SEGD 2010 No. 27 - 70

The UniGrid style is characterized by bold black bands, two typefaces (initially Helvetica and Times Roman), layouts with strong horizontal orientations, and a limited range of standard sizes. The strategy behind the program is to limit production variability, and instead to focus on the quality of visual and editorial content. The familial look of the publications also makes the UniGrid program a primary component of the NPS identity. NPS prints more than 20 million brochures annually, many of which are admired and collected by park visitors from around the world. In 1991, the program was selected for inclusion in Contemporary Masterworks, a collection of 450 works of art and design “…which have achieved status of masterpiece or classic, and have made a signiﬁcant contribution to twentieth century culture.” Taking it outdoors to follow their own standards, using a range of typefaces. This, and the fact that others eventually adopted brown to designate parks and similar attractions, meant that by the 1990s, National Park Service signs were not as distinctive or as appropriate as they could be. Setting new standards: UniGuide To remedy this, the NPS hired Don Meeker & Associates to create comprehensive sign standards for national parks. Meeker was selected (though a competitive process) in part because of the standards he developed for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which won a Presidential Design Award and were credited with helping to reduce drownings in Corps-managed lakes and waterways. Using Yosemite National Park as a pilot project, Meeker created standards for three categories of signs: motorist guidance and By the early 1990s, the look of UniGrid publications had made its way into other areas of NPS design. The style ﬁrst extended to outdoor interpretive exhibits (which the NPS calls “waysides”), eventually inﬂuencing the look of other kinds of park signs. Signs are the primary way the NPS communicates with park visitors. (The number of NPS signs is estimated to be as high as 800,000.) Entrance signs offer greetings, welcoming visitors and reminding them that they are entering one of a system of parks cared for by the National Park Service. Other signs guide visitors as they travel to or within parks, encourage them to understand and appreciate what they encounter, remind them of their role in caring for parks, warn them of potential dangers, direct them to various features, and help them have a convenient and pleasant stay. As early as 1926, the National Park Service issued standards to ensure that its signs communicated consistently and effectively. Many of the signs in parks today conform to the 1975 standards developed by Chermayeff and Geismar, who introduced brown as the signature NPS sign color and Clarendon as the standard typeface. Unfortunately, in some parks the standards were applied to signs other than the motorist guidance signs for which they were intended. Other parks continued Above: NPS has not adopted standards for interior exhibits because they are unique to each park setting. But UniGrid inﬂuences are often evident in the tight grid, horizontal layout, and use of only two typefaces. Right: In the mid-1970s, guided by Massimo Vignelli, NPS designers created the UniGrid Program to standardize NPS publications. With its signature bold black bands, two typefaces, and strong horizontal layouts, the UniGrid’s inﬂuence has extended into NPS signage and interpretive exhibits. 70 segdDESIGN

SEGD 2010 No. 27

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SEGD 2010 No. 27