefit, incorporating graphics into your custom sign design helps reduce total word count, as you can convey more meaning with less text, making your message much easier to read at a glance.

2. Add Borders To Your Custom Sign Design

As noted in a 2017 study for the Interdisciplinary Journal of Signage and Wayfinding, borders have a big impact on sign conspicuity, helping readers pick signs out from busy backgrounds and acting like a crosshair to focus their attention.

It should come as no surprise, then, that the vast majority of TxDOT’s highway signs incorporate borders, typically using the same high contrast colors as the message itself. If you want to do the same for your custom sign design, you need only ask!

Adding simple borders to your custom signs makes them easier to pick out of busy backgrounds.

3. Incorporate Negative Space Into Your Custom Sign Design

In graphic design, the term “negative space” (also called white space) refers to the empty space around and between the subject. By giving your design a bit of breathing room, you make your message much more inviting and direct the reader’s attention to what matters most. In contrast, stuffing your sign face full of content looks cluttered and confused; the reader doesn’t know where to direct their attention, and untangling the mess of imagery and text imposes a serious cognitive burden.

So, whether you are trying to communicate with drivers moving at highway speeds, get your message across in low light conditions, or promote a big sale or grand opening in Conroe, TX, make sure you leave lots of negative space in your design!