Glossary

Every industry has a jargon or buzz words, although nothing close to exhaustive here is a partial list of terms and phrases that will help navigate the world of an environmental graphic designer.

ADA:
American with Disabilities Act

Bid documents: Documents prepared for the express purpose of obtaining competitive bids and to act as a legal document to measure a vendors performance against. These unusually include Specification that detail performance criteria, message schedules (see message schedules), location prints, and sign type drawings.

Camera Ready Art/Electronic Art: Artwork that is prepared in a format compatible to sign making machines. This usually means type converted to curves (paths) and not in jpg or bitmap format.

Channel letters: Most prevalent use is in retail/mall letters where a letterform is back-lighted in neon or LEDs. These may have remote located transformers or can be mounted onto a raceway (Linear box) to contain the electrical components.

Control drawings: Also called Design intent drawings: Drawings that show the size, basic appearance/format, and other characteristics so as to communicate the designers vision of the end product. These are not to be confused with bid documents.

Creative rights: Most designers are very sensitive to what information can be shared especially for the use of competitive bidding. Simply stated if you did not have a clear understanding with the designer that you were going to share their intellectual materials (designs etc.) then you probably can not legally or morally do so. Most documents are protected under US copyright laws. (Please check before you reproduce/circulate documents)

Decision point: Along a pathway an intersection, or an extended straight stretch where you question what do I do now, turn or continue to go straight.

Directory vs. Directionals: Directories primarily indicates vertical information such as what floor someone is located on and usually what suite they are in. Directionals orient on one horizontal plain giving directions to go right, left, straight etc.

Disbursements: The tangible items supplied as a result of design consultation, such as a sign systems manual, electronic disks, hard copies etc.

Electrical at site: Most codes require electric work performed at site including trenching and cabling to the sign to be by a licensed electrician. Some allow the sign installer to connect the sign if it is within a few feet of the power source.

Environmental Graphic Design: The discipline of planning, designing and executing graphic elements in the natural and built spaces. This includes signage, displays and related communicative tools.

Grade two Braille: Grade one Braille does not use contractions and abbreviations, grade two does.

Illuminated/Non-Illuminated: Internally illuminated/back lighted – A portion of the sign/letter face is translucent allowing lights in the sign structure to shine through the face. Common lighting options are, high output fluorescent bulbs, sodium vapor, neon or LEDs depending on the application.

• Flood lighted – A Non-Illuminated sign can have flood lights washing the sign face & structure.
  
• Ambient lighting – Depending on the ambient light available, hours of operation and other conditions some signs will not require any supplemental illumination. An application to consider is to apply reflective
• letters/background to allow for headlights to bring the sign to life.
  
• Silhouette illuminated- Most common with individual letters/logs this method utilizes an opaque letter with concealed lighting behind to create a hallo effect.
  
• Edge lighted – Acrylic will illuminate some based on internal refraction mainly of etched or engraved images to project a glow around the graphics.

Interactive signs: Kiosks or other devices that allow two way interaction in seeking information in wayfinding

LED: Light Emitting Diodes, an alternate light source being used in sign lighting primarily due to low electrical consumption and ease to maintain.

Lexicon: The montage of the various sign types utilized in a given sign system, this is often an illustration that shows the interrelation of the elements used.

Line of sight: Viewing from specific decision points to potential sign locations to determine best possible signage placement.

Message schedule: The document that lists the specific text for each sign that corresponds to a specific location on a location print.

Modular components: Standard sign modules that feature interchangeable elements most typically insert plaques or exterior systems of extruded aluminum (like post and panel systems). Often the modules are designed to stack or set side by side to a appear preplanned grouping.

Monolith: Usually refers to an exterior sign constructed in such a way as to appear to be one seamless piece. Semi Monolithic is similar with some seams or exposed fasteners.
Post and panel units: Exterior modular signs comprised of aluminum extrusion sign posts, cabinets, and sign faces/panels.

Permit/Over the counter permit: A document issued by the appropriate agency allowing a sign to be build and erected in a specific location based on guidelines that regulate quantities, size placement and other factors.
Most codes allow for an appeal process known as a variance if the sign(s) is not compliant but is needed. This is often a complicated, expensive process and has no guarantee of success.

Preferred path: Not necessarily the shortest pathway from point A to point B. Instead it is the path deemed to be the chosen path for the purposes of giving directions. These paths are
Should be visitor friendly and create as positive of an impression as is possible along the way.

Programming vs. design: Programming signs is most often associated with taking standard catalog items and plugging them into places that they will be effective communicative tools. Design is associated with the process of creating unique signage elements to solve address specific parameters.

Raceway: The “box” that internally illuminated letters are mounted to providing a place to run wires and other electrical components. Raceways may be visible or mounted remote/concealed.

Retainers: A l shaped lip that mounts to the edge of a (non-monolithic) sign cabinet that usually is removable to allow a sign face to slide in and out of a sign cabinet (can) for ease of updating and service. Sometimes (most often in monoliths) an access panel is utilized in stead of a retainer to allow access to electrical components.

Setback: The distance that a sign or development code requires a sign to be placed behind a right of way or property line. This is measured in a straight line from the line to the part of the sign closest to the line.

Shop drawings: Drawings prepared by sign vendors to detail exactly how they are proposing to construct and install signs. Once shop drawings are submitted the client has three courses of action: 1 Approved, 2. Approved as noted 3. Revise and resubmit per notes provided. These are project specific and should not be confused with typical details.

Streetscape: All visual elements related to the curb appeal, including signs, traffic lights, mailboxes, bus stops, architectural features, trash receptacles, and landscaping. Collectively they form the streetscape.

Subsurface: Application of lettering or images to the back or second surface of clear or frosted clear materials such as plastic or glass. Often the background is painted to provide a contrast for the image and to provide an opaque background can allow for concealment of double faced tape mounting.

Tactile lettering: A term used by accessibly codes such as ADA to describe 1/32” thick letterforms that can be traced with a finger to be readable to the blind or those of low vision.

Variance: See permits

Vertical paths: Stairs, elevators, and escalators to move people from one horizontal plain to another (floor to floor).

Window signs: 1. Interior plaques that utilizes double faced tape or other materials to create a gap that allows an insert to slide in and out easily for quick updating. The window acts as a picture frame displays the insert plaque. 2. Signs that are displayed in the window such as OPEN/CLOSED.

This glossary will appear in the soon to be published Wayfinding in Healthcare, a book authored by CS&G President, Randy Cooper.