The world in which we live needs to be legible. Most countries have, for example, standards for colour contrasts to help the visually impaired. We have braille and tactile indicators to make our environments legible to those who cannot see.
These are examples of standards that exist to make our world more accessible for those with special needs. The point of legibility is that it doesn't stop there - it makes our world more accessible for everyone.
Multi-lingual stop sign in Canada. It is important for signs to be easily recognisable or accidents can happen. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia: P199.
Road signs are virtually the same all over the planet (check out this page for a comparison) so as to allow people to drive in countries in which they never have before without incident. Whilst they likely only look the same because they were constructed in the same era, corner pubs are easy to spot from a mile away as a place you can get a drink.
Take for another example, the English telephone booth. Many people will recognise the iconic red telephone booth. The first functional criteria of a telephone booth is to be able to use it to make a phone call. The second functional criteria of a telephone booth is to be found. Even if it many not have been the original intent, the bright red design certainly makes it easier to spot. This feature of use has now become a feature of familiarity. Before the red colour may have been easy to spot but we didn't instinctively know what it was - now the red colour signifies "telephone booth."
Classic United Kingdom telephone booths. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia: Quadell
No one could argue against the fact that a more recognisable telephone booth is a better telephone booth. What we are really speaking of here, however, is not a more recognisable telephone booth, but rather a more legible environment. Public telephones are a part of the world in which we live (well, less and less these days.....), just like footpaths, street lamps, zebra crossings. Making them more recognisable is synonymous with making the entire system more legible.
One can make the exact same case for a building. To be useful it must be legible.
You could argue there is great architectural potential in tipping these norms on their head. Take for example the spectacularly extravagant restaurant whose entrance is through a tiny door in a back alley. Consider the sense of awe one might feel upon discovering such a space after such a humble entry. However, if we've learned anything from goths it is that we can't be different by everyone being different. That is, the tiny door in the back alley is only exciting because it is different. It requires a definition of expectations for 'restaurant' to break in order to be 'different.'
So, what might be a way in which we can define such things? And how can we introduce a sense of Delight (Vitruvius: Firmness, Commodity and Delight) in producing legible buildings?
