Public transportation in Berlin is generally great; trains run often, usually on time. It would be much better, however, if signage was more consistent and easier to understand.

It’s highly challenging to design this type of signage for a city this big and international. Usage of words should be kept to a minimum. Icons, colors and fonts should be used carefully, and kept standardized.

This often isn’t the case, and I will try to address some of my main issues by focusing on one piece: the digital info panel found on trams and some subway trains.

The Digital Info Panels

Recently, many street and U-Bahn (underground) trains, run by the BVG company, carry LCD screens meant to give passengers at-a-glance information about their ride.

The BVG tram electronic panels. But what does it all mean?

Take a good look at the picture above and tell me: what’s the next stop? Is it Schwedter Str. or Zionskirchplatz? Or Rosenthal Nord? Are you riding the M1 train to Rosenthal or the 12 to Zionskirchplatz?

I’ve had friends who were delayed hours on their first trip to the city asking those very same questions, not to mention strangers approaching me with big ❓ on their faces. So I decided to try my hand at redesigning it.