The crossed "Z" is the European form and has the advantage of distinguishing it from the digit "2". However, the designer would have perhaps done better to be consistent by also crossing the digit "7" -- a European standard to distinguish it from the digit "1" (which is often written like the English-speaking world's "7" in parts of Europe!). Unfortunately, there seems to be no real "international" standard -- at least, I don't know of any!
Submitted by davidneale on Tue, 05/06/2003 - 11:18.
I am a print designer for an industrial manufacturer who was asked to come up with a design for a corporate-sponsored soap box derby car. I found it interesting that another designer had issues with the "dimension conversion" -- stripes on a curved surface are hard to apply! I'm surprised the numbers are actually painted on the plane rather than using decals!
Submitted by Leah Hanlin on Thu, 11/03/2005 - 07:49.
And now that my case is plead, my adoring public will flood the FAA with so many cards and e-mails, the bureaucrats will crumble at my feet and beg me to redesign their letterhead as well-what a poorly researched twit!
Submitted by Nick Gregoric on Tue, 11/15/2005 - 05:15.
If this happened within the past four months, I wonder if the international look reminded the FAA official of the way the French would write the letter Z. In today's world of Freedom Fries, perhaps the FAA official felt your friend was trying to make a statement of solidarity with the French.
However, I do quibble with your use of the crossbar for the letter Z. Why, then, did you not cross the number 7 as all good Europeans and US chemistry students (I was one) are taught to do. We cross the 7 to make sure it doesn't look like a 1. We add a front angled line to 1 to make sure it doesn't look like a lowercase l.
There's a whole mess of conventions to use to make sure that letters and numbers are not mixed up with each other.
But by choosing to cross only the letter Z, I feel you were causing more confusing than if you had left the letter plain. You were mixing conventions in the middle of a identity. That's more confusing than the crossbar.
Consider the following: 212,555.1000. Is this a phone number? A Social Security number? Or something else. Mixing the conventions for European style phone numbers with american numerals creates less clear communication, not greater.
Submitted by SandeeCohen99 on Tue, 05/06/2003 - 03:06.
International Characters
The crossed "Z" is the European form and has the advantage of distinguishing it from the digit "2". However, the designer would have perhaps done better to be consistent by also crossing the digit "7" -- a European standard to distinguish it from the digit "1" (which is often written like the English-speaking world's "7" in parts of Europe!). Unfortunately, there seems to be no real "international" standard -- at least, I don't know of any!
2D designers doing 3D design
I am a print designer for an industrial manufacturer who was asked to come up with a design for a corporate-sponsored soap box derby car. I found it interesting that another designer had issues with the "dimension conversion" -- stripes on a curved surface are hard to apply! I'm surprised the numbers are actually painted on the plane rather than using decals!
On painting aeroplanes…
And now that my case is plead, my adoring public will flood the FAA with so many cards and e-mails, the bureaucrats will crumble at my feet and beg me to redesign their letterhead as well-what a poorly researched twit!
When did this happen? Within the past four months?
If this happened within the past four months, I wonder if the international look reminded the FAA official of the way the French would write the letter Z. In today's world of Freedom Fries, perhaps the FAA official felt your friend was trying to make a statement of solidarity with the French.
However, I do quibble with your use of the crossbar for the letter Z. Why, then, did you not cross the number 7 as all good Europeans and US chemistry students (I was one) are taught to do. We cross the 7 to make sure it doesn't look like a 1. We add a front angled line to 1 to make sure it doesn't look like a lowercase l.
There's a whole mess of conventions to use to make sure that letters and numbers are not mixed up with each other.
But by choosing to cross only the letter Z, I feel you were causing more confusing than if you had left the letter plain. You were mixing conventions in the middle of a identity. That's more confusing than the crossbar.
Consider the following: 212,555.1000. Is this a phone number? A Social Security number? Or something else. Mixing the conventions for European style phone numbers with american numerals creates less clear communication, not greater.