When it comes to ADA signage, some people worry that attractive design must be sacrificed to make the signage compliant with regulations. This, however, isn’t the case. Sleek and attractive ADA signage is always within reach of gifted designers. By bringing together design talent with modern materials, graphic application capabilities, no aesthetic compromises are needed.

Modular Functionality

Modular functionality provides the ability to incorporate attractive design elements into ADA signage. Modular signage is an extraordinarily flexible architectural signage solution that can be designed to ADA-compliant specifications without loss of aesthetic appeal.

Materials

ADA signage must be made of non-glare materials, which means matte or eggshell finish. The non-glare requirement doesn’t have to impose design restrictions from an aesthetic point of view. The non-glare materials must be used for the portion of signage that’s ADA-compliant, but designers can explore various options for other parts of the sign that don’t need to meet those requirements. In addition, ADA-compliant signage can feature a variety of textures which can be used to enhance its visual appeal in a built environment.

Technology

Modern graphic design and finishing solutions give designers the freedom to deliver creative ADA signage solutions. For example, natural materials (e.g., flowers, grass, leaves) can be embedded in signage materials such as ASI’s 3form-based Terra series. Another method for creating beautiful ADA signage solutions is to use ASI’s print on panel technology, which delivers professional photography quality graphics to the surface of the sign.

ADA signage must meet certain standards for compliance. Color contrast between background color and character color on ADA-compliant signage must be at least 70%. ADA signage must also include Grade 2 Braille and raised text for the blind and visually impaired. Those elements can be brought into the overall scheme of the design not only as functional factors but as aesthetic factors. Appealing color contrast gives signage a visual pop. No aesthetic compromises are needed when ADA elements can become part of the harmonious whole that makes up well-designed signage.