The Effect of the Number of Signboard Colors on Color Harmony and Legibility

Abstract

Background Different guidelines for signboard colors have been disseminated from local governments. This can cause confusion for readers who use the signboard color guidelines. This study focuses on the effect of the number of signboard colors on color harmony and legibility. Methods A paired comparison experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of the number of signboard colors on color harmony and legibility. Seventy-one participants compared 30 pairs of stimuli, which consist of five colors of signboards (red, yellow, blue, white and black) and three types of building exteriors (brick, stone and curtain wall buildings). Results Regarding the effect of the number of signboard colors on color harmony, the results presented similar trends across all three building exteriors. When the number of signboard colors was two, the effect was rated as the most harmonious. When the number of signboard colors was five, the effect was evaluated as the least harmonious. In regards with the effect of the number of signboard colors on legibility, the results showed a different tendency across building exteriors. In a brick building, when the number of signboard colors was more than two colors, the effect was rated as less legible. In a stone building, when the number of signboard colors was more than two colors, the effect was rated as more legible. In a curtain wall building, when the number of signboards was one color, the effect was rated as the most legible. Conclusions Considering the two aspects of color harmony and legibility of signboards, we concluded that using two or fewer signboard colors is more harmonious with the surrounding environment and the signboards also read well. © Copyright: This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non- Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), which permits unrestricted educational and non-commercial use, provided the original work is properly cited.