Government signs

Government signs have a huge range of uses. For the most part, governments are responsible for the majority of the signage we see in our daily lives. They provide the road signs that label where places are, provide distances and above all directions.

These signs tend to follow a strict uniform format that is specific to each country. However, there are consistencies across the board. All street signs use bold black lettering and are placed on a single plain colour background. Usually these signs are also reflective allowing them to be visible at night when a car’s headlights fall upon it. Often directional or name signs will simply be on a white background whilst signs for historic locations and attractions tend to be on brown. Warnings such as congestion, road closure, men at work and other signs of this nature tend to be on yellow backgrounds to emphasize the necessity to pay attention to their message.

In addition to colour, these signs will also come in a number of shapes with circular signs normally denoting a specific instruction such as speed limits, stopping or another prohibited action. Triangles tend to denote warnings and simple rectangles or squares represent directions and names.