The number of typefaces available to express regional Indian scripts is limited. Devanagari used to write Hindi and Marathi, is likely to have the highest but that’s still nowhere close to the Latin typeface variants that give English. On Google font, a popular database that has 922 typeface listings, 44 support Devanagari, while other Indian scripts have a mere nine and five typeface options respectively.
Signage constitutes a small but highly-visible class of typographic design. Sometimes referred to as environmental graphics, this type of signage includes billboards, banners, outdoor signage, retail signage, etc. There is a lot of variety in fonts available in Latin but as far as Devanagari is considered there is a need to explore more. Most of the existing digital display typefaces in Devanagari are inconsistent, they also seem outdated and are overused.
Every script has its features and characteristics and it is important to retain this while designing. The readability, consistency, and legibility is an important factor to take care while designing for signage.
The field study was done in one of the hospitals and the findings where there was no consistency in the font used in the signage and spacing issue to fit on the board. The typography plays a very important role as it helps the user in understanding the place, its message and reaching there. The project aim is to design and develop a display typeface from research in typeface design and Devanagari script for application in signage.