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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAppenD_Signage APPENDIX D The following section is a guide to the planning and design of interpretive trail elements. The topics covered include planning and appropriate text, sign graphics and layout and the advantages and disadvantages of various sign materials. 1.1 What Is Interpretation? Interpretation is connecting people and places. Interpretation is enriching the trail experience by giving meaning to it. When planning an interpretive trail, the user’s perspective is paramount. It is likely that people who choose to hike an interpretive trail are inquisitive. However, the designer should not assume users are just as interested in reading about a topic as he or she. The designer should know who the audience is and how ready are they for an educational experience. They may come to a particular trail to relax, or to get some exercise, or forget about things. Hopefully, they are open to some informal learning. To receive a desirable user response to the interpretive trail, the audience must be given something. Research shows that virtually everyone wants four things; a sense of control, a feeling of personal significance, the experience of discovery and a feeling of enrichment. Trail users are expecting to take something home with them, something they did not know or feel before they hiked, biked or rode the trail. 1.2 Personal Interpretation The best method of interpretation is personal. However, personal interpretation is usually a relatively expensive way to educate people because of the costs to employ a trained interpreter. Personal interpretation is usually most cost-effective for scheduled group walks or as part of a static demonstration or display, such as at a historic site where a significant number of people can be informed at one time. Most interpretative trails are self-guided and usually signed. However, self-guided trails can not substitute for human interpreters. They can not deliver a personal message like human interpreters can, nor can they answer users’ questions. However, more people can be reached whenever they are on the trail and signs are always on duty. 1.3 Planning An Interpretive Trail In most cases, the interpretive effort is geared toward upgrading the experience of an existing trail. The following series of steps for developing an interpretive trail covers the basics of planning. However, this is not necessarily a linear process, but is really more holistic or circular. Become An Expert The designer should investigate the facts and find out everything possible about the place. He or she should become an expert, or at least consult one. Local knowledge is essential. This means becoming familiar with the area and talking to the locally knowledgeable residents. Decide What to Interpret The designer should find out what makes a particular place interesting and develop an intimate understanding of the site. He or she should immerse him or herself in it and spend time there. How one feels and what one knows about the place will be evident in the quality of the interpretation. (It is said that Japanese Japanese garden designers commonly lived on the site for months before setting a design down on paper.) Obtain Visitor Input User surveys are useful for finding out why they come to a particular place. If the trail already exists, people can be interviewed on the trail or at the trail head about what questions are on their mind. People are usually flattered to be asked about their opinions. The designer should take advantage of this to gain the perspective of as many users as possible. INTERPRETIVE SIGNAGE GUIDELINES Interpretive Signage City of Temecula Page D-2 Appendix D Define the Core Objective (The Big Idea) Once the facts have been gathered about the trail, they need to be sorted. There should be one big idea that can unite all the facts in an interesting and coherent way. From this comes the overall theme to guide the planning and design of the entire interpretive system. The desire may be to convey a particular fact, a feeling or an action. This core objective should be capable of being stated in one simple sentence. Finding the core objective should be a group effort. This is important because the designer is not necessarily as familiar as local residents and needs more than just his or her own perspective. The designer should think about what might interest not just him or herself, but also the expected audience. Develop An Interpretive Plan A site plan is developed that incorporates everything that has been decided to be included in the trail system. It should be the guide to development of the interpretive trail for years to come and, if done well enough, it can also serve as a funding vehicle. Design A System Each element of the interpretive program must support the core objective. An element should be eliminated if there is no straightforward, easily understood relationship between the core objective and the element in question. The designer should keep in mind that when something works, it tends to work for many different kinds of visitors. Once the core objective is known, an interpretive system that achieves that objective can be developed in the simplest and most elegant way. Elegance is usually simple. 1.4 Ideas For Interpretation There may be a tr ail that has no objective, or the City may have an objective, but a trail has not been designated. Order is not particularly important. The following are some examples for interpretation: What historical events happened here? There is often a story behind a place name. Did this place get it’s name from an interesting incident or person or myth? Potential trail users may have never given any thought to how a place got its name. “Discovering something you didn’t even know you didn’t know can be fun.” Did the early peoples’ presence here visibly affect the landscape? Often, yes, and most people are not even aware of it. The very trail being considered may originally have been a game trail or the local vegetation may be the result of hundreds of years of controlled burning. Are there any historical or archeological resources in the area? Many people are fascinated with the people who came before them. However, care must be taken not to pinpoint vulnerable cultural sites. Regional information is usually enough. Is there something special about the local environment? What is particularly interesting about the local flora and fauna? Are there any indigenous species or unique natural processes? There is something interesting about practically any place’s species or ecosystem. The ecology of an area is often the reason for preserving it and putting a trail through it in the first place. What is interesting about the local or regional geology? Is there any visible evidence of faults or geologically recent earth movement in the area? Many people find it an interesting concept that the world is not a static place, but may not be able to distinguish signs of this phenomenon. Learning to recognize visible evidence can be particularly rewarding. Appendix D Page D-3 Multi-Use Trails and Bikeways Master Plan 2.1 Types Of Self-Guided Trails The following section briefly describes the three major self-guided trails types and the relative advantages and disadvantages specific to each one. 2.2 Pamphlets Pamphlets are a low cost way to get a message across. They are usually provided to visitors from a dispenser at the trailhead or ranger station, either for free or for a fee or donation. The advantages of pamphlets are that they can be read before or after hiking the trail and they can tell a detailed story through graphics and text. They do not create direct site impacts, unless they end up as litter, but they also do not provide specific information about what is being immediately experienced. They may not receive much use as well. One study in Yosemite showed only a third of the visitors even took pamphlets and only about a quarter of those visitors actually read them. 2.3 Leaflet and Marker Systems This system also uses printed material, but ties the text to numbered posts at specific points of interest. This method gives more specific information than pamphlets alone, since the visitor has a better idea what is being talked about. The primary drawback with this system is that some people find reading literature on the trail unnatural and may not stop at the numbered posts. 2.4 Trail Signs Signs are a popular method of trail interpretation. Graphics and text can be presented to users while they’re actually standing at the point of interest. This interpretive system is available to all visitors at virtually any time. However, signage has its problems. Signs are a visual imposition on the site, more so than any other interpretive method. Users must stop to read them, even though they may not want to stop. Signs can also be expensive and vandal-prone. Finally, a high number of users are needed to justify the cost of buying and maintaining signs. 2.4.1 Text Guidelines Text alone is practically never effective enough to convey a story. Some combination of text with photographs, drawings and maps is usually needed. Graphics should do more than just duplicate what can already be seen. Wherever possible, they should reveal hidden meanings and ideas. A message pyramid should be used. A descending order of message importance, also known as the 3-30-3 rule, should be used. This rule says that users can interpret a message in three seconds, thirty seconds or three minutes by choosing how much detail they want to ingest. The text should be organized so that descending font size and message importance corresponds with message detail. The message should be kept short. Short sentences and short paragraphs, as well as concrete nouns and active verbs should be used. The signs should relate to the visitors’ experience. Metaphors, analogies, quotes and real examples should be incorporated to illustrate the concept in question. Signage should appeal to the commonest common denominator, not the lowest! A single readable typeface with a hierarchy of text sizes should be used throughout the signage system. All text should be left justified with ragged right text or text can be aligned in columns. Upper and lower case text should always be used because upper case text alone takes much longer to read. Plenty of space should be provided around the text. 2.4.2 Sign Design Design is the organization of the visual elements of signs. Every good sign has a focal point, balance and proportion. Design is fairly intuitive, but a good visual image follows certain principles. Figures should be moving into the center of the sign, for example. Varying letter sizes dictates the eyes’ direction of travel. The larger letters are invari Interpretive Signage City of Temecula Page D-4 Appendix D ably read first. Square panels should be avoided since a 5 to 3 or 5 to 4 ratio is considered more visually appealing. Color creates variety, emphasis and unity with an illusion of depth. Strong color contrasts emphasize the message, but in some case, muted colors are best, especially in sensitive surroundings. Larger panels should be used for major trail points and simple identification panels should be smallest signs in the system. 2.4.4 Sign Placement The initial sign message should set the theme for the rest of the trail’s signs, such as an eye-catching trailhead sign with an interesting name. This sign could also list the trail length, any known hazards and points of interest. For a short trail, this may be the only sign needed. All signs must have a memorable title, strong graphics and minimal text. Signs should be placed where visitors naturally stop and may have questions. For example, where school groups will congregate before going out on the trail is an ideal location. Signs should be mounted about 32 inches high, usually at 35 to 45 degrees from level, or vertical. Children and people in wheelchairs will have difficulty reading horizontal signs. Signs should not be installed where they can ruin the pristine views the trail may have been designed around in the first place. 2.4.5 Trailheads A roof over a trailhead and orientation sign or map is an invitation to stop and get one’s bearings before heading out on the trail. It also makes a defined space where people feel protected. Especially for longer trails, some simple seating is appreciated. 3.1 Sign Materials The following section briefly describes the major signage types in use for of self-guided trails and the advantages and disadvantages specific of each. 3.1.1 Porcelain Enamel on Steel This is a very durable sign type because it is porcelain baked onto steel, similar to kitchen appliances. These signs are best for high use areas where a lot of detail is needed, such as zoos. They do have some drawbacks. They are expensive, they can be chipped and they’re practically impossible to repair. Chipped areas can rust. These signs need significant support since the enamel is baked onto relatively thin steel. 3.1.2 Fiberglass Embedded Graphics (FEG) This sign type is also very durable because it is actually printed graphics imbedded in fiberglass. These signs cost slightly less than porcelain and they are more easily repaired. If significant damage occurs, they can be replaced because new signs can be printed and imbedded, unlike porcelain which is a “one-off” process. FEG signs can withstand a significant amount of abuse and remain legible. Manufacturers’ representatives often feature samples that have been purposefully beaten with a hammer, but are still usable, to demonstrate their durability. FEG signs do have some drawbacks. They are costly and need support. They can be easily scratched, but car wax can usually repair them. 3.1.3 Wood Wood is probably best suited for markers and trailhead signs and are rarely used for interpretive signage. This sign type is ideal where a rustic, natural look is desired. Wood can be sandblasted, carved or routed into three-dimensional relief. Wood signs are more easily repaired than other sign types and they tend to age well. However, making wood signs is labor-intensive and they are easily damaged by vandals. Detailed graphics are difficult to do and not very durable, and therefore not recommended. Appendix D Page D-5 Multi-Use Trails and Bikeways Master Plan 3.1.4 Other Materials Some other sign materials include etched metal, Plexiglas laminates, cast concrete and combinations of almost any of the materials listed. Their use depends on specific needs, situations and budget. 4.0 Making Interpretation Work Learning is most effective when closely associated with the experience. Signs and pamphlets provide information about real things. Their purpose is to interpret concrete objects and experience on the site. All signs and pamphlets should be conceived by designer and users alike as parts of a larger whole. Though signs and pamphlets do not really provide detailed information, they can pique the user’s interest. If budget allows, they can point the user to slide or interpreter programs at a local museum, or to films and books. Signs should be compatible with the site. They should enhance the on-site experience, not detract from it. Careful material selection, design and placement is very important. A well-conceived sign in the wrong place is worse than none at all. Users want to experience the site. The best interpretation is short and concise. Users will ignore long, complex messages. A strong graphic with a short headline may be all that is needed. Designers and land managers have a responsibility to do a good job of interpretation which is connecting users with their legacy. Interpretive signs can help make those connections. Care must be taken to guide the users in the right direction, intellectually and literally.