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            "id": "348",
            "url": "https:\/\/ilyabirman.net\/meanwhile\/all\/matching-typography-israel\/",
            "title": "Matching the typography of the three languages in Israel",
            "content_html": "<p>In Israel, many signs are given in three languages: Hebrew, Arabic, and English. The three writing systems are very different, but sometimes designers try to find somewhat similar fonts to make all three work together.<\/p>\n<p>The idea is good in itself, but the result is often poor.<\/p>\n<p>The first picture is of the light rail station in Tel Aviv:<\/p>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/ilyabirman.net\/meanwhile\/pictures\/israel-three-langs-elifelet.jpg\" width=\"1280\" height=\"852\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p>Everything seems to be equally low-contrast, straightforward, and close to pure grapheme. But the line heights and the stroke widths are all different, so it looks very sloppy.<\/p>\n<p>The second picture is of a beautiful sign at the Rehovot police station:<\/p>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/ilyabirman.net\/meanwhile\/pictures\/israel-three-langs-rehovot.jpg\" width=\"1280\" height=\"852\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p>Each writing system is being true to itself instead of trying to mimic a foreign one, but the whole thing still looks very consistent due to the same range of stroke widths.<\/p>\n",
            "summary": "In Israel, many signs are given in three languages: Hebrew, Arabic, and English. The three writing systems are very different, but sometimes designers try to find somewhat similar fonts to make all three",
            "date_published": "2022-11-25T03:12:16+05:00",
            "date_modified": "2022-11-25T03:16:36+05:00",
            "tags": [
                "hebrew",
                "Israel",
                "typography"
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            "id": "347",
            "url": "https:\/\/ilyabirman.net\/meanwhile\/all\/israeli-train-toilet\/",
            "title": "Signs in an Israeli train bathroom",
            "content_html": "<p>A couple of days ago I visited Beersheba, a city in southern Israel.<\/p>\n<p>In the train bathroom, there are two signs, one above the toilet, one above the button:<\/p>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/ilyabirman.net\/meanwhile\/pictures\/israel-train-toilet-1.jpg\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p>Both are dumb.<\/p>\n<p>The sign above the toilet wants you to not throw paper and diapers in the toilet as there is a bin for that:<\/p>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/ilyabirman.net\/meanwhile\/pictures\/israel-train-toilet-2.jpg\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p>But what do you really see? The toilet is crossed out (there is no toilet?). At a glance, you just see a green checkmark and a hand that throws stuff. So, it’s OK to throw stuff. Nobody cares that there is a bin on the sign: the sign itself in placed above the toilet. The proximity is more powerful than the pictogram of the bin.<\/p>\n<p>The sign above the button is dumb in a different way. The pictogram explains that it’s a button next to the toilet:<\/p>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/ilyabirman.net\/meanwhile\/pictures\/israel-train-toilet-3.jpg\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p>Oh really? I had no idea that it’s a button next to the toilet!<\/p>\n",
            "summary": "A couple of days ago I visited Beersheba, a city in southern Israel",
            "date_published": "2022-11-19T00:32:06+05:00",
            "date_modified": "2022-11-19T00:28:43+05:00",
            "tags": [
                "Israel",
                "signs",
                "toilet",
                "transportation",
                "wayfinding"
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