This style of lettering was in use for decades across the country for large expressway and freeway guide signs. Button copy typefaces closely resemble standard FHWA Series D, E, and Series E modified typefaces, except for minor differences to accommodate the inlaid reflectors. "Button copy" is a generic term for highway sign characters which are made out of enameled metal, with small white circular reflectors (the 'buttons') inlaid in the surface to provide retroreflectivity at night. For comparison, standard B though F letters have a stroke width approximately 13-18% of height. The reason Series E Modified is called 'modified' is because the letter stroke (width of lines making up letter) is modified to be 20% of the letter height. For example, a lower case 's' is 75% of the height of an upper case 'S'. The lower case loop height for lower case letters is 75% of the upper case height. However, nearly all regulatory and warning signs are still required to use text in all capital letters. In 2004, however, FHWA created and approved lower-case letter designs for all these series of typefaces, and recent changes to the MUTCD have approved the use of lower-case legends for guide sign legends on all classes of roadways. However, for clarity, it's probably better to refer to these typefaces with the more correct 'series' name.įor many years, the Series B, C, D, E and F typefaces included only all capital letters. This has caught on to the point where even FHWA occasionally refers to their own typefaces in this manner. In recent years, a practice has developed of referring to these standard typefaces as "Highway Gothic". The official designations for these typefaces are "FHWA Series B", "FHWA Series C", etc.
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