CCS: Sometimes you don't want to mess with tradition. New Jersey has used a circle for it's state highway sign since at least 1926, as far as I know. (before that, they used a state outline cut out - RVD) But since Delaware uses the same design, why not add just a touch of state identity to the Old Traditional?
RVD: Mess with tradition. Ring the bells of revolution! All boring, generic, unimaginative circles must go. But what to replace it with? Why not follow the New York example, and use the state seal as a highway shield? The colors are from the state flag, as is the general shape of the state seal.
From Chris Blaney :
I don't think the old boring black & white circle is
necessarily a bad thing, but I am particularly enamored of
Florida's use of the U-shape for its TOLL highway shields. I have
put that shape to use. The colors are buff blue and goldfinch
yellow, the state colors, as you've pointed out. The problem with
using the state's crest is that it is too similar in shape to the
US highway shield -- could be confusing. The U-shaped crest is
generally not used in most regulatory and safety signs, so I
think it's a good choice. The "New Jersey" font I used
is similar to the one in use on the since-1993 license plates,
good for continuity.
For NJ state-numbered freeways (such as NJ 24) the word
"FREEWAY" should be used. Ordinary artierals (such as
NJ 7) should have the number made as large as will fit in the
space, for legibility.
Also, for legibility, county-numbered and maintained highways
should use the blue-gold county colors, but a wide U-shaped crest
should be used instead of the federal-standard pentagon. The
pentagon is too narrow to legibly display the 3-digit numbers NJ
county highways use. (Before the pentagon, NJ used a black &
white rectangle, which was large enough to contain the 5xx and
6xx numbers.) The state outline in the back of all signs gives
NJ's sign uniqueness as well as ties it into the license plate.
From 'Jaguar' James Allen: Same old circle, but a "garden" set against a blue sky.
From Andrew Muck: Yet another sign, I thought I would jazz up New Jersey's circle.
From Cody Goodman: This revision of the GSP Shield was inspired by the design of the NJ state shield proposal by Andrew Muck.
From Ryan E. Hague: How about something simple and elegant?
From Jim Dietrich: I believe it's time to revamp the NJ Turnpike sign. I have driven the "super" freeway MANY times (especially at night) only to feel like I'm not getting anywhere due to the distance between exits. Leaving the shape the same will prevent confusion, as almost everyone on the East Coast is familiar with the current shape. My proposal is to incorporate sillouettes of the current county along with the name in the upper-right hand corner. The colors are green and white (from the original sign, apparentlyrepresenting the "Garden State"), as well as blue and gold (official NJ colors). This will inform (since there are NO signs whatsoever on the 127 mile length indicating county lines) the driver as to the current county(and hopefully make the journey seem shorter) as well as modernize a New Jersey icon, like the gambling law modernized Atlantic City. This also shows there is life in New Jersey to tourists who just think NJ is concrete, pollution, and casinos.about something simple and elegant?
From Steve Alpert: Takes full advantage of the shape of NJ, abandoning the circle entirely; this delves way back in route marker history to the 1920's originals. The vertical number format accentuates that there is a North and a South Jersey, in other words, NJ is a vertical state. "NJ" is added to fill in the extra space for balance; the color is green to reflect the Garden State, but light enough to keep the sign easily legible.
From Anthony Suppa: I am from New Jersey and would really like to see our circle signs change. This state has major identity problems as it is. Attached are my ideas. The first sign uses the outline of a tomato. Many of us forget that we are "The Garden State" The second sign uses the shape of our coat of arms- the same idea that NY uses. It is easy to read and yet unique. The third sign uses the state outline. I think the most boring and common of the three, at least its better than a circle. I like to keep the black and white traditions. Bright colors and fancy fonts look tacky. These are road signs, and serve a practical purpose. However, a state like NJ, who has no unifying identity and is always in NY's and PA's shadow, should not be using default circle signs..
Return to the Highway Makeover
This page last edited Wednesday, May 21, 2008