Utopian Design

Street signs are an example of a utopian design because their aim is to improve society by preventing people from getting lost and aiding in travel.The word Utopia literally means "no place," because no place on Earth can be truly perfect. However, the goal of Utopian design is to bring life on Earth as close to the unattainable ideal as possible. Designers seek to create Utopia by designing to improve society.

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Street signs benefit society by giving people a sense of direction and location. Street signs assign a name and exact coordinates to a point in space. By naming roads, one knows where they are, where they are traveling and can more easily find how to get to their destination. The best street signs are clean and easily readable. A successful sign is simple, not over-embellished, and relays its message as efficiently as possible. Making an area easier to navigate encourages travelers, which bring business and new ideas.

Since Utopia is in ideal concept, no design can truly be Utopian; however, that does not mean that designers don't continually try to achieve Utopia. Even the best designs have their shortcomings. Not all road sign are especially readable or instantly apparent to the viewer. For example, in many European countries, the street names are posted on the sides of buildings, which American travelers are unfamiliar with and often find confusing. This lack of universality causes confusion and is ultimately a downfall of this design. Also, although street signs tell you where you are, they don't always tell you how to get where you want to go and even in a well-singed city, one could end up lost.

Overall, street signs are successful at improving society and are therefore a Utopian design. Without them, navigation would be difficult, which would make travel frustrating.

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