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Panel label font?

Steve Crewdog

Well Known Member
Patron
Ok, this is really getting into the trivial pursuit, but what else am I going to do when it's 0300 local but my body is screaming that it's noon and I should be home working on my plane?


Anyone found a preferred font for their panel labels, or one they wish they had not used that's too hard to read?


Thanks
 
Arial Rounded MT Bold, 10pt for switches.
I did end up with Arial MT Bold (not rounded) when I exported to a jpg or pdf from Visio for the transfers, I can't remember, but it was fine.
Rounded looked more like the engraved legends, so that was my intent.
 
Not a trivial decision at all! You're going to be looking at these things throughout all phases of flight. I chose to go with Gill Sans for all panel labels, including the ones on my control knobs, and required placards. It is modern looking, but readable at a glance and not too skinny. I also used it for my EXPERIMENTAL placard, but not for the N numbers.

(click for larger view)






 
Visio

Arial Rounded MT Bold, 10pt for switches.
I did end up with Arial MT Bold (not rounded) when I exported to a jpg or pdf from Visio for the transfers, I can't remember, but it was fine.
Rounded looked more like the engraved legends, so that was my intent.

Mike, do you have the Visio file you would be willing to share?

Thanks,

Scott
 
Panel labels

Arial Rounded MT Bold, 10pt for switches.
I did end up with Arial MT Bold (not rounded) when I exported to a jpg or pdf from Visio for the transfers, I can't remember, but it was fine.
Rounded looked more like the engraved legends, so that was my intent.

Same here. Mine is printed on 3M carbon fiber vinyl.
Article is coming out in Kitplanes soon.

20220117_113745.jpg
 
Same here. Mine is printed on 3M carbon fiber vinyl.
Article is coming out in Kitplanes soon.

View attachment 32008

Excellent, looking forward to it!


Many thanks for all the help gang, I felt kinda funny asking, glad to know others are going through some of the same things.


The panel was cut by Bill at Up North Aviation. The labels were rub-on transfers printed by ReproGraphX. This was the VAF thread with more info about the design and layout.


Ryan, I didn't see anything on your website about applying the labels, did you spray anything over the lettering to seal them?


Thanks
 
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Yeah, if it were me I'd try to match what the avionics had... if for example your panel is all Garmin like Draker's, then what font are they using?
Looks like Draker might have done that but it might be slightly different spacing/proportions so I can't tell. I'm no font expert for sure. Regardless that one looks nice.
 
Photo

Oops. This is the photo with all the goodies.
The beauty of the vinyl skin is it can be printed on white and used as a sacrificial cutting template. The final skin is printed with the same data so it fits.
20220811_115937.jpg
 
Ryan, I didn't see anything on your website about applying the labels, did you spray anything over the lettering to seal them?


Thanks

Good question--yes, I sprayed some automotive clear coat over the labels after I rubbed them on, and was a little disappointed that the clear coat wasn't so clear after all. It gave the lettering a yellowish tint. I've grown to be OK with the look though as the build went on.
 
Good question--yes, I sprayed some automotive clear coat over the labels after I rubbed them on, and was a little disappointed that the clear coat wasn't so clear after all. It gave the lettering a yellowish tint. I've grown to be OK with the look though as the build went on.

Thanks. I'll be putting them on my veneer panel and will be laying a couple coats of clear varnish over them.
 
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Yeah, if it were me I'd try to match what the avionics had... if for example your panel is all Garmin like Draker's, then what font are they using?
Looks like Draker might have done that but it might be slightly different spacing/proportions so I can't tell. I'm no font expert for sure. Regardless that one looks nice.

I asked Garmin a few times but got radio silence. Must be a state secret.
 
I asked Garmin a few times but got radio silence. Must be a state secret.

The typeface on the G3X chassis is different than the one used on the software display. I'm pretty sure the one on the chassis is Helvetica, and the one they use on the display looks very close to Vera Sans. Probably some kind of competitive trade secret! :cool:
 
Open Sans... Maybe.

Hi all. I've also been trying to figure out what font Garmin uses as a display face. I'm a graphic designer and have more nerdy knowledge about these things than most.

I think it's Open Sans (or something very close to it) which is a free Google font. Though Garmin isn't consistent across products. I noticed differences in the fonts between the G3X and GI275. For example, you will notice a slab serif on the bottom of the 1's on a G3X, and no slab serif on the GI275.

I believe the GI275 is the latest design thinking for Garmin products and the screens are really crisp and well optimized. It looks like Open Sans to me but could very well be custom or some other derivative.

Let me know if you discover anything different.
 

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x-height

For those who like random knowledge. When looking for a suitable font, look for one where the x-height is a larger percentage of the cap-height. The reason Open Sans makes a good display face is because the lowercase letters are proportionally larger and more open which makes them easier to read at small sizes. Like on a panel or avionics display.
 

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Hi all. I've also been trying to figure out what font Garmin uses as a display face. I'm a graphic designer and have more nerdy knowledge about these things than most.

I think it's Open Sans (or something very close to it) which is a free Google font. Though Garmin isn't consistent across products. I noticed differences in the fonts between the G3X and GI275. For example, you will notice a slab serif on the bottom of the 1's on a G3X, and no slab serif on the GI275.

I believe the GI275 is the latest design thinking for Garmin products and the screens are really crisp and well optimized. It looks like Open Sans to me but could very well be custom or some other derivative.

Let me know if you discover anything different.

As with any large organization, I wouldn't necessarily assume a perfectly synchronized planning process or unity of purpose amongst multiple semi-independent business units spread across the globe.

Having said that, a free font that is a very close match for the front-panel button labels on current Garmin avionics is Swiss 721 Medium BT.
 
As with any large organization, I wouldn't necessarily assume a perfectly synchronized planning process or unity of purpose amongst multiple semi-independent business units spread across the globe.

Yep, not to mention design trends change and what was cool in 2014 when the G3X released is not as cool as what's out there today. :) Helps keep designers busy.
 
nice. Wish there was a "like" button.
Went to the moon...I was expecting it to be the font used on the Lander's panel! Still, very interesting. I appreciate that post!
 
Hey Ryan, do you mind if I ask how you ordered your graphics, I found their website confusing and not user-friendly. I contacted Repro Graphx directly and they want almost $400 to do about 40 labels for me. Not gonna happen.

Holy smokes, how big a sheet did you price! Gotta nest all that stuff like a model decal sheet and stuff it all on 8.5x11" or so. Tuck in some extras in case you screw one up. $42 for 8.5x11 black (single color) and 20 day processing.
 

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Waterslide decals

Give inkjet waterslide decal paper a try, for less than 20 bucks you get plenty of material to experiment with.
Print up what you like, apply and cover with clear coat. Worked well for me.
 

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Holy smokes, how big a sheet did you price! Gotta nest all that stuff like a model decal sheet and stuff it all on 8.5x11" or so. Tuck in some extras in case you screw one up. $42 for 8.5x11 black (single color) and 20 day processing.

Ah, yeah, that's what I'm having trouble figuring out, how to lay it all out like that. Now that I understand what I have to do and reread their email, the $385 fee is for them to lay it all out, but it will \take 20 days for them to lay it up and print it out. If I can figure out how to pay it up myself, it will be cheaper/faster. I'll work on it.



Don, thanks for the head's up, I'll look into that too.
 
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What font does the NASA logo use?
Helvetica® typeface
The Helvetica® typeface has been used by NASA extensively for decades, from the space shuttle to signage and printouts. It is one of the most ubiquitous typefaces in the world, used commonly at large sizes for signs, titles, and logos.


Smithsonian said:
Here Are NASA’s Top 19 Typography Tips
For some, the choice of font is actually a matter of life and death

Colin Schultz
November 20, 2013

Whether you’re printing posters for your church raffle or unveiling one of the most important discoveries in modern physics, design matters. For pilots and early astronauts, with their elaborate manuals and checklists telling them how to set controls, or how to deal with emergencies, having clear, legible fonts was literally a matter of life and death.

NASA cares very much about the lives of pilots and astronauts. NASA also doesn’t like to screw around. You don’t get to put one-ton nuclear cars on another planet by screwing around. So, NASA doesn’t screw around with type design.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/here-are-nasas-top-19-typography-tips-180947788/

Attached pdf: NASA study, "On the typography of flight-deck documentation"
 

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Techniques Tips

CustomRubOnTransfers.com panel labels. Not wanting to remove panel overlays to install. Possible? Any techniques anyone can share? For most, they are single labels , eg: Flaps Up, then below the switch Flaps Dwn etc. , Throttle above the black knob, …….

I’ve have (2) of each, so I can goof up one, two will have me reordering.

Thanks
 
Controls

CustomRubOnTransfers.com panel labels. Not wanting to remove panel overlays to install. Possible? Any techniques anyone can share? For most, they are single labels , eg: Flaps Up, then below the switch Flaps Dwn etc. , Throttle above the black knob, …….

I’ve have (2) of each, so I can goof up one, two will have me reordering.

Thanks

I can't help with panel labels but do have a few more sets of these. Shoot me an e-mail (below) for my address. Send a self addressed stamped envalope. I'll send a set.
20220602_152215.jpg
 
I ended up using a company called Platon Graphics in SoCal, they could not have been nicer and were willing to give me several options to create them. $165 for 4 sheets (2 black, 2 white, I could not make up my mind which way to go before ordering, and some labels had multiples on each sheet because I knew I'd mess some up while learning and doing.) The learning curve was a bit frustrating, I actually walked away from the panel for a couple months and worked on my engine installation until that frustrated me yesterday, so I took my engine frustrations out on the panel and goshdarnit!, I was going to figure out those bloody labels today.

One of the problems was lining everything up perfectly, at first I tried using a straight edge to line things up, which was one of the frustrations and reasons I walked away last year. Today I just used my Mark I eyeballs to line them up and they came out pretty well, having ordered some extra I had the luxury of going *dang*, carefully scraping them off and redoing it with a spare (or two... or three..)

Since I gave up my dream of winning a Gold Lindy for my first build, I've relaxed a lot and am just having fun now, accepting imperfections in some things while maintaining a high, uncompromising standard in safety related items.
 

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Your photos convinced me that for lighter panels, white doesn't provide enough contrast.

Thanks,
Dave

Yup. Knowing I had the contrast between dark and light wood I was thinking about using a combination of black and white, but it just didn't look right.

Since OspRey pretty much has the performance envelope of a day VFR ultralight, there's no extensive systems requiring a lot of switches, the bottom row is lighting going L->R from startup to takeoff, with Up being On, I'm able to get away with a slight lack of contrast in favor of uniformity.
 
SORRY TO HIJACK

What is the state of the art of DIY labels and transfer onto painted panel?

I know you can go for all kinds of pro services, but what DIY products, processes, materials are there a homebuilder can do????

I do have an el-cheapo handheld label maker. All the tape I have is white with black letters. It would look very crude to use this on panel. It does have font size and style selection. I will use it for something but not panel labels.
 
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SORRY TO HIJACK

What is the state of the art of DIY labels and transfer onto painted panel?

I know you can go for all kinds of pro services, but what DIY products, processes, materials are there a homebuilder can do????

I do have an el-cheapo handheld label maker. All the tap I have is white with black letters. It would look very crude to use this on panel. It does have font size and style selection. I will use it for something but not panel labels.

Brother P-Touch labels hold up fine as long as the surface is prepped and clean.

For larger projects, you can get a base Cricut machine for $180 which will allow you to cut up to 4" wide vinyl. $280 gets you the model which can go up to 11". I wouldn't recommend it for anything which gets touched frequently, but if you need to slap some placards on things, it'll work great.
 
SORRY TO HIJACK

What is the state of the art of DIY labels and transfer onto painted panel?

I know you can go for all kinds of pro services, but what DIY products, processes, materials are there a homebuilder can do????

I do have an el-cheapo handheld label maker. All the tap I have is white with black letters. It would look very crude to use this on panel. It does have font size and style selection. I will use it for something but not panel labels.

Dymo 160P label maker uses D1 tape that is available in black on clear and white on clear. I think these look better than black on white. The clear tape may be more shiny than the paint on the panel. The labels can be printed with box around the text and if they are stuck on straight look pretty good to me, though not as fancy as a screen printed panel. Maybe the slight compromise is worth it for cost, DIY, flexibility, convenience.
 
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SORRY TO HIJACK

What is the state of the art of DIY labels and transfer onto painted panel?

Glad you did. I tried using my Dynon 160 with stick-on labels but could not get the tape to blend into the wood, even after coating with different finishes.

Some day they'll make a home label maker that will cut the lettering away from the background film.
 
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