Why are the downtown signs so tired? Signage design based on visual and color principles

Signage design is the determination of letters, colors, sizes, and placements so that passersby can recognize the name and industry of the store in a short time. So, the visual principle and color principle of how the human eye sees and feels greatly influence the effect of the sign.

The signs are so many and intense that sometimes your eyes get tired as you walk along the bustling streets. This problem, which is often covered in visual design, advertising, and urban environment classes, has been organized around principles and improvement directions.

What factors play a role in vision?

There are three factors that play a role when looking at signage. The physical factor is the physiological condition under which the eye accepts light and color, so too bright or contrasting light can easily cause eye strain. Psychological factors are the way a person interprets form and color, and the simpler and more organized they are, the faster we recognize them. Emotional factors are evocative feelings of color and form, and even the same store feels luxurious or friendly depending on the color and font of the sign.

By considering these three factors together, you can convey the nature of the store without the inconvenience of seeing it for a long time, even though the signage is prominent.

How does the color principle work?

Warm colors, like red or orange, tend to be closer than they are, while cool colors, like blue, tend to be more distant. Also, when you see one color, when you see the other color, the color of the light in front of you affects the contrast, and when the two colors are side by side, the contemporaneity that influences each other also influences how the sign looks. The theory of color harmony can be seen together in the Color Harmony Theory wiki article.

By understanding this principle, you can calculate not only the color of the sign but also how it will look in relation to the surrounding sign.

사례 분석은 상황, 문제, 해결 순서로 나눠 쓰면 흐름이 깔끔하더라고요. 사례가 길어지면 핵심 장면 하나만 남겨 보는 것도 좋을 것 같아요.

Why is competition for primary colors counterproductive?

In a street crowded with shops like a nightlife, it's easy to compete with each other using primary colors, large letters, and strong lighting to stand out. However, if all the signs bounce strongly, the contrast disappears, and no sign is easily distinguished, and the viewer is easily exhausted from filtering out information. Eventually, the original purpose of the sign becomes less recognizable, and the impression of the entire street becomes dizzying. Signage has long been regulated, but it's been a recurring problem in the field.

What is the direction of improvement and how are the tasks structured?

In the direction of improvement, design guidelines that define color and size standards on a per-distance basis, regulations that reduce the use of excessive primary colors, education that teaches business owners the principles of good signage, and signboard improvement projects are frequently presented. First of all, it's important to see the entire street as a landscape, not just a sign. The task is clear by writing the meaning of the sign and the three factors of the problem background → perspective → Color Principle Observation of → Real Distance Case → Solving → Problems in order of flow. If you're writing a case photo, it's a good idea to avoid overly revealing the name of the store and to write down the date of the shoot. Campus down signboard design, visual and color analysis data, which summarizes the physical, psychological, and emotional factors of the vision and the principles of contrast, contemporaneity, advancement, and retreat, and presents the problems of the signage in Sangnam-dong, Changwon, and alternatives such as primary color restriction and occupational education on the 11th page. It is good to refer to the composition of using the principle and field cases together in visual design or urban environment tasks. Do the same analysis with your favorite street sign.