Wayfinding Signage Needs a Tune-Up

By Eric Richardson
Published: Sunday, August 21, 2005, at 11:27AM

Eric Richardson [Flickr]

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — I've mentioned plenty of times how much I like the new wayfinding signage that's been going up around Downtown. It really looks nice, and hopefully it's helping a few people find their way. I've also mentioned before that some of the chosen abbreviations are ridiculous. Another to add to that list is the great "Spring St Hist/Fin". What's wrong with just "Spring Street"?

This kind of problem needs to be fixed. Hopefully whatever city department commissioned the signage will step up to the plate and get these little corrections made. That's the route that first needs to be pursued.

If they will not, though, some enterprising and anonymous Downtown resident needs to go get some stickers printed that match the color of the wayfinding signs (different for different districts) and make the corrections on his or her own. I'm not one to promote vandalism, but I'd like to think the Downtown art community could pitch in here if the city chooses not to act. Perhaps we could even get Richard Ankrom to do it.

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Comments

jim winstead writes:

there's a sign at fourth and olive that has to be the worst-placed sign i've seen yet -- it is about two feet behind the traffic light, so it is basically unreadable from across the street (on foot or car). it also has the "spring st hist/fin" silliness.

# on Aug.21.2005 AT 04:33 PM

Nic Cha Kim writes:

I know I don't spend nearly enough time in Downtown, so I'm a bit ignorant about these things.

What in the hell is /Fin supposed to mean?

# on Aug.23.2005 AT 10:54 AM

e; writes:

Nic: My point exactly. I think "Financial". -e;

# on Aug.23.2005 AT 02:27 PM

Nic Cha Kim writes:

Financial? Oh that's rich! Who is going to get that?
I bet you half the folks to live and work in the Financial District won't even get that. I wonder who the genius is that thought that one up?

# on Aug.23.2005 AT 04:24 PM

shannon writes:

...considering it's the Historic Financial District that should REALLY confuse people. you're not gonna find much current Financial District stuff there these days.

# on Aug.23.2005 AT 05:09 PM