My kids still mixed things up, but at least it wasn’t because of colorblindness...
That’s a fair point, but I’ve actually seen color work pretty well as the main indicator—especially with adults. In some kitchens I’ve built, just using bold colors for recycling bins made things super intuitive. Maybe it just depends on the context and who’s using the space? Kids are a whole different ballgame, though... they’ll mix up anything if you give them a chance.
WHAT IF ALL SIGNS WERE DESIGNED FOR EVERYONE TO READ?
I hear you on the color-coded bins. In theory, it’s a solid idea—easy, quick visual cue. But I’ve seen it go sideways in real life, especially when you factor in colorblindness or even just bad lighting. I remember working on a community center remodel where we went all-in on bright blue and green bins for recycling and compost. Looked great at first. Then one of the staff pointed out that her dad couldn’t tell the difference between the two because he’s red-green colorblind. We ended up slapping big icons and text labels on everything, which honestly helped more than the colors ever did.
Kids, though... yeah, they’ll toss a banana peel in the plastics bin just to see what happens. But I’ve watched adults mess it up too when they’re distracted or in a hurry, even with clear colors. Sometimes I think people just need something obvious—a picture of a bottle, a picture of an apple core—plus maybe a word or two. The more ways you can communicate the info, the better.
It’s wild how often “universal design” gets overlooked in stuff like signage. People assume everyone sees or processes things the same way, but it’s just not true. There’s this park near me that has pictograms *and* Braille on their signs—honestly, it’s the only place I’ve seen where nobody seems confused about where to toss their trash or find the bathrooms.
Bottom line, I’d say color helps, but it can’t be the only thing. Backups like icons and clear words make all the difference, especially if you want everyone (kids included) to actually follow the system instead of just guessing.
WHAT IF ALL SIGNS WERE DESIGNED FOR EVERYONE TO READ?
Totally agree—color alone just isn’t enough. When I’m working on public spaces, I always push for a combo: bold icons, simple words, and high-contrast backgrounds. Even tactile elements like raised symbols help. It’s wild how much clearer things get when you layer those cues.
WHAT IF ALL SIGNS WERE DESIGNED FOR EVERYONE TO READ?
I get the point about layering cues, but honestly, when we did a reno at our community center, the cost for tactile signs and extra features added up fast. I’m all for making things accessible, but sometimes you gotta pick your battles when the budget’s tight. We ended up going with bigger fonts and high-contrast colors—seemed to help most folks. Not perfect, but better than nothing, I guess.
WHAT IF ALL SIGNS WERE DESIGNED FOR EVERYONE TO READ?
I hear you on the budget headaches. I’ve worked on a few projects where we had to make some tough calls, too. One time, we were redoing signage for a small library and the wish list was a mile long—Braille, pictograms, color coding, the works. But the reality? We had to trim it way back. Ended up focusing on high-contrast backgrounds and non-glare materials, which made a bigger difference than I expected.
Honestly, sometimes just tweaking placement helps more than people think. Mounting signs at eye level and making sure they’re not hidden behind plants or weird corners... it’s not fancy, but it’s practical. I do wish there was more funding for tactile features though—those really matter for some folks. But yeah, when you’re counting every dollar, you do what you can. At least bigger fonts and good contrast are a solid start.
