Best and worst instrument fonts

[horriblemercedes]

 

I really like the RS250 Megane, but I always find these dials difficult to read at a glance

[Heavyspanners]

Land Rovers up to the Series 3 had this rather odd, almost art nouveau font, the kind of style you'd see over the doorway of a night club in 19th century Paris. Which might not be a coincidence, because Jaeger, the instrument manufacturer, started out in France as watchmakers in 1880. Jaeger was bought out by Smiths in 1927, but Jaeger instruments always had their own font.

I like it, but it's a bit fussy for a Land Rover.



 

[SiC]

2 hours ago, mercedade said:

The 986 Boxster dash is pathetic. It's such a childish looking font, like a video game from the 80s.

(I appreciate that there's the possibility that the reason it looks like a shitty Outrun prop is that they copied Porsche) 

I was going to post the 986 too. Those wings are also for the 911 with its extra gauges.

The speedometer is the worst bit on the Porsche clusters. Utterly useless speed denominations. Thankfully there is a digital read out. 

[angle]

It's a pretty shit font, but if you want grim here is the entire dash of a base spec Seat Mii.

 

 

[Verysleepyboy]

A little tangential but on topic - how about a very funky 90's Yamaha 16yo learner legal step through known as the BW'S 50 with twin headlights, ballon(ish) tyres and "rugged" styling, complete with a hideous cartoon instrument panel?

[wesacosa]

everything you need and nothing you don't 

 

[Rightnider]

I like the mk1 series 2 Granada cluster. It’s quite easy to read for the age. 

 

[inconsistant]

1 hour ago, wesacosa said:

everything you need and nothing you don't 

 

I need miles per hour.😀

[grogee]

3 hours ago, angle said:

It's a pretty shit font, but if you want grim here is the entire dash of a base spec Seat Mii.

 

 

Wow yeah that's 1959 Mini levels of austerity

[MrGTI6]

4 hours ago, angle said:

It's a pretty shit font, but if you want grim here is the entire dash of a base spec Seat Mii.

 

 

At least the increments are consistent, unlike its sister car the Volkswagen Up. 0, 10, 20, 40... why!?

[auntiemaryscanary]

When I first met the future Mrs amc she was driving a Daewoo Kalos - bought brand new. In hindsight the actual clocks and fonts weren't too bad.

Just that everything around them was pig ugly and the wheel position meant they were hard to see.

[calebaaront]

2014 Wrightbus Streetlite. Looks like they’ve taken the Speedo from a Chinese scooter 

[willswitchengage]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurostile

This typeface is pretty ubiquitous in every Japanese product made in the 80s/90s, including cars. I love it. I remember reading a blog once about why, can't seem to find it. Still looks 10/10 today; smart and clear.

[SEATMad]

Never been a fan of the Primera's instruments if I'm honest  

[grogee]

8 minutes ago, SEATMad said:

Never been a fan of the Primera's instruments if I'm honest  

Yep. Had one, hated that chintzy font. Good car though. 

[mercedade]

1 hour ago, calebaaront said:

2014 Wrightbus Streetlite. Looks like they’ve taken the Speedo from a Chinese scooter 

Tbf, the 'Wrightbus Streetlite' sounds like the name of a Chinese scooter. 

[calebaaront]

33 minutes ago, mercedade said:

Tbf, the 'Wrightbus Streetlite' sounds like the name of a Chinese scooter. 

They’re often referred as Streetshites, they’re cheap, nasty and shit. So basically a Chinese scooter in the bus world 

[DavieW]

15 hours ago, willswitchengage said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurostile

This typeface is pretty ubiquitous in every Japanese product made in the 80s/90s, including cars. I love it. I remember reading a blog once about why, can't seem to find it. Still looks 10/10 today; smart and clear.

That looks bloody awful to me. Are the 8 and charging light on rev counter and fuel gauge icon  actually blocked by the speedo thing or just the angle the pic was taken?

[Leyland Worldmaster]

Leyland National. Introduced ergonomic design to bus cabs. First time the colour coded warning lamps were know and love were used.

Also looks fucking cool. Everything one needs. No frills and fucking cool:

 

[Leyland Worldmaster]

In contrast with this. Way too much information- why do we need a fucking rev counter on a Milkfloat?

Also the bus stop lamp on the main display isn't used- it is in a small and difficult to read panel to the right above the gear selector switches.

Also shite is the warning buzzer. Far too 'polite'...

Shite:

 

[Dan the van]

2 hours ago, Leyland Worldmaster said:

Leyland National. Introduced ergonomic design to bus cabs. First time the colour coded warning lamps were know and love were used.

Also looks fucking cool. Everything one needs. No frills and fucking cool:

 

I really liked the driving position in the Nationals.Way better than the Fleetlines with that huge wheel.

[Leyland Worldmaster]

49 minutes ago, Dan the van said:

I really liked the driving position in the Nationals.Way better than the Fleetlines with that huge wheel.

I haven't yet driven a National, however I played with a TN Titan in a yard and the cab was similar. 

I had a play in a Fleetline. Scattered switches and a massive steering wheel for sure! Sod doing a shift in one! 😅

[Spottedlaurel]

I came here to post the Primera P11 as it came to mind as one I disliked, and I see I've been beaten to it. Have a night-time shot instead:

In addition to the font there was also too much red, which surely should only be seen as a warning?

I think Master SL's new 7th gen Celica also has some sort of italic or brush script font which is a bit different to Toyota's usual. Ah yes.....

I like the more conventional 1980s/90s Japanese maker fonts, usually very clear:

1992 Camry. My 2014 Lexus isn't much different.

1988 Sunny.

Having it in orange and the graph paper background makes it a little busier in the '87 Bluebird. No shortage of information here!

[Snipes]

Twin tripometers! @Spottedlaurel

[Spottedlaurel]

12 minutes ago, Snipes said:

Twin tripometers! @Spottedlaurel

Yup, impressive for the time. Also the odometer read the full six digits plus tenths.

[JMotor]

There's a few I like. 

But I want to mention the later Maestro speedo. Nowt fancy. Easy to read font. 

Simple is sometimes best.

Don't mind the style font used in the Corsa B either.

 

[Spiny Norman]

Loved the clocks in my old 156. Again, a simple easy to read font with little to distract the eye, and nicely backlit when you turned the lights on. 
Just me or are black on white dials easier to read at a glance? 

[vtec-e]

31 minutes ago, Spiny Norman said:

Loved the clocks in my old 156. Again, a simple easy to read font with little to distract the eye, and nicely backlit when you turned the lights on. 
Just me or are black on white dials easier to read at a glance? 

Much easier to read than my Clio's red needle on a black dial. Impossible to read when driving under trees in the shade - at least for my aging eyes 🙂

[grogee]

5 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

think Master SL's new 7th gen Celica also has some sort of italic or brush script font which is a bit different to Toyota's usual. Ah yes.....

Had one. This eyesore on the dash was in stark contrast to the spaceship looks on the outside. 

Italics = bad, orange on black = bad. 

[Zelandeth]

Think the worst I've had for readability was black on silver, with amber backlighting.  The needles being white wasn't smart either.

Was absolutely fine in daylight, so long as you didn't need to read the kph markers anyway.

Was fine at night.

But in shadow or at dusk with the lights on was nigh on completely unreadable as there was just no contrast.

Daft decision I reckon.

The 107 had black on white and the same backlighting scheme - but that worked in all lighting as there was a thin black border around the major digits when lit so even in odd lighting you still had the outline.

I'd forgotten about the italic Comic Sans nonsense that Porsche had used along with the world's most useless speedometer scale.  Or I'd tried to block the memory from my mind... that's one reason I couldn't ever have a Boxster, that panel would drive me insane.