Designer fights with the idiotic parking signs in the US

Louis C. Kay is trying to understand whether it is time before midnight or after midnight. It seems like before, but at the same time and after ...

When Nikki Sylianteng received a $ 95 parking penalty last winter, she realized that it was not just a fine. Here is the problem of design. Soon after, she opened the site toparkornottopark.com .

Nikki suggests entering a standard pattern for parking signs. On the site, you can report an idiotic sign in your area, send a photo, download a template of the reference sample or order the production of a sign in tangible form.

The problem of contradictory signs is especially characteristic of Los Angeles, writes Preceonomics. There are such puzzles in LA that you will stand and watch for a long time trying to comprehend what you see.
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The template developed by Nikki is the result of many years of work, she worked on it even before the opening of the corresponding site. I tried a bunch of different options. As a result, I took a calendar grid like a Google Calendar with vertical columns that correspond to the hours of the day.


Samples of standard characters

This option is best suited because even non-designers quickly understood the meaning.

Theoretically, Nikki with her sketches could go to the city mayor's office and talk to the officials, but such an idea did not occur to her. She thought that the idea can still be improved, to make a prototype to ask the opinion of other people.


Prototype

She hung a couple of such signs in the neighborhood and opened the site to expand the audience. The approach turned out to be the right one - people suggested a bunch of small, but important improvements. The discussions were so stormy that it became clear: the stupid parking signs really got everyone.


Example of redesigning parking signs in LA

Apparently, in many cases, people agree on a completely prohibitive sign, rather than a restriction such as “Parking is prohibited on school days” (next to the school) - and a parking ticket during summer school.

In such cases, Nikki believes that it is better to immediately ban parking on all weekdays: this is clear and will not allow violations.

Theoretically, the actions of Nikki and her associates, who make the signs and install them instead of the old idiotic signs, violate the law, so that the girl may soon become acquainted with law enforcement agencies and go to jail.


Nikki is working in the studio on a learning project.