The National Trust is a large organisation that has created numerous trails around the country.
On their website, they say:
Wayfinding
signs play a vital part in making every visit as enjoyable as
possible. With good signs, people can find their way around with the
minimum of fuss, and feel happily at home. Without them, visitors
feel disorientated, frustrated or unwelcome.
They
sum up:
Signs
at National Trust places should be:
Inviting,
welcoming, guiding visitors — never bossy or negative.
Unobtrusive
— the fewest signs needed to do the job.
They go on to
say that signs should only be placed in a needed location. They do
not need lots of signs cluttering the area, when one would have
sufficed. You have to think: Is this sign necessary? Will this aid
someone who otherwise might have been confused without this signs
presence? Or it just an extra frilling? Information design,
especially wayfinding, is functional. Signs should only be there if
they are helpful and communicative.
The National
Trust also have a section dedicated how to design wayfinding signs,
which was incredibly helpful for my research.
Make signs
unobtrusive but legible
They explain
that signs should be as small as possible, so not to be in the way.
This, however, might mean that they overlooked. A good balance is
obviously necessary. The National Trust also says to create posts and
signs from natural material when possible. After undergoing a Green
Design module, I agree with this wholeheartedly that it is important to
be sustainable when you are given the option. No matter how small,
this leads to a better future.
They also press
to keep a consistent branding throughout the signs: a dark green and
the National Trust Bold typeface should appear.
Don’t
overbrand
This was an
interesting thought, which I hadn't considered before. And yet it is
sensible. The National Trust say: "Signs at main points of entry and visitor centres should show the
Trust logo (oak leaf and logotype). But beyond that point, it’s
best not to over brand.” They press, however, that every sign
should use the National Trust Bold typeface, while most should also
include the logo. This will make the signs identifiable to this brand
without pushing it onto the viewer.
Recognise
partner organisations
They
mention that when other organisations are involved on your property,
this must be taken into account, perhaps by displaying their logo
next to yours.
Look
informal
They
write: "Write in sentence case, not capitals. Make the text
left-justified, not centred. No extra letterspacing (kerning)." This will make their signs look inviting while giving their brand a
friendly impression.
Use
symbols sensibly
They
write: "When it helps, use symbols for things like toilets, disabled
access or car park. In most cases, the symbol says enough on its
own: in a few cases, you may need to add text alongside it. Use only
internationally recognised symbols, and keep them to a minimum."
Writing
Signs
They
say that language should be informal, positive and simple. They say
that information signs should be: "As
straightforward as possible. Don’t try to say everything, or the
sign becomes confusing. Stick to short phrases, avoiding if you can
the need for full stops."
References:
http://brandcentre.nationaltrust.org.uk/Downloads/83/NT_signs_styleguide.pdf
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/
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