List of public signage typefaces

Updated: 10/31/2025, 9:45:52 PM Wikipedia source

Typefaces used for signage in public areas, such as roads and airports, often share characteristics of, or are chosen for, their readability.

Tables

· Typefaces

Achemine [fr]

Used by

SNCF, France

Notes

Created in 2008 to improve station accessibility

Alfabeto Normale [it] and Alfabeto Stretto [it]

Used by

Road signs in Italy, San Marino and Vatican CityRoad signs in Albania

Notes

Alfabeto Normale is a bolder variant of the British Transport typeface. Alfabeto Stretto is a condensed version of Alfabeto Normale. Both fonts have their own positive (for dark-coloured text on light backgrounds) and negative (for light-coloured text on dark backgrounds) versions.

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Antique Olive

Used by

California Department of Transportation

Notes

Some regulatory signs

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Arial

Used by

.mw-parser-output China Railway (English signage) Most Chinese urban rail systems (English signage) Taiwan Railway (English signage) Bengaluru Metro PIDS English signage: Chiba Urban Monorail, Hankai Tramway, Sanyō Electric Railway Road signs in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Laos, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Myanmar, Slovenia, Taiwan, Turkey and Ukraine

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Austria

Used by

Austria

Notes

Being phased out since 2013

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Avant Garde

Used by

KAI Commuter rail network in Indonesia (before 2021)

Notes

Now gradually replaced with Circular in 2021, with remaining old signages still in place.

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Avenir

Used by

Macau Light Rapid TransitDublin AirportMinneapolis–Saint Paul Metro Transit

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AXIS Font [ja]

Used by

Japanese and English signage: Hisatsu Orange RailwayJapanese signage: Seibu Railway

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Bembo

Used by

Smithsonian signage in Washington D.C.

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Bodoni

Used by

English signage: Yokohama Minatomirai Railway (Minatomirai Line) Bashamichi Station

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Brusseline

Used by

Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company

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Calibri

Used by

English signage: Tōyō Rapid Railway

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Calvert

Used by

Tyne & Wear Metro, United Kingdom.

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Caractères

Used by

France

Notes

Used for road signs in France and in some countries in Africa. In France it is used in four variants known as L1, L2, L4, L5. Its usage is mandated by the Interministerial Instruction on Road Signs and Signals (Instruction Interministérielle sur la Signalisation Routière)

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Carretera convencional [es]

Used by

Directorate-General for TrafficRoad signs in Spain

Notes

Proprietary typeface commissioned for this purpose, used on intracity road signs. Derived from the Transport typeface.

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Casey

Used by

Singapore MRT (since 2019)Changi Airport (since 2022)

Notes

Used by Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation until its merger with MTR in 2007. Being gradually replaced by Myriad, which is used by MTR on its networks.

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Cast

Used by

Most Taiwanese urban rail systems (since 2022)

Notes

Century Gothic

Used by

English signage: Kōbe New Transit, Nagaragawa Railway

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Cezanne (セザンヌ)

Used by

Japanese signage: Iyo Railway (Iyotetsu)

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Circular

Used by

Transport for West Midlands (since 2018)Kereta Api Indonesia (since 2020)

Clarendon

Used by

U.S. National Park Service road signs

Notes

Used by Public Transport Company in Poznań as the typeface for its fleet vehicles numbering

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Clearview

Used by

Destination signs of Quebec autoroutes (shields are in Highway Gothic) Road signs in Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Israel, Panama, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and the United States

Notes

Developed to replace U.S. FHWA (Federal Highway Administration) typefaces

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Dansk Vejtavleskrift

Used by

Road signs in Denmark

Notes

Derived from the Transport typeface

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Deutsche Bahn WLS

Used by

Deutsche Bahn station signage

Notes

Developed in close reference to Helvetica

DF Heisei Gothic (DF平成ゴシック)

Used by

Japanese signage: Chikuhō Electric Railroad (Chikutetsu)

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DF Kaisho (DF楷書)

Used by

Japanese signage: Tsugaru Railway

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DF Maru Gothic (DF丸ゴシック)

Used by

Japanese and English signage: Aizu Railway, Noto RailwayEnglish signage: Gakunan Electric Train, Izuhakone Railway

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DF Reisho (DF隷書)

Used by

Japanese and English signage: Fuji Kyūkō (Fujikjyū), Odakyū Hakone (Hakone Tozan Railway)Japanese signage: Heisei Chikuhō Railway (Mojikō Retro Scenic Line)

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DIN 1451

Used by

Road signs in Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo CountiesRoad signs in Germany Road signs in the Czech Republic Road signs in Latvia Road signs in the Southern African Development CommunityRoad signs in BruneiRoad signs in SingaporeRoad signs in SyriaBengaluru Metro (Namma Metro) signageKansai International Airport (KIX) (since 2022)English signage: Keisei Electric Railway

Notes

The DIN typeface was used for regulatory and warning Signs in Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties. Also used in the Greek motorway networkThe DIN typeface for the Namma Metro is in English and Kannada. The DIN typeface is currently in the process of gradually replacing the Frutiger typeface for Kansai Airport during its renovations in preparation for Expo 2025.

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Drogowskaz

Used by

Polish road signage typeface

Notes

One of a few digitalisations; officially the typeface used in Polish road signs has no defined name.

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Esseltub

Used by

Previously used in Stockholm Metro

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FIP signage typeface

Used by

Government of Canada

Notes

A modified version of Helvetica Medium used by the Government of Canada

FF Fago

Used by

ADIF

Notes

Used as official font for signage system of all Spanish railway stations owned by the state-owned administrator, ADIF

FF Meta

Used by

Stockholm MetroCaltrans Birmingham Airport TransLink (British Columbia)

Notes

Some mile marker signs

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FF Transit

Used by

Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg Düsseldorf Airport Société de transport de Montréal

Notes

Developed by MetaDesign for Berlin's public transport company BVG and later adopted by other transport systems. Contains many pictograms for signage. Based on Frutiger.

FF Scala Sans

Used by

Los Angeles Metro

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FHWA Series typeface (Highway Gothic)

Used by

Road signs in the Americas, Australasia, China, India, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey

Notes

Developed for U.S. road signageFormerly used on Spanish motorwaysTurkey uses two typefaces on road signs based on this typeface – O-Serisi for motorways and E-Serisi for all other roads.

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Folk (フォーク)

Used by

Japanese and English signage: Ainokaze Toyama Railway

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Freight Sans

Used by

Kempegowda International Airport

Frutiger

Used by

Charles de Gaulle Airport Istanbul Metro(Except M11) Road signs in Switzerland Amtrak Across the public transport network of Oslo, Norway Dulles International Airport (IAD) BAA Airports in the UK, National Health Service in England Frankfurt Airport Buenos Aires Subte JR East (numbers) English signage of many Japanese railway operators Signage at most PANYNJ airports Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Budapest Public Transport Authority Österreichische Bundesbahnen Ottawa street name signage Bay Area Rapid Transit Warsaw Public Transport Authority Kansai International Airport (KIX) (currently being phased out) Slovenian Railways

Notes

The Frutiger typeface was commissioned for use at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in 1975. It has also been used for regulatory and warning signs in Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano, Sonoma, and Yolo Counties.

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Futura

Used by

Italian railwaysStreet signs in Stockholm

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Giaothong1 and Giaothong2

Used by

Vietnam

Notes

Modification of DIN 1451 typeface with Vietnamese extension

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Gill Sans

Used by

British Railways (until 1965) TransperthEnglish signage: Maihama Resort Line (Disney Resort Line)

Notes

Also the official font for all the signage system of the Spanish Government. Modified variant of Gill Sans Bold Condensed used on road signs in former East Germany until 1990.

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Gona (ゴナ)

Used by

Japanese and English signage: Mōka Railway, Yagan RailwayJapanese signage: Chizu Express, IR Ishikawa Railway, Kantō Railway (Kantetsu), Kashima Rinkai Railway, ManyōsenEnglish signage: Kōnan Railway

Notes

A Gothic typeface released by Shaken in 1975, it was once extremely popular as the typeface for railway signage in Japan. However, until October 2024 , it was only available for phototypesetting and not as a digital font for desktop publishing, which made it difficult to use. In contrast, a similar typeface called Shin Go, released by rival company Morisawa in 1990, was compatible with desktop publishing from start. As a result, many railway operators have since transitioned to using Shin Go.

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Gothic 4550 (ゴシック4550)

Used by

Japanese and English signage: IGR Iwate Galaxy RailwayJapanese signage: Kyoto Municipal Subway, Nankai Electric Railway, Wakayama Electric Railway

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Gothic MB101 (ゴシックMB101)

Used by

Japanese signage: Mizuma Railway

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Goudy Old Style

Used by

Used on Victoria PTC railway station signs in the 1990s, replacing the green The Met signs.

Notes

The blue Metlink signs replaced these signs in 2003 after a short trial of Connex signs (using Verdana) at Mitcham and Rosanna stations.

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Hangil

Used by

Road signs in South Korea

Notes

A Hangul typeface designed by Sandoll Communications in 2008, being used on traffic signs throughout the entire South Korea except for some part of Seoul, along with Panno.

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Heisei Kaku Gothic (平成角ゴシック)

Used by

Japanese and English signage: Nishikigawa Railway, Okayama Electric Tramway, Yuri Kōgen RailwayJapanese signage: Chiba Urban Monorail, Gakunan Electric TrainEnglish signage: Amagi Railway

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Helvetica

Used by

New York City Subway system Road signs in Åland Road signs in Cambodia Road signs in China Road signs in Israel Chicago Transit Authority system Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority system Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority system Baltimore Metro SubwayLink Toronto subway (destination signs) Madrid Metro English signage of many (more than 40) Japanese railway operators Fort Lauderdale International Airport signage Los Angeles International Airport signage Miami International Airport signage Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport signage Vancouver International Airport signage Signage in Indonesian airports operated by Angkasa Pura

Notes

Formerly used the Hong Kong MTR, Stockholm Metro, ÖBB, Deutsche Bundesbahn portions of the LACMTA system and the Melbourne MTA, and some Toronto subway station signage.Less commonly, the typeface is used on street signs in the United States, including in some suburbs of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, parts of Pennsylvania, and by the Contra Costa County Transportation Authority.Previously used on road signs in Japan and South Korea.

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Helvetica Neue

Used by

Metlink/Public Transport VictoriaSwiss Federal RailwaysStreet signs in PinoleRoad signs in Catalonia

Notes

Being phased out on the Victorian public transport network in favour of Network Sans, but still commonly seen.SBB uses its own version of Neue Helvetica named SBB and named "Helvetica Semi-Bold Corrected" by its designer Josef Müller-Brockmann in the SBB Design Manual.

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HG Maru Gothic (HG丸ゴシック)

Used by

Japanese and English signage: Kurobe Gorge Railway, Nose Electric Railway (Noseden), Tenryū Hamanako RailroadEnglish signage: Heisei Chikuhō Railway (Mojikō Retro Scenic Line)

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HGS Gothic (HGSゴシック)

Used by

Japanese and English signage: Ise Railway, Sapporo Municipal Subway

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Hiragino

Used by

NEXCO East Japan NEXCO Central Japan NEXCO West Japan

Notes

Japan Highway Public Corporation (divided into three NEXCO group companies in 2005) used its own JH Standard Text until 2010. Since 2010, Hiragino is used for Japanese text, Frutiger for numbers, and Vialog for English text.

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Hiragino Kaku Go (ヒラギノ角ゴ)

Used by

Japanese and English signage: Heisei Chikuhō Railway (Ita, Itoda, and Tagawa Lines)Japanese signage: Hankai Tramway, Kōbe Municipal Subway (Kaigan and Seishin-Yamate Lines), Sagami Railway (Sōtetsu)

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Hiragino UD Kaku Go (ヒラギノUD角ゴ)

Used by

Japanese and English signage: Sendai SubwayJapanese signage: Osaka Metro (All lines except for the Nankō Port Town Line), Sendai Airport Transit

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Iwata Shin Gothic (イワタ新ゴシック)

Used by

Japanese signage: Toei Nippori-Toneri Liner

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Iwata UD Gothic (イワタUDゴシック)

Used by

Japanese and English signage: Enshū Railway (Entetsu)Japanese signage: Keisei Electric Railway, Kintetsu Railway, Kōbe Municipal Subway (Hokushin Line), Shizuoka Railway, Yurikamome

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Iwata UD Maru Gothic (イワタUD丸ゴシック)

Used by

Japanese signage: Hankyū Railway, Tōyō Rapid Railway

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JNR-L

Used by

Japanese and English signage: JR Central (Shinkansen)English signage: JR Central (non-Shinkansen), JR-Central Transport Service (TKJ)

Notes

A typeface developed and used by the former Japanese National Railways (JNR), based on Sumi Maru Gothic. Today, it is used exclusively by the JR Central Group.

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Johnston

Used by

Transport for London

Notes

Some Citybus and New World First Bus route displays in Hong Kong

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JTC Win (JTCウイン)

Used by

Japanese and English signage: Ibara Railway, Jōmō Electric Railway, Nagasaki Electric Tramway, Shinano Railway

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Jun (じゅん)

Used by

Japanese signage: Kōbe New Transit, Osaka Metro (Nankō Port Town Line)

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Kaku Gothic-tai Ca (角ゴシック体Ca)

Used by

Japanese signage: Eizan Electric Railway

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Kokutesu-ppoi Font (国鉄っぽいフォント)

Used by

Japanese and English signage: Ōigawa Railway

Notes

A free font influenced by Japanese National Railways (JNR) style typefaces, such as Sumimaru Gothic and JNR-L.

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Kozuka Gothic (小塚ゴシック)

Used by

English signage: Tosaden Kōtsū

Kozuka Minchō (小塚明朝)

Used by

Japanese signage: Maihama Resort Line (Disney Resort Line)

LLM Lettering

Used by

Road signs in Malaysia.

Notes

Based on the Italian Alfabeto Normale and Alfabeto Stretto

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LogoG (ロゴG)

Used by

Japanese signage: Hanshin Electric Railway

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LTA Identity Typeface

Used by

Singapore MRT

Lucida Sans Unicode

Used by

English signage: Shizuoka Railway

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Mark Pro

Used by

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality

Meiryo (メイリオ)

Used by

Japanese and English signage: Kōbe Electric Railway (Shintetsu)

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Metrolis

Used by

Lisbon Metro

Notes

Custom font for the 1995 rebranding, designed by the Foundry (Freda Sack and David Quay)

Metron

Used by

Prague Metro

Notes

Created in 1973 by Jiří Rathouský

Midashi Go (見出ゴ)

Used by

Japanese signage: Sapporo Streetcar

Moscow Sans

Used by

Public transport and wayfinding in Moscow since 2015

Notes

Custom font family by Scott Williams and Henrik Kubel (A2-TYPE) in collaboration with Ilya Ruderman (CSTM Fonts)

Motorway

Used by

Motorway route numbers in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Notes

The numerals are used for exit numbers and route numbers in Portugal.

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MS Gothic (MS ゴシック)

Used by

Japanese signage: Isumi Railway, Saitama New Urban Transit (New Shuttle)

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Myriad

Used by

Hong Kong's Mass Transit RailwayKorail (for English signage)Seoul Metro (for English signage)English signage: Chikuhō Electric Railroad (Chikutetsu), Isumi Railway, Matsuura Railway, Nagoya Municipal Subway, Yokohama Municipal SubwaySignage at Istanbul Airport

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Myriad Pro

Used by

PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe and PKP Intercity

Notes

Myriad Pro Semibold with kerning increased by 25% is used for train station signage. Additional text in foreign languages is set in Italic (English and neighbor languages for stations in border areas). Myriad Pro Light, Regular, Bold, and their Italic counterparts are used by PKP Intercity in printed communication (leaflets, folders, etc.)

Nar (ナール)

Used by

Japanese and English signage: Abukuma Express, Jōshin Electric Railway, Nagano Electric Railway (Nagaden), Toyama Chihō Railway (All lines except for the Toyamakō Line), Yamagata RailwayJapanese signage: Kishū Railway, Kitakyūshū Urban Monorail, Kōnan RailwayEnglish signage: Manyōsen

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Neris

Used by

Manila MRT signage (since 2016)

Network Sans

Used by

Transport for VictoriaPublic Transport Victoria

Notes

Replaced Helvetica Neue

New Frank

Used by

Transport for New South Wales, Australia

Notes

Used for all transport signage around Sydney and New South Wales.

New Rubrik

Used by

Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Manila, Philippines

Notes

Replacement for Helvetica on airport signage

News Gothic

Used by

NYC Subway (Mid 20th Century)Aena airports in Spain

Notes

Used on the NYC Subway in the mid 20th century

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Nimbus Sans

Used by

Used for Digital PIDS on the Washington Metro

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Noorda [it]

Used by

Milan Metro

Notes

Variation of Akzidenz-Grotesk with shorter ascenders and descenders

Now (ナウ)

Used by

Japanese signage: Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit (Rinkai Line), Yokohama Minatomirai Railway (Minatomirai Line) Motomachi-Chūkagai StationEnglish signage: Toyohashi Railroad (Toyotetsu)

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NPS Rawlinson

Used by

United States National Park Service

Notes

Developed as a replacement for Clarendon

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NR Brunel

Used by

United Kingdom railway stationsIarnród Éireann station signage

Notes

Primarily major stations managed by Network Rail in Britain, introduced in the mid-1990s

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NS Sans

Used by

Nederlandse Spoorwegen

Notes

Based on Frutiger typeface

Panno

Used by

Road signs in South Korea

Notes

A Latin typeface being used on traffic signs throughout the entire South Korea except for some part of Seoul, along with Hangil.

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Parisine

Used by

Paris MétroEnglish signage: Osaka Metro (All lines except for the Nankō Port Town Line)

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Pragmatica

Used by

Saint Petersburg Metro (since 2002)

Notes

Currently (2010–11) being replaced by Freeset, Cyrillic variation of Frutiger

PT Sans

Used by

Public transport in Jakarta (Jak Lingko) since 2021: TransJakarta, Jakarta MRT, Jakarta LRT

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Rail Alphabet

Used by

British RailBritish Airports AuthorityDSBNHSRoad signs in Iran

Notes

Designed for British Rail in 1964. Still in use on parts of the UK rail network, but mostly superseded elsewhere.

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Rail Alphabet 2

Used by

United Kingdom railway stations

Notes

An evolution of Rail Alphabet commissioned by Network Rail and planned for use on new station signage projects from 2020 onwards

Road UA [uk]

Used by

Road signs in Ukraine (since 2021)

Notes

Created by Andriy Konstantinov.

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Roadgeek 2000

Used by

Argentina

Notes

Based on the FHWA Series typeface (B, C, D and E only)

Roboto

Used by

LRT JakartaMRT JakartaSEPTA Metro

Notes

Used in LRT Jakarta and MRT Jakarta on both physical (before 2021, now replaced altogether with PT Sans under Jak Lingko initiative) and digital signages on existing rolling stockFirst SEPTA Metro signage installed in 2024

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Rodin (ロダン)

Used by

Japanese and English signage: Echizen Railway, Hitachinaka Seaside RailwayJapanese signage: Amagi Railway, Keifuku Electric Railroad (Randen)

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Rodoviária

Used by

Road signs in Portugal (prior to 1998)

Notes

Typeface very similar to the Transport typeface, combined with FHWA Series

Roman Minchō (浪漫明朝)

Used by

Japanese signage: Kumagawa Railway

Rotis Sans Serif

Used by

English signage: Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company (Tsukuba Express), Yokohama Minatomirai Railway (Minatomirai Line) Minatomirai, Nihon-ōdōri and Shin-takashima Stations

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Rotis Semi Sans

Used by

Metro BilbaoEnglish signage: Sagami Railway (Sōtetsu)

Notes

Used by its own creator, Otl Aicher, for the corporate design of Metro Bilbao

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Rotis Semi Serif

Used by

Station signs of Sound Transit

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Rotis Serif

Used by

Street signposts in Singapore

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Ruta CL

Used by

Road signs in Chile

Ryūmin (リュウミン)

Used by

Japanese signage: Yokohama Minatomirai Railway (Minatomirai Line) Bashamichi Station

Seoul Type

Used by

Seoul Metropolitan Government

Notes

Developed by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in 2008 for usage in official Seoul Metropolitan Government documents and institutions, signage and public transport within Seoul. The structure was designed to resemble the gradual curves of a traditional hanok roof.

Seurat (スーラ)

Used by

Japanese and English signage: Hokuriku Railroad (Hokutetsu), Minamiaso Railway, Nishi-Nippon Railroad (Nishitetsu), Wakasa RailwayJapanese signage: Kumamoto Electric Railway, Shibayama Railway, Toyohashi Railroad (Toyotetsu)

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Shin Go (新ゴ)

Used by

Japanese and English signage: Aichi Loop Line (Aikan), Akechi Railway, Fukui Railway, Fukushima Transportation, Izukyū Corporation (Izu Kyūkō), Keiō Corporation, Kita-Osaka Kyūkō Railway (Kitakyū), Shimabara Railway, Tarumi Railway, Ueda Electric RailwayJapanese signage: Many (more than 50) Japanese railway operators

Notes

A Gothic typeface released by Morisawa in 1990, it is currently the most widely used typeface for railway signage in Japan. It is used by many Japanese railway operators, including all Japan Railways (JR) companies except JR Central.

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Shin Maru Go (新丸ゴ)

Used by

Japanese and English signage: Chōshi Electric Railway, Hokusō Railway, Iga RailwayEnglish signage: Tsugaru Railway

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Shūei Shogō Minchō (秀英初号明朝)

Used by

Japanese signage: Hakodate City Tram

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SimpleKölnBonn

Used by

Cologne Bonn Airport

Notes

Adaption of the Simple typeface from Norm (graphic design group). Commissioned by Intégral Ruedi Baur for their work on the airport's corporate design, which included the development of a large set of visually matching pictograms.

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Sispos and Sisneg

Used by

Sweden

Notes

SL Gothic

Used by

Stockholm transit system

Smalt

Used by

Street signs in Prague

SNV

Used by

Road signs in BelgiumRoad signs in BulgariaRoad signs in LuxembourgRoad signs in RomaniaRoad signs in countries of the former YugoslaviaRoad signs in Switzerland (until 2003)

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Standard (also known as Akzidenz-Grotesk)

Used by

New York City subway signs

Notes

Sometimes seen on older New York City subway signs. Was sometimes used in place of Helvetica.

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Sumi Maru Gothic (スミ丸ゴシック)

Used by

Japanese signage: JR Central (non-Shinkansen), JR-Central Transport Service (TKJ)

Notes

A typeface developed and used by the former Japanese National Railways (JNR). Today, it is used exclusively by the JR Central Group.

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TB Gothic (TBゴシック)

Used by

Japanese signage: Nagoya Rinkai Rapid Transit (Aonami Line), Yokohama Municipal Subway

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Tern

Used by

Road signs in AustriaRoad signs in Slovakia

Notes

Developed by the International Institute for Information Design with the aim of unifying the road signage in all of the European Union.

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Times New Roman

Used by

Station signage for MARTA

Tipografía México

Used by

Road signs in Mexico

Notes

Replaced former typeface based on FHWA Series that was used on Mexican road signs before 2023.

Toronto Subway

Used by

Toronto Transit Commission

Notes

Used in maps, publications, and most stations of the Toronto subway

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Trafikkalfabetet

Used by

Road signs in Norway

Notes

Used for Norwegian road signs and motor vehicle registration plates (until 2006)

Transport

Used by

Road signs in the United Kingdom Road signs in Malta Road signs in Bangladesh Road signs in Hong Kong Road signs in India Road signs in Iran Road signs in Ireland Road signs in Nepal Road signs in Portugal

Notes

Also used in Portugal, Greece (for non-motorways) and other countries.An oblique variant is used in Ireland for Irish-language text.

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Tratex

Used by

Road signs in Sweden

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TS Info and TS Mapa

Used by

Transantiago

Notes

Created by the DET (Departamento de Estudios Tipográficos, Universidad Católica de Chile) for the Transantiago, the public transport network in Santiago de Chile.

UD Shin Go (UD新ゴ)

Used by

Japanese and English signage: Okinawa Urban Monorail (Yui Rail), Yokkaichi Asunarou RailwayEnglish signage: Saitama New Urban Transit (New Shuttle)

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UD Shin Maru Go (UD新丸ゴ)

Used by

Japanese and English signage: Akina Nairiku Jūkan Railway, Ichibata Electric Railway

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Univers

Used by

Montreal Metro English signage: Kyoto Municipal Subway (Karasuma Line), Nankai Electric Railway, Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit (Rinkai Line), Wakayama Electric Railway, Yokohama Minatomirai Railway (Minatomirai Line) Motomachi-Chūkagai Station, Yurikamome Hong Kong International Airport Frankfurt Airport (Univers Condensed)

Notes

Also used for the Walt Disney World road system (route numbers are in Highway Gothic). Formerly used by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen, on the destination rolls of Comeng trains in Melbourne prior to refurbishment, as well as Hitachi trains which had their original destination rolls replaced in the 1980s with the Comeng type.

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Universal Grotesk

Used by

Road signs in Czechoslovakia

Notes

Previously used on road signs in Slovakia until 2015.

Vectora

Used by

Expressway route numbers in Japan

Verdana

Used by

English signage: Alpico Kōtsū, Eizan Electric Railway, Hanshin Electric Railway

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Vialog

Used by

RenfeEnglish signage: Odakyū Electric RailwayEnglish signage: Japanese expressway directional signage

Notes

Used in signage and all corporate communications of the state-owned Spanish Railway Operator in a custom-made variant called Renfe Vialog.

Wayfinding Sans

Used by

Metro RioEl Dorado International AirportSanta CruzKereta Api Indonesia (December 2016–20)

Notes

Used in signage for Rio de Janeiro's metro system Metro Rio, El Dorado International Airport, the city of Santa Cruz, California and Indonesian Railway Company.

Yū Gothic (游ゴシック)

Used by

Japanese signage: Hiroshima Rapid Transit (Astram Line)

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Typeface	Used by	Notes	Image
Achemine [fr]	SNCF, France	Created in 2008 to improve station accessibility
Alfabeto Normale [it] and Alfabeto Stretto [it]	Road signs in Italy, San Marino and Vatican CityRoad signs in Albania	Alfabeto Normale is a bolder variant of the British Transport typeface. Alfabeto Stretto is a condensed version of Alfabeto Normale. Both fonts have their own positive (for dark-coloured text on light backgrounds) and negative (for light-coloured text on dark backgrounds) versions.
Antique Olive	California Department of Transportation	Some regulatory signs
Arial	China Railway (English signage) Most Chinese urban rail systems (English signage) Taiwan Railway (English signage) Bengaluru Metro PIDS English signage: Chiba Urban Monorail, Hankai Tramway, Sanyō Electric Railway Road signs in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Laos, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Myanmar, Slovenia, Taiwan, Turkey and Ukraine
Austria	Austria	Being phased out since 2013
Avant Garde	KAI Commuter rail network in Indonesia (before 2021)	Now gradually replaced with Circular in 2021, with remaining old signages still in place.
Avenir	Macau Light Rapid TransitDublin AirportMinneapolis–Saint Paul Metro Transit
AXIS Font [ja]	Japanese and English signage: Hisatsu Orange RailwayJapanese signage: Seibu Railway
Bembo	Smithsonian signage in Washington D.C.
Bodoni	English signage: Yokohama Minatomirai Railway (Minatomirai Line) Bashamichi Station
Brusseline	Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company
Calibri	English signage: Tōyō Rapid Railway
Calvert	Tyne & Wear Metro, United Kingdom.
Caractères	France	Used for road signs in France and in some countries in Africa. In France it is used in four variants known as L1, L2, L4, L5. Its usage is mandated by the Interministerial Instruction on Road Signs and Signals (Instruction Interministérielle sur la Signalisation Routière)
Carretera convencional [es]	Directorate-General for TrafficRoad signs in Spain	Proprietary typeface commissioned for this purpose, used on intracity road signs. Derived from the Transport typeface.
Casey	Singapore MRT (since 2019)Changi Airport (since 2022)	Used by Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation until its merger with MTR in 2007. Being gradually replaced by Myriad, which is used by MTR on its networks.
Cast	Most Taiwanese urban rail systems (since 2022)	Designed by Dominique Kerber
Century Gothic	English signage: Kōbe New Transit, Nagaragawa Railway
Cezanne (セザンヌ)	Japanese signage: Iyo Railway (Iyotetsu)
Circular	Transport for West Midlands (since 2018)Kereta Api Indonesia (since 2020)
Clarendon	National Park Service road signs	Used by Public Transport Company in Poznań as the typeface for its fleet vehicles numbering
Clearview	Destination signs of Quebec autoroutes (shields are in Highway Gothic) Road signs in Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Israel, Panama, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and the United States	Developed to replace U.S. FHWA (Federal Highway Administration) typefaces
Dansk Vejtavleskrift	Road signs in Denmark	Derived from the Transport typeface
Deutsche Bahn WLS	Deutsche Bahn station signage	Developed in close reference to Helvetica
DF Heisei Gothic (DF平成ゴシック)	Japanese signage: Chikuhō Electric Railroad (Chikutetsu)
DF Kaisho (DF楷書)	Japanese signage: Tsugaru Railway
DF Maru Gothic (DF丸ゴシック)	Japanese and English signage: Aizu Railway, Noto RailwayEnglish signage: Gakunan Electric Train, Izuhakone Railway
DF Reisho (DF隷書)	Japanese and English signage: Fuji Kyūkō (Fujikjyū), Odakyū Hakone (Hakone Tozan Railway)Japanese signage: Heisei Chikuhō Railway (Mojikō Retro Scenic Line)
DIN 1451	Road signs in Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo CountiesRoad signs in Germany Road signs in the Czech Republic Road signs in Latvia Road signs in the Southern African Development CommunityRoad signs in BruneiRoad signs in SingaporeRoad signs in SyriaBengaluru Metro (Namma Metro) signageKansai International Airport (KIX) (since 2022)English signage: Keisei Electric Railway	The DIN typeface was used for regulatory and warning Signs in Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties. Also used in the Greek motorway networkThe DIN typeface for the Namma Metro is in English and Kannada. The DIN typeface is currently in the process of gradually replacing the Frutiger typeface for Kansai Airport during its renovations in preparation for Expo 2025.
Drogowskaz	Polish road signage typeface	One of a few digitalisations; officially the typeface used in Polish road signs has no defined name.
Esseltub	Previously used in Stockholm Metro
FIP signage typeface	Government of Canada	A modified version of Helvetica Medium used by the Government of Canada
FF Fago	ADIF	Used as official font for signage system of all Spanish railway stations owned by the state-owned administrator, ADIF
FF Meta	Stockholm MetroCaltrans Birmingham Airport TransLink (British Columbia)	Some mile marker signs
FF Transit	Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg Düsseldorf Airport Société de transport de Montréal	Developed by MetaDesign for Berlin's public transport company BVG and later adopted by other transport systems. Contains many pictograms for signage. Based on Frutiger.
FF Scala Sans	Los Angeles Metro
FHWA Series typeface (Highway Gothic)	Road signs in the Americas, Australasia, China, India, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey	Developed for U.S. road signageFormerly used on Spanish motorwaysTurkey uses two typefaces on road signs based on this typeface – O-Serisi for motorways and E-Serisi for all other roads.
Folk (フォーク)	Japanese and English signage: Ainokaze Toyama Railway
Freight Sans	Kempegowda International Airport
Frutiger	Charles de Gaulle Airport Istanbul Metro(Except M11) Road signs in Switzerland Amtrak Across the public transport network of Oslo, Norway Dulles International Airport (IAD) BAA Airports in the UK, National Health Service in England Frankfurt Airport Buenos Aires Subte JR East (numbers) English signage of many Japanese railway operators Signage at most PANYNJ airports Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Budapest Public Transport Authority Österreichische Bundesbahnen Ottawa street name signage Bay Area Rapid Transit Warsaw Public Transport Authority Kansai International Airport (KIX) (currently being phased out) Slovenian Railways	The Frutiger typeface was commissioned for use at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in 1975. It has also been used for regulatory and warning signs in Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano, Sonoma, and Yolo Counties.
Futura	Italian railwaysStreet signs in Stockholm
Giaothong1 and Giaothong2	Vietnam	Modification of DIN 1451 typeface with Vietnamese extension
Gill Sans	British Railways (until 1965) TransperthEnglish signage: Maihama Resort Line (Disney Resort Line)	Also the official font for all the signage system of the Spanish Government. Modified variant of Gill Sans Bold Condensed used on road signs in former East Germany until 1990.
Gona (ゴナ)	Japanese and English signage: Mōka Railway, Yagan RailwayJapanese signage: Chizu Express, IR Ishikawa Railway, Kantō Railway (Kantetsu), Kashima Rinkai Railway, ManyōsenEnglish signage: Kōnan Railway	A Gothic typeface released by Shaken in 1975, it was once extremely popular as the typeface for railway signage in Japan. However, until October 2024 , it was only available for phototypesetting and not as a digital font for desktop publishing, which made it difficult to use. In contrast, a similar typeface called Shin Go, released by rival company Morisawa in 1990, was compatible with desktop publishing from start. As a result, many railway operators have since transitioned to using Shin Go.
Gothic 4550 (ゴシック4550)	Japanese and English signage: IGR Iwate Galaxy RailwayJapanese signage: Kyoto Municipal Subway, Nankai Electric Railway, Wakayama Electric Railway
Gothic MB101 (ゴシックMB101)	Japanese signage: Mizuma Railway
Goudy Old Style	Used on Victoria PTC railway station signs in the 1990s, replacing the green The Met signs.	The blue Metlink signs replaced these signs in 2003 after a short trial of Connex signs (using Verdana) at Mitcham and Rosanna stations.
Hangil	Road signs in South Korea	A Hangul typeface designed by Sandoll Communications in 2008, being used on traffic signs throughout the entire South Korea except for some part of Seoul, along with Panno.
Heisei Kaku Gothic (平成角ゴシック)	Japanese and English signage: Nishikigawa Railway, Okayama Electric Tramway, Yuri Kōgen RailwayJapanese signage: Chiba Urban Monorail, Gakunan Electric TrainEnglish signage: Amagi Railway

References

Used in Aoimori Railway, Fukuoka City Subway, Hiroshima Rapid Transit (Astram Line), IR Ishikawa Railway, JR West, Kagos
Used in Aichi Rapid Transit (Linimo), Chichibu Railway, Chizu Express, Echigo Tokimeki Railway, Enoshima Electric Railwa
Used in Aichi Rapid Transit (Linimo), Alpico Kōtsū, Aoimori Railway, Chichibu Railway, Echigo Tokimeki Railway, Enoshima
"Traffic Sign Typefaces: Italy"
https://opentype.info/blog/2009/02/09/traffic-sign-typefaces-italy/
もじ鉄書体で読み解く日本全国全鉄道の駅名標 (Mojitetsu: Shotai de Yomitoku Nihon Zenkoku Zen Tetsudō no Ekimeihyō, "Typeface-Railfan: Decoding Every Railway Station Name Sign in Japan Through Typography")
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%B8%89%E6%89%8D%E3%83%96%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B9
EVS standard evs.ee
https://www.evs.ee/en/evs-613-2023
"Metro Transit Brand Identity and Style Guide"
https://www.metrotransit.org/Data/Sites/1/media/logos/brand_standards.pdf
chroniclelive.co.uk
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/history/how-tyne-wear-metro-made-12031209
railadvent.co.uk
https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2021/12/40-years-after-creating-its-iconic-logo-graphic-designer-margaret-calvert-visits-tyne-wear-metro.html
equipementsdelaroute.cerema.fr
https://equipementsdelaroute.cerema.fr/IMG/pdf/iisr_1epartie_vc_20220613_cle2aed58.pdf
serpentype.com
https://www.serpentype.com/cast
wmca.assetbank-server.com
https://wmca.assetbank-server.com/assetbank-wmca/action/viewAsset?id=134&index=14&total=15&view=viewSearchItem
"Jelang Libur Akhir Tahun, KAI Modernisasi Signage"
https://republika.co.id/berita/ql6bqy370/jelang-libur-akhir-tahun-kai-modernisasi-signage
The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/magazine/12fonts-t.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
"Q&A by the Danish road authority"
https://web.archive.org/web/20081115101110/http://www.trafikken.dk/wimpdoc.asp?page=document&objno=123041
Deutsche Bahn AG Marketingportal
https://web.archive.org/web/20211028120523/https://marketingportal.extranet.deutschebahn.com/index.php?id_navigation=1014054
"4.5 Signage Typeface. FIP Manual"
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/fip-pcim/man_4_5-eng.asp
www.fontfont.com
https://www.fontfont.com/fonts/transit
"Handbuch VBB-Richtlinien Fahrgastinformation"
http://images.vbb.de/assets/ftp/file/14972.pdf
Société de transport de Montréal
https://www.stm.info/en/press/press-releases/2015/the-stm-rolls-out-new-signage-in-metro-stations
"A Brief History of Fonts in Transit"
https://web.archive.org/web/20201001123002/http://www.livewellcollaborative.org/uc/images/stories/U10_Urban_Transportation_Studio/Branding/History%20of%20Fonts%20in%20Transit.pdf
"BAA: Printed Literature"
https://web.archive.org/web/20110728044409/http://www.baa.com/portal/page/VisualIdentity%5EUsing+the+identity%5EBAA+identity%5ECorporate%5ETypography%5EPrinted+literature/b234559547949010VgnVCM10000036821c0a____/448c6a4c7f1b0010VgnVCM200000357e120a____/
"NHS Identity Guidelines"
https://www.england.nhs.uk/nhsidentity/identity-guidelines/fonts/
"typography"
https://www.typovia.at/index.php/wien/eisenbahn-in-wien/104-nachtrag-obb-typografie=ÖBB
"New signs at downtown SF stations part of ongoing BART wayfinding improvements"
https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2010/news20101117.aspx
rynek-kolejowy.pl
https://www.rynek-kolejowy.pl/wiadomosci/metro-system-informacji-ii-linii-poprowadzi-za-reke-do-wyjscia-24914.html
"Warszawski Transport Publiczny Podręcznik Identyfikacji Wizualnej"
https://www.ztm.waw.pl/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/ksi%C4%99ga-WTP.pdf
"Sistema segnaletico: Manuale e strumenti di lavoro - Standard architettonici per le stazioni - RFI"
https://web.archive.org/web/20110726070851/http://www.rfi.it/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2e07ad846ea01210VgnVCM1000003f16f90aRCRD
"National Technical Regulation on Expressway Guidance Signs"
https://mt.gov.vn/Images/FileVanBan/_TT27-BGTVT.signed.pdf
TGL 12096-1 Feb 1987
https://www.bbr-server.de/bauarchivddr/archiv/tglarchiv/tgl10001bis20000/tgl12001bis12500/tgl-12096-1-feb-1987.pdf
"TGL 12096-1"
https://www.peter-wiegel.de/TGL_12096.html
"フォント提供アプリ「MORISAWA PASSPORT for iPad」Ver1.8.0をリリース Morisawa Fonts Packに2024年度新書体を追加"
https://www.morisawa.co.jp/about/news/13455
enRoute
https://enroute.aircanada.com/en/aviation/airport-signs/
Passenger Information System: Design Manual for the Swiss Federal Railways by Josef Müller-Brockmann (Fahrgastinformationssystem / Passenger Information System)
company.sbb.ch
https://web.archive.org/web/20200222075729/https://company.sbb.ch/de/ueber-die-sbb/profil/sbb-markenportal/basis/schrift.html
"より視認し易い高速道路案内標識を目指した標識レイアウトの変更について"
https://www.hido.or.jp/14gyousei_backnumber/2010data/1103/1103hyoushiki-henkou.pdf
"Schriftentwicklung für Leitsystem LTA Identiy Typeface öffentliche Verkehrsmittel Singapur"
https://mic-ro.com/metro/files/LTAFont.pdf
KİPTAŞ
https://www.kiptas.istanbul/storage/kurumsal-kimlik-klavuzu.pdf
"Wytyczne dla oznakowania stałego infrastruktury pasażerskiej"
https://www.plk-sa.pl/files/public/user_upload/pdf/Akty_prawne_i_przepisy/Instrukcje/Wydruk/Ipi/Ipi-2_Wytyczne_dla_oznakowania_stalego_infrastruktury_pasazerskiej.pdf
"Standaryzacja znaków PKP Intercity"
https://www.intercity.pl/dokumenty/przetargi/rok%202017/Magazyn%20Puls%20Intercity%20(07.07.2017)/Skrocona-ksiega-identyfikacji-wizualnej-IC.pdf
The Dots
https://the-dots.com/projects/ptv-network-sans-typeface-145018
"Noorda Font"
https://www.cinetype.com/custom/noorda-font
"NS Sans"
https://www.ns.nl/platform/fundamentals/typography.html
"Нова дорожня навігація — Агенти змін"
https://a3.kyiv.ua/projects/road-wayfinding/
"Manual de Señalamiento Vertical"
https://www.argentina.gob.ar/sites/default/files/manual_sv.pdf
System-Wide Signage Design Manual, Second Edition
https://web.archive.org/web/20100613101144/http://soundtransit.org/Documents/pdf/projects/help/SignageDesignManual.pdf
"Manual de Señalización de Tránsito - Conaset"
http://www.conaset.cl/manualsenalizacion/construye.html
Fonts in Use
https://fontsinuse.com/uses/4069/koeln-bonn-airport-2
www.integral-designers.eu
https://integral-designers.eu/fr/integral-designers/signaletique/koln-bonn-airport
www.slideshare.net
https://www.slideshare.net/KanalSL/ab-sl-grafisk-profil-10-visuell-identitet
SL:s nya visuella identitet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUjEohqgaTQ
Slanted
https://issuu.com/slanted/docs/slante_magazine_prague-issuu
"The (Mostly) True Story of Helvetica and the New York City Subway"
http://www.aiga.org/the-mostly-true-story-of-helvetica-and-the-new-york-city-subway/
"Proposal on unified pictograms, keywords, bilingual verbal messages and typefaces for VMS in the TERN"
https://visys.pro/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/61125-insafetyd2-3_iiid.pdf
Manual de Señalización y Dispositivos para el Control del Tránsito en Calles y Carreteras
https://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/sedatu/Manual_de_sealizacin_2023_VF.pdf
"Inscribed in the living tile Type in the Toronto subway"
https://joeclark.org/appearances/atypi/2007/TTC/inscribed/