Signage - Improving access

Signage Improving access
Guidance Document
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Caerphilly County Borough Council is opposed to
discrimination in any form and we aim to ensure
that all sections of the community have access
to and benefit from the full range of services we
provide.
We must comply with a wide range of legislation
and employment regulations in the field of
equality but in addition to this, we are firmly
committed to doing all we can to respect the
diverse nature of those who live, work and visit
the county borough.
Improvement to our building stock has been
taking place for several years. Ramps, handrails,
lifts and accessible toilets have been installed
where they are needed most. Buildings that
provide these elements can request funding for
signage improvements and other internal works.
Disability Discrimination
Since October 1999 service providers have been
required to make reasonable adjustments to
ensure disabled people can use their services
easily, which includes the provision of accessible
signs, an essential element in gaining access to
those services.
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The Four Sign Types
Information signs
These are the main signs for orientation;
they would include the building, car park
and other internal signs identifying main
locations inside the building and including
directories, maps and plans, covering the
whole site, externally and internally.
Direction signs
These direct users to destinations using
arrows and can include directional text.
Often they carry several destinations in a
bank of signs and care has to be taken with
the use of arrows to avoid confusion.
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Identification (or location) signs
These signs are installed at individual destinations to
indicate the location of a facility or a service, a room or
a person, once a destination has been reached. Some
location signs can be short; others may contain several
levels of information.
Safety, fire safety and mandatory signs
These signs are essential for the safety of users and can be
either warning or prohibition signs.
They will be positioned at strategic points to give warning
of a hazard. They include exit signs, fire exit signs, fire safety
signs and details about fire equipment.
This category also includes
mandatory signs, which are
usually characterised by a
special colour and shape, i.e.
White letters on a blue square.
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Beneficial to all
Good signage should be easy to understand
and people with a visual impairment should
not be placed at a disadvantage. The vast
majority of visually impaired people have
some useful vision. The correct positioning,
font type and size will make it easier for
people with a visual impairment to see the
sign. For those with no useful vision Braille
signage should be considered, however the
details of providing accurate Braille signage
are beyond the scope of this document.
Please contact the DDA officer for further
advice or information
Good signage not only helps those with visual
impairment,
»» it helps hearing-impaired people as well
as they may find it difficult to understand
verbal directions.
»» C
ognitive impaired people who find
pictograms and the use of plain English
easier also benefit.
»» I n fact good signage helps everyone,
regardless of disability.
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What makes good accessible signage?
Clear, Concise, Consistent:
»» The language should utilise words which the user
understands and should relate to the user’s needs.
»» I f messages are technical or complicated in their
wording, many people will be discouraged.
»» O
fficial terms, which may be unfamiliar, should be
avoided.
»» O
ne of the most universally used typefaces for
signs is Helvetica Medium, which has been used
by many hospitals and other institutions. Although
commendable for its legibility, there are many other
sans serif faces which are equally good e.g. Arial, Futura.
»» C
onsider whether a sign will be read from distance,
such as across a car park or at the end of a corridor or
close up. This will have a bearing on text height and
consequently on sign size.
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What makes good accessible signage?
»» S entences or single word messages should
begin with an upper case letter and
continue with lower case.
»» W
ords entirely in upper case type (capitals)
should not be used.
»» L ocations for signs require good
illumination.
»» Locations need to be consistent also.
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»» W
hen planning signs keep the information to a
minimum; only give enough information at any point to
enable the user to accomplish their current objective.
»» T oo much information confuses everyone and will either
be ignored or forgotten.
»» T erminology should be consistent; i.e. the words used
on a directory at the entrance should be identical to
those found on a specific department door.
»» U
sing too many letters or words on a line can cause
visual clutter. A suggested maximum for legibility would
be 12-14 letters per line, including spaces.
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Reading Distance
Long distance reading
It is important that character size is related to
reading distance because too large a character
at close reading distance may not be legible
either.
Medium range reading
For identification signs in reception areas or
direction signs in corridors, a character size of
50-100mm is recommended.
Close up reading
On directories or wall mounted information
signs, a minimum character size of 15-25mm is
recommended.
Information Hierarchy
Where character size is intended to inform
the building user of hierarchy, for example,
in functions or departments, the minimum
character size appropriate for the reading
distance should be used for the least
important information.
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External Colour Contrast
Visual contrast
Care should be taken to ensure that sufficient colour
contrast is maintained internally and externally.
For signs other than safety signs (for which there are
prescribed colours), letters, symbols and pictograms should
contrast visually with the signboard.
Signboards should contrast visually with their backgrounds.
For accurate colour specification, the reference number of
the colour should always be quoted and obtained from a
reputable paint manufacturer, based on recognised colour
specification standards, e.g. Pantone, RAL, British Standards.
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Use of symbols
Well-recognised symbols are often better
than words, as they can be larger than the
equivalent text message. In addition, many
symbols are internationally recognised,
alleviating the need for English and Welsh
versions. The size of symbols or pictograms
used on visual signs should be as large as the
location allows, within the design constraints.
Where space permits, symbols should be at
least 100mm in overall height.
First Aid
Information
No Smoking
Pedestrian crossing
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In addition, there are several internationally recognised
symbols relating to disability which should be used
wherever appropriate.
Visual impairment aware
Hearing impairment aware
International sign for disability
Disabled access/Parking
Induction loop system
Text telephone (TTD symbol)
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Useful Contacts
Simon Dixon,
DDA officer
01443 864085
John Thomas,
Client Liaison Officer
01443 864086
John Elliot,
Research Officer
01443 864415
David Thomas,
Senior Policy Officer
01443 864353
Donna Jones
Health and Safety Manager
01443 864865
Communications Unit
01443 864264
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This publication is available in other
languages or formats on request.
Please call 01443 864414
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