Getting your point across can be challenging especially when the punctuation or grammar you choose is “wrong” according to current standards. I know what you are thinking: “Not me. I went to (insert name of your college here) and I earned a (take your GPA and pad it by ½ a point to impress everyone) so I know how to write!”

You might be right…even though your GPA might be a little off. Just kidding. Here is a simple test. Take a look at the following short sentences and pick which one is correct.

Version 1

The dog was barking, scratching, and wagging its tail. It made me laugh.

Version 2

The dog was barking, scratching and wagging its tail.  It made me laugh.

Those of you who chose Version 1 are correct. Those of you who chose Version 2 probably went to school sometime between 1950 and 1988. Why? Because you were probably taught how to write and type using a manual typewriter and you put an extra space after the period. For those of you who are not familiar with the book, “The Mac is Not a Typewriter,” by Robin Williams (the font lady, not the comedian) which is one of the best instructional guides for writing using a personal computer, you can read this recent article from slate.com, “Space Invaders” about why you only need to put space after a period.

So what does this have to do with signage? Great question. We got to thinking about ADA guidelines and how to write Grade 2 Braille. It can be a tricky matter and most sign companies are still producing Grade 1 Braille. In addition, how many designers or sign companies think about letter height, initial letter capitalization, and kerning between letters on information and directional sign messages?

We encourage you to take 3 minutes to watch this video explaining how to properly implement the latest 2010 ADA guidelines.

You can also check out our previous post about the 2010 ADA Guidelines for more information.