Graphic Design Nightmare
No, I don’t actually lose sleep over this, but sometmes I’ll find a design so disturbing that I wish I could create a new version for them right there on the spot. This is an example of a sign that seeks to inform, but winds up leaving readers confused. It’s a reminder to all of us that bad design can still corrupt any message. How can we solve this?
When analyzing something like this, I try to look for the root of the problem by asking very simple questions such as, “what is the purpose of even having this sign?” In this case the answer is to inform. Therefore, it’s absolutely crucial nothing gets in the way of that single mission.
So first off, let’s make sure what we’re trying to inform is clear. From what I could gather, this Dry Cleaner’s message is instructing people with disabilities to honk their car horn to request assistance. ‘Handicap honk for help’ is already a confusing choice of words (what’s a handicap honk?), but it’s actually made even worse by the size and placement of the text. Remember, nothing can get in the way of our mission!
From a parked car, all you would see is a red hand, a steering wheel, and an ‘H’ with some text next to it. Since we’re not used to seeing three words sharing the same first letter, and a giant capital H means nothing to anyone, it’s instantly more confusing than it is helpful. The typography should work for us, not against.
Unfortunately, the graphic used isn’t very helpful in simplifying the message… Why is the hand red? Don’t honk? Your steering wheel might be hot? You’ll get caught red-handed? Perhaps all that’s really needed is your generic handicap symbol….
Here’s my quick little version, just for kicks. This could probably be refined a little more, but as you can already see here, there is almost nothing blocking us from being informed. Mission accomplished!
- Ray