I realise that this point may seem excessively pointed to some, but it is one under which I cannot help but labour. I find the imprecision of the modern world is endlessly frustrating and it has not escaped my notice that this opinion is not solely my own. Others feel as I do and as such it is imperative that we strive for higher levels of clarity in our day to day life as a society.
What I find endlessly astounding is that even instructions seemingly issued by places of authority can be quite ambiguous. A government issued safety sign in Melbourne for example can be rather vague. This surprises me as I assumed there must be a certain level of clarity conveyed in all government messages. On talking with a coworker I discovered that perhaps this level is below that which I would consider suitable. Perhaps signage created for instruction purposes must do more than simply instruct. My coworker suggested that it should also convey emotion and tone. The sense or real essence of the business. But it is my firm belief that signage should be wholly practical.
However much they may wish for creativity it is not the sign writer’s place. Their job should be to instruct above all else. Sign writers in Melbourne need to stop focusing on how they convey the message and focus more on what is conveyed within the message. I find the current state of things entirely unacceptable. The informational content of the the signs themselves needs to be heightened as does the way in which they go about phrasing the messages. Signs need to be concise and easy to read above all else. Otherwise there could be accidents that are both unnecessary and avoidable. With safety being the ultimate objective in every facet of modern day life this cannot be allowed to happen.
