USPS Mailbox Label
Signage and Labels Archives
October 15, 2006
October 17, 2006
Apartment Building Doorbells
Note the USPS Bar Code label at the bottom.
Laundromat Dryer Control Panel
Washer Dial and Instructions
Check out the info table on the right. Tufte would be proud.
October 18, 2006
Ironic Door Handle in London
Don Norman would not approve.
via Cameron Moll
Fire Alarm Call Box
An original, unmodified call box. Missing the glass though.
Fire Alarm Call Box
A modified (and defaced) version of the call box. You can still see the instructions through the plexiglass.
October 19, 2006
Push Button For
via Gino Zahnd
October 24, 2006
Press to Exit
October 26, 2006
Handicapped Elevator Controls
These controls are for someone outside the elevator to control it, not the person inside. Thus the key is necessary to enable this.
Airline Boarding Pass Reader
People don't appreciate taking pictures of equipment in airports, I've found.
October 29, 2006
Mini-Bulldozer Joystick (right)
Interesting the diagram is on the side of the joystick, not in front, where one would think it map a lot more effectively and be read easier. But perhaps not from the driver's/controller's seat.
Mini-Bulldozer Joystick (left)
I really like the clarity of the controls diagram.
October 30, 2006
Street Crossing Directions
Is this really necessary?
November 3, 2006
Hand Scanner Lock
Apologies for the blurry photo, but had to be taken quickly. Note the hand diagram. I bet we're going to see a lot of this sort of thing.
Programmable Safe
Parking Payment, Toronto Street
Love the "Maximum Time" button, since that's probably what most people do most of the time when parking at a meter.
November 4, 2006
Speak Here
This Button Not In Use
Wow.
November 5, 2006
Delta Air Lines Cockpit. 757?
Be sure to view this photo in Flickr to see all the controls detailed out. Very cool.
Sex Machine
View larger in Flickr to read the button labels. No comment on the form.
Old Dials
No idea what this is, but look at how the fixed points of the dial link to (handwritten?) labels via lines.
November 6, 2006
Emergency Telephone Button
Love the "Help Is On The Way" light.
November 9, 2006
Korg Oscilloscope Panel
"Korg EA-1 Mk II analog modeling synthesizer. Portamento is how quickly it changes pitch so you can play it like a piano or make it sound like a siren. The rest is for the two oscilloscopes and the type of each and how they interact with each other (modulation). Also can patch in the audio in, instead of Osc 1."
November 11, 2006
Decaf
Muni Kiosk Display
What does the button marked with the handicapped icon do? And the repeat button? And the numbers below each of the buttons? And the unused buttons? What a mess.
November 14, 2006
Digital Thermostat
Redundancy
Awesome.
Top Of Cool Old Radio, Nan's Attic, Heswall 21-10-06
I love the labels on the tuner: Vatican, E. Germany, W. Germany, etc. Note that they indicate a small range, not just a fixed point.
November 20, 2006
Coffee Bean Grinder Settings
Really nice set of icons and labels here, I think.
Cleaning Lever
Hydrolic Lift Dashboard
Canon 400d Screen and Controls
Eins, zwei, drei
I don't know what this is or means.
Black Rotary Telephone
Love the label: Listen before dialing!
November 26, 2006
Important Display
Hotel Radio
This interface, since travelers won't know the stations or their frequency in a new city, makes perfect sense.
Windscreen Wiper Control
Washing Machine Dial
I bet this is difficult to decipher even in its native language.
November 29, 2006
Speed Queen
Love the instructions with cute icons.
December 3, 2006
Control for Heating/Cooling
Possibly from a winery.
VW Beetle - Instrument Panel
Annunciator
Love the "Engine Working Wrong" Setting. Does that shut everything down in a way that "Stop" doesn't? I'm guessing so.
December 9, 2006
Pay Here
Danger Crushing Hazard
IDT Prepaid Phone Card Machine
"Press Product Button to Begin." Wouldn't "Choose Dollar Amount" (like the other instructions say) be better directions?
SaniSeat
December 20, 2006
Old Pedestrian Lights Button
Elevator Buttons
Apparently you can only go to certain floors...
Call for Elevator
Another example of good design from BART.
Strange Elevator Buttons in Paris
Oh those wacky French.
January 1, 2007
SIB Varidrive
Output and input signs are great.
Car-Ferry Control Panel
Garbage Disposal Switch in War Games Mess Hall
January 20, 2007
Fancy Toilet Computer
Opensource Segway Control Panel
Mitsubishi Jet Bridge Control Panel
January 22, 2007
Maytag Washer Interface
Maytag Washer Cycle Dial
February 4, 2007
Tomy - Leonardo's Pizza Vault Pocket Game
Low tech and bizarre controls.
Home Pong Game
Kodak Cine - Lense and Adjustment
The front of an antique movie camera. Check out the amount of instructions made into a label.
Sinclair ZX81 Keys
This was my first computer (albeit a "Timex Sinclair" in the US.
Big Buttons
February 21, 2007
GVG 200 Control Panel
A video production switcher. I love the "Fail-Safe" feel of this panel, with its differently lit buttons.
Missile Silo Monitoring Station
Check out the Titan Missile diagram. Also: I see a rotary phone dialer, but where is the handset?
March 1, 2007
Handicapped Stairs Controls
I forget where I saw this, but wow, I have no idea how this thing works. Incomprehensible iconography and instructions.
March 22, 2007
Brooklyn Laundromat Dial
Cool 1970s (1960s?) typography.
CIMG2896 Boiler Controls
I have no idea what this is. Engine in a ship? Look at the size of those indicators. No squinting to see those.
Lighting Dimmers
April 27, 2007
Nagoya Washer + Dryer Control Panel
Wow, so complicated.
Rabbits and Snails Label
Love the illustrations for labels!
Red Baron Arcade Game Controls
I don't remember this game.
May 8, 2007
Olympus XA3 ISO Speed Selector Dial
Awesome tiny details on this label.
Distance Dial
Interesting visualization of distance.
Watch Dial
Heat Indicator
Warm, Hot, Very Hot!
May 14, 2007
Ford Farlaine Dashboard
Hudson Hornet Dashboard
Look how wide it stretches! Awesome typography as well--check out the numbered dials.
Fire Engine Pumper Controls
Love the falling man icon in the middle.
Taiwan Airport Toilet Controls
May 17, 2007
Vtech Little PC Fun
May 24, 2007
Cherry Picker Controls
Wow, what in the world does this diagram mean?
Portable Oxygen Tank Controls
June 13, 2007
Toyota Auris 2007 Dashboard
A car with modes!
Lawnmowing Tractor Controls
Interesting that the clutch and brake are the same pedal.
Crane Controls
Amazing how simple these are for such a large and powerful object that can be extremely dangerous.
Old Subway Controls
In a museum in Glasgow.
June 19, 2007
Telegraph on HMS Alliance
Aerial 17m Cage Controls
Love the diagrams, although hard to distinguish one control from another.
August 28, 2007
Thunderbird Dashboard
Wow, what a funky variation. The knobs (levers?) are under the housing and labels.
Japanese Toilet Control Pad
This is probably the nicest one of these I've seen yet. They are usually overly complicated.
October 4, 2007
Garwood Controls
Colorful.
Austrian Airline Business Class Seat Controls
"Ten Controls for the seat plus three additional preset positions, and not to mention a massage button that my fingers are covering."
I'm digging the clarity of this diagram and relating the seat motors to body positioning.
Lexus LS600hL with RX400h * Double "h" * Rear-Seat Audio Controls
October 23, 2007
DeHavilland
ATV Throttle
Lever Set
Ye Olde Airplane Passenger Basic Controls
You know, the ergonomics of these kind of suck. If you are elderly, how do you reach up to adjust the air flow? It requires some detail hand work and these things never work very well--it is difficult to get the right flow of air aimed in the right place. Especially since you have to change your position to adjust the air, then when you sit down you have to test to see whether it is hitting the right spot on you or not, often requiring more adjustment, etc.
September 2, 2011
Road Runner Game
About NIBIT
No Ideas But In Things is a library of controls, animations, layouts, and displays that might be a source of inspiration for interaction designers. Dan Saffer is the curator.
The title comes from a William Carlos Williams poem.
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