From M. Dietrich : Although the Diamond M figure for Michigan is sort of unique.... it's still a basic figure. I'll think of some colors later, for now.. the standard black and white will do. I am shocked no one tried to fit numbers inside the state outline... here's proof it can! Also... all the state highways actually DO start with M (i.e. M 49, M 14, etc). Therefore, I put the "M" in the upper penisula so they won't be left out. C'mon M.D.O.T.!!.
RVD: The
existing Michigan shield has a few problems. One, no color. Two,
the diamond shape squashes the numbers into an awfully small area
of the sign, unnecessarily reducing legibility. The third is the
singular letter on top. On this new shield, the numbers are
expanded across the sign face. A state outline was added behind
the numbers in yellow, one of the state flag colors. The numbers
and border are in blue, the other color on the state flag. I
dropped the singular 'M' in favor of a more accurately
descriptive state name, also in blue. Michigan's claim to the
singular letter 'M' can easily be disputed by seven other US
states, the countries of England and Australia for their
Motorways, and even a Canadian province. Few people outside the
Great Lakes area know what a Michiganer means when they say
Highway M-whatever. California learned to use numbers on its
freeways, so anything is possible.
Commentary by Brandon Gorte: ...
everyone but Ann Arbor will have a fit about blue and yellow ...
Michigan has used the "M" longer than Britian or any
other place has used it ... Even if you change the shape of the
shield, Michigan route will still be M-routes to Michiganders.
They have been refered to as such since 1917, and it will not
change.
From Bobby Peacock: 1) This one would be appropriate, since Michigan has never had a state outline shield, always the boring diamond. 2) A County Route shield for Iosco County Michigan
From Andrew Muck: Since there was some controversy about dropping the M in Michigan's signs and using Wolverine colors. I kept the M, used a state outline done in Lions colors and put the numbers in the same font that Dodge used to use on their dealerships to strengthen the fact that Michigan is still the source of American cars and that Dodge and Chrysler, no matter the German presence will always be American cars.
From Mitchell Neeley: 1) Although die-hard Wolverine and Spartan Fans would die if a new Michigan highway sign used the other school's colors exclusively, the best alternative is to use both! This design drops the familiar "diamond" shield, and introduces the Michigan silhouette with green numerals for the route designation. The traditional "M" also is droped in favor of the word "MICHIGAN" in maize and blue. So traditionalist may think this defeats the "M-1" format, but everyone in Michigan will always see this sign and say "M-1". 2) & 3) A couple more using both the state outline and the "M" designation.
From Zack Norton: Here are my Michigan state highway signs.The first one (Hwy 50) uses a state outline. However, I added more "white space" to accomodate a number without cramming it into the lower peninsula. The second one (Hwy 99) uses a picture of the Mackinac Bridge below the number, with the state name below. The third one (Hwy 52) features the state seal and the state name on top.
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This page last updated Wednesday, July 13, 2005