Signage to Mark the Route and to Describe Sites 

Examples of Signs in each state along the trail The W3R-US Logo Route Marker (wayfinding sign, helps you follow a trail) Gateway Sign (state overview, key to related trails) Interpretive Sign (overlook sign, describes an event or site) Guidelines (Standards) for a W3R-US Interpretive Sign Kiosk (where you need more than a single-panel sign)

Examples of Signs Placed along the W3R  W3R chapters have the primary responsibility for the development, funding, and placement of markers: Rhode Island: In 2006 May the state placed about 140 route markers along the W3R in Rhode Island. Several interpretive signs are planned for Newport and Providence. Connecticut: In 2005 and 2006 the W3R-CT installed 12 interpretive signs along the W3R in that state. The design and construction of the signs was funded by a private donation. New York: In 2006 local historical societies placed 45 interpretive signs at sites where officers and troops stayed along the W3R. New Jersey: In 2006 the town of Mahwah placed about 20 route markers (in three sizes) along the W3R through that town. Pennsylvania: Several Interpretive signs are being developed. Requests for route markers will be made now that the trail has been designated a National Historic Trail. Delaware: In 2005 the W3R-DE placed an interpretive sign (funded jointly by the SAR and DAR) next to the Grand Opera House in Wilmington, Delaware, to commemorate the stay of Lauzun's Legion (French Army) of 550 soldiers, who were posted in nearby buildings for a five-month period in 1782-3. The April 22 dedication ceremony was a highlight of the 2005 annual meeting of the W3R-US, held in WIlmington. The interpretive sign [PDF file] In 2006 October the Delaware Department of Transportation placed about 40 route markers along the W3R. Maryland: We hope to replace the interpretive sign that was placed at Camden Yards in Baltimore during the Bicentennial of the American Revolution (1976-1983). We are completing an interpretive sign for installation in Annapolis in 2010. We plan to request MD state route markers along the W3R-NHT now that the trail has been designated a National Historic Trail. District of Columbia: We hope to replace the interpretive sign that once stood at the site where the allied baggage train forded the Potomac River in Georgetown. Virginia: The DAR has updated and replaced several interpretive signs that were originally created and placed at Mt. Vernon and Yorktown during the Bicentennial of the American Revolution (1976-1983): 2003 Oct 29 - fund-raising starts Mt. Vernon on 2005 May 14. Mt Vernon sign [a PDF file] The DAR replaced a sign at Yorktown on 2006 Oct 19 [no photos yet].

The W3R-US Logo  The W3R-US held a signage workshop in conjunction with the 2005 Annual Meeting. Several months later representatives from most of the W3R states met with the National Park Service Sign Shop staff at the NPS Harper's Ferry facility and agreed on the W3R-US logo shown here. This was designed so as to be easily read and identified by people traveling at highway speeds along the W3R. The chair of the W3R-US can provide authorized users with a large vector-graphics file suitable for putting the logo on high-resolution prints or large-scale signs.

Route Markers (Wayfinding Signs, Trail Markers)  Tourists like to have a series of small route-specific signs to let them know they are still on the right trail and to alert them to important turns and nearby W3R-related historical sites. For good visibility route markers should be about 12 by 15 inches in size and contain either the W3R-US logo by itself the logo with an arrow at the bottom to indicate a route turn or the logo and an arrow and a name to indicate a side-path to a nearby site related to the W3R.

Gateway signs  It is helpful to give tourists an overview of the W3R in the state and to note other nearby related trails. This can be done using a gateway sign that is larger and more elaborate than a route sign. The sign may display a state route-map showing the locations of kiosks, interpretive signs, and major sites near the route that are related to the W3R.

Interpretive (or Overlook) Signs  When tourists stop at the site of a major event or building they want to learn more about the historical actions and people. An interpretive sign can provide several paragraphs of information and one or more graphics to supplement the view, brochures, and local guides. See the examples of interpretive signs in the Connecticut and New York paragraphs above. NOTE: Most of these signs were designed before there was a W3R-US sign standard and thus use earlier logos and a small font for text.

Above is a letter-paper-size graphic of an interpretive sign
that conforms to the W3R-US guidelines (standards).

Guidelines (Standard) for Designing WR-US Interpretive Signs  Using Powerpoint(SM) we have created a full-size (40" high by 44" wide) interpretive sign that conforms to (and describes) the 2005 W3R-US sign design standard: Right-click and Save target as [PPT file, 5 Mb] To review the standard it is easier to download and print the letter-size version of the sign [PDF file] (shown below) To see how large the letters are at full scale download and print the full-size standard fonts [PDF file] Specifications: The following are for a 36" high by 48" wide sign. Scale these down for smaller signs. The Top Band - Identification The top band height should be 10% of the height of the sign, printed with ink matching Pantone 287 (RGB values = 0, 56,147) Use white ink for the text in this band. For the title use 120-point Arial bold font. To the right of the title place a small W3R-US logo, and to the right of that in 28-point Arial bold font print the full name of the W3R-NHT: Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail You might place a logo and the name of the site or park at the left of the title. The Middle Band - Historical Content Case A) Signs with little text (50 words) should be focused on a large graphic which can serve as background for the interpretive text. The graphic should have an area of relatively uniform color, over which you can place interpretive text. The print color should contrast strongly with the background for better legibility. Use 80-point Garamond italic font. Case B) Signs with a lot of text (over 100 words) may use several graphics and develop several themes. The background color for text areas should be light, with dark colored text. Break text into blocks with no more than 250 words on a common topic. Title each blocki using 48-point Times bold italic font. The interpretive text should be in 36-point Times bold italic font, spaced 1.5 lines apart, justified. The Bottom Band - Notes and Sponsors If you use a bottom band it should be the same color as the top band, and it may be up to 25% of the height of the sign. You may place here maps showing the W3R route through the state, and other small graphics and text describing the graphics. This is a good place to put the URL of the W3R-US, which is WWW.W3R-US.ORG (It should be fully capitalized.) You may also place sponsor logos and names here. Use white ink for the text in this band. Use 28-point Arial bold font for sponsors and 32-point Times bold italic font for descriptions, with multiple lines spaced 1.5 lines apart Design Assistance: Designers for W3R signs may contact the following company for information about guidelines (standards) for route markers and interpretive signs along the W3R:       Phillips-Saddler Creative       902 Harvey Road       Claymont, DE 19703       phone: (302)-798-1364       Email: phillipssaddler@comcast.net Fabrication: Unattended public displays are subject to graffiti, so interpretive signs are often printed on fiberglass panels about an eighth of an inch thick which are then covered with a clear, cut-resistant film.