I just read this interesting NY Times article on Clearview, the new typeface that’s being used for highway signs. The article should be understandable by non typography-geeks, and perhaps of interest to those who want to understand why designers care about superficially similar typefaces so much. Oddly no mention is made of spacing between letters (kerning), which seems much more regular in Clearview.
This is an instance of typography saving lives. Clearview signs can be read 200-300 feet further away than signs of the same size set in Highway Gothic. This gives drivers extra seconds to process information and make decisions.
I’m sorta ashamed i never noticed how badly suited the old Highway Gothic is for highway use, but i guess you never get a chance to spend much time looking at the typography of the signs.
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