Abstract

Urban retail signage systems give the business district character and an overall sense of unity. Without a design system, store signage results in a diverse, disordered, inconsistent and even chaotic impression of a business district. This inconsistency confuses the pedestrian with an excess of information. While the retail sign system gives the district unity and character, it may also cause the stores to lack individuality because there is little differentiation between one store and another. This indicates that an excess of uniformity in a sign system can prevent signage from functioning as identity. In developing successful retail districts, it is critical to achieve a balance between uniformity and variety in urban retail signage systems. This study investigates the effects of design guidelines on urban identity signage in order to determine how controlling various design factors affects the balance between district identities and recognition of individual stores. This issue should be of interest to those who prepare urban signage guidelines and to anyone engaged in the design or redesign of urban retail signage.