Railroad Crossing Sign

Railroad crossing signs differ across the country, but there are many similarities. We will be taking a closer look into the alignment and shape of the objects, universal symobols that have meaning for individuals from different cultures, arrangement of objects on the signs, as well as the symbolic meaning of color schemes and appeal.

Two Generally Used Signs Across the World:

There are several different railroad sign designs used but the layout and alignment remain the same. The crossbuck shows the text "crossing" over the seperated text "rail" and "road" and forms an X which strongly implies danger and the need to approach with caution. Although the signs essentially have a different shape and color scheme the symbolic cross implies the same message of caution.The signs do have the same arrangement, crossbuck shape, and the balance between the words or initials for "rail" and "road". In the yellow sign on the upper right the cross exists in the same direction and the "R" and "R" are once again seperated by the crossbuck. The color yellow signifies the need to approach something with caution and care and serves as a bright noticeable background for the bold print and symbol.

INTERNATIONAL RAILROAD SIGNS



The first sign is located in Australia and the second in India. Although the sign in India does not have text it contains the universal crossbuck as well as the sign from Australia. One interesting thing is it's use of color. The red is used to alert individuals to approach with intent to stop. The red used on the Australian sign serves as a great background to excentuate the white crossbuck with the bold black "railway" crossing text. The second image from India maintains the same format and color scheme by using the white crossbuck yet uses the red at each end point once again signifying the need for extreme caution and the possible need to stop.

IMPORTANCE OF UNIVERSAL SIGNS

The importance of universal signs is imparitive to express the correct message and give meaning to directions. Although the crossb0ow symobl mainly stays the same the bright meaningful colors differ, yet still share important components that alert people from most regions of the world to approach with caution with preperation to stop. This cross-cultural knowledge is very important to the way we communicate with eachother as well as express caution and the delivery of important messages. The format, shape, color, and alignment are all used to ensure the correct meaning is expressed properly.