Typography & viewing distance

On signage, if it can't be read at a glance from where people stand, it may as well be blank. Typography is the difference between a screen that communicates and one that's just bright.

The distance rule of thumb

A widely used guideline: 1 inch of capital letter height for every 10 feet of viewing distance (roughly 25mm per 3m) for comfortable reading — more for quick glances or moving viewers. So a menu read from 20 feet wants ~2" tall text; a lobby headline seen from 40 feet wants ~4". Work back from the farthest viewer, not the nearest. Pair this with the size & distance calculator to confirm the screen is big enough.

Choosing legible fonts

Favour clean sans-serifs with open letterforms and generous spacing. Avoid thin weights (they vanish at distance), condensed faces for body text, and all-caps for anything long. One or two families, a few weights — restraint reads better than variety.

Hierarchy & contrast

Give one message clear dominance; support it with a smaller second tier. Keep strong contrast between text and background (see accessibility), and never lay text over a busy area of an image without a scrim.

Common mistakes

• Too much text — signage is glanced at, not read. Cut ruthlessly.
• Text too small — the number-one failure; size for the far viewer.
• Low contrast — light grey on white disappears across a room.
• Moving text — reserve motion for imagery, keep type still.

Frequently asked questions

How big should text be on a screen?
A common rule is 1 inch of capital-letter height per 10 feet of viewing distance — more for glances or moving viewers. Always size for the farthest viewer.

Which fonts work best for signage?
Clean sans-serifs with open letterforms and generous spacing. Avoid thin, condensed or all-caps text for anything beyond short headlines.

Why is my signage hard to read?
Usually text that's too small for the distance, too much of it, or low contrast. Fix size and contrast first, then cut words.