Emotionally intelligent signage

Sara Davis sends the following photo, which she took at her apartment complex in Cincinnati. The sign “left me angry,” she says, and “feels invasive and generally icky.” It reminded me of another sign — designed to encourage precisely the same behavior but by encouraging empathy — that I snapped in my neighborhood in Washington, […]

Devotees of emotionally intelligent signage (yes, both of you) will recall that the original definition of the term hinged largely on empathy. Emotionally intelligent signs were those that either: a) empathize with the viewer and thereby improve the experience of a space (Example: A sign in a seemingly crowded museum cafeteria that reads, “Don’t worry. […]

In Singapore last week, on the way out of the mens room at Changi Airport, I spotted this interactive console — which asks patrons to evaluate their experience by touching one of five ratings buttons: Leaving aside my germaphobe’s resistance to touching a screen after washing my hands, I cast my vote for “Good” — […]

Ever visit a place — Ypsilanti, Michigan, the Willamette Valley, the Ochlockonee River — and found yourself befuddled about how to pronounce it? Emotionally intelligent signage is here to help! Glenn Auerbach (via Lake Vermillion Real Estate) sends this sign, which graces the entrance to a peculiarly spelled town in northeastern Minnesota.

Kurt sends these examples of some emotionally intelligent advertisements, which he saw on the Little Chief Honeybee blog. The ads are for jobsintown.de, a German job site. And the copy reads: “Life is too short for the wrong job.” True that — especially if your desk is wedged inside an ATM.

Todd Boudreaux sends this photo of an emotionally intelligent license plate, which he spotted in a parking lot in Lafayette, Louisiana. Would seeing this plate on the highway make you drive differently?

Rod Johnson sends this example of emotionally intelligent, which he spotted “while driving up to the Wild Rice Restaurant in Bayfield, Wisconsin.”

Last week, I stayed at the newly-opened W Hotel in Austin. All in all, it was a first-rate experience. But what struck me most — natch — were two of the hotel’s signs. The first I encountered when I entered my room and walked into the bathroom. There, affixed to the mirror, was this: In […]

Patrick Burns sends this example of an emotionally intelligent magnet, which cyclists can use inform bad drivers of their sins.  BoingBoing has a great post with more info.

Here’s a collection of signage, emotionally intelligent and otherwise, that readers have sent in recently. (Warning: One sign has language that probably isn’t safe for work or for kids.) From Oskar Pearson: From Rick Carek: From Adam Clayman: