This study sought to answer questions about the extent to which on-premise signs (OPS) along US roadways attract the attention of passing motorists, based on a sample of OPS and roadway contexts captured in photo images from along the 3,073 mile length of highway US 50. 3M's Visual Analysis Software (VAS) was used to predict the probability that the selected OPS would be viewed by passing motorists. Results show that for all signs (n=467), the average probability of being viewed was about 57%, with that rising to about 66% for a "primary signs" group (n=100). These results are consistent with early research of motorist detection of on-premise signs in real-world contexts. The findings suggest that a substantial proportion (approximately one-third) of the on-premise signs along roadways in the US are not being viewed by motorists as business intended, and both the businesses and their communities are foregoing the benefits that more effective signage would provide. This study also sought to determine whether the OPS of national and regional businesses are better able to attract the attention of passing motorists compared to the OPS of locally-based businesses. The results show the average probability of being viewed for the national and regional business OPS is significantly higher than for the local businesses, though both business types showed substantial variation in the probability of viewing. These results suggest an opportunity for the OPS of local businesses to be improved. Both findings here raise important implication for understanding how both local sign regulations and industry design and location standards factor into causing and resolving the problem. Finally, VAS was found to provide quick and inexpensive objective analysis of OPS in real-world contexts. Future research is needed to develop advanced protocols for the use of VAS in analyzing OPS in complex environmental contexts.

Over a five-year period, photographic and experiential data was collected about signage design, placement and context along America’s iconic legacy US highways. Over 10,000 miles were traveled and more than 15,000 photographs were taken to represent the broad range of signs, placements, and contexts representing current tastes, norms and trends, but also the nearly 100-year history of highway signage as an essential form of American visual communication. This work captures the use and evolution of road signage to communicate public safety, wayfinding, and commercial messages along historic highways routes, and establishes the special importance of the specific environmental context in which the signs are situated for determining how effectively they communicate their messages. Analyses of the signage using visual attention software tools show that identical signs with identical placement will capture visual attention differently depending on the specific characteristics of the visual context.

The context in which a sign is displayed and viewed, reflecting the surrounding natural, built and socio-cultural environments in which it is placed, is essential for how well a sign is able to perform its intended visual communication function to orient, inform, persuade, and/or regulate. To this end, signage research must give appropriate attention to contextual factors, especially along highways where natural, built, and socio-cultural environments may continually change. This field report describes efforts to document and assess vernacular signage found along America’s legacy highways. Vernacular signs include a range of contextually designed and placed displays, usually connected to unique local businesses. The focus here is on how vernacular signs respond to contextual factors and often control their own contexts, and as such provide insight into the design, placement, and regulation of contemporary signs of all types.