Motorway (typeface)
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| Category | Sans-serif |
|---|---|
| Designer(s) | Jock Kinneir Margaret Calvert |
| Date created | 1958 (Original, limited alphabet) 2015 (Unofficial full alphabet, K-type) |
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| Sample | |
Motorway is a
Motorway comes in two weights, "Motorway Permanent" and "Motorway Temporary". Motorway Permanent is the standard weight, and is used for pale text on a dark background (for example, on white-on-blue permanent motorway signs) while Motorway Temporary is heavier, and is used for dark text on a pale background (for example, black-on-yellow temporary motorway signs). Previously the word "Toll" was written in Transport Medium adjacent to "M6" written in Motorway Permanent.
A full character set of the Motorway typeface was completed by the K-Type foundry in 2015, almost sixty years after its inception. The family includes the Bold (Temporary) weight, the SemiBold (Permanent) weight, and a previously unconsidered Regular (book) weight. There are also true italics for each weight.[3]
Use in the UK
The Motorway alphabet appears on road signs on motorways in the United Kingdom, and is used for route numbers. On non-motorway roads at interchanges, the Motorway typeface may only be used on signs pointing in a direction where a driver would become immediately subject to motorway regulations. All other text on UK road signs appears in Transport.
Use in Ireland
The Motorway font is also used in Ireland. Its use is slightly different from that in the UK - in the Republic, motorway route numbers are always in Motorway font, whether the sign is on a motorway or not. In addition, on signs erected before 2009, route numbers for all-purpose roads on motorway signs were in Transport font. On signs erected since 2009, all route numbers on motorways are now in motorway font, bringing Ireland closer to the UK practice (however, as Motorway font has not previously featured the letters "R" and "L", these letters still appear in Transport). As in the UK, all other text on road signs appears in Transport font.
See also
- List of public signage typefaces
- Transport (typeface)
- Rail Alphabet — The equivalent font on Britain's railways, also designed by Kinneir & Calvert.
- Johnston (typeface) — The London Underground font, designed by Edward Johnston.
- Public signage typefaces
- Highway Gothic — A font also used widely around the world for traffic signs.
- SNV (typeface)
- DIN 1451 — The German equivalent.
References
- ^ "Fonts". Roads.org.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ^ "British Roads FAQ". Roads.org.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ^ "Motorway". K-Type. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
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