Designing for Visibility, Clarity, and Safety: Donald Meeker’s Enduring Impact

June 18, 2025

Cybelle Jones

Episode 3: Voices of Experience with Donald Meeker of Terrabilt, Inc.

In the third episode of Voices of Experience, we spotlight Don’s legacy—a legacy written not just in signs and symbols, but in standards and systems that influence how millions of people navigate parks, cities, and highways every day.

Best known for his collaboration with typographer James Montalbano on the Clearview typeface, Don led the charge in developing a highway sign font optimized for readability—particularly for aging drivers. This was no aesthetic exercise: studies showed that improved legibility contributed to a 40% reduction in fatalities and a 28–30% drop in accidents where the new signage was implemented. Today, Clearview has been adopted in parts of Brazil, Israel, Panama, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka, demonstrating the global relevance of Don’s research-driven approach.

But Don’s impact doesn’t stop at the freeway. As principal of Meeker & Associates and later founder of Terrabilt, Inc., he’s helped reimagine wayfinding in parks, preserves, and heritage sites across North America. His design systems—many rooted in sustainability—serve visitors to the Corps of Engineers’ 2,500+ parks, the National Park Service, Alberta Parks, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Through these efforts, he’s elevated the visitor experience and created visual languages that respect both place and people.

Perhaps one of Don’s most quietly influential contributions is the National Recreation Symbol System, developed in collaboration with SEGD and grounded in the visual clarity of the 1977 AIGA/USDOT symbols. This volunteer-driven initiative, which began in the early 1980s, continues to evolve—offering designers and agencies a shared, cohesive visual vocabulary for public space.

In his Voices of Experience interview, Don reflects on his decades of work with SEGD—from attending formative conferences at Cranbrook to helping “build the profession” alongside fellow SEGDrs. He speaks with clarity and humility about the essential role of research in design, emphasizing that “everything that you see in the streets deserves sophisticated design and research”—a reminder that public communications like signs, maps, and wayfinding must be as thoughtfully crafted as the systems and functions they support.

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Episode 3: SEGD’s Voices of Experience with Donald Meeker

Filmed during SEGD’s 50th anniversary celebration in Washington, DC by Abigail Honor of Lorem Ipsum, this episode invites us to reconsider not just how signage looks, but how it works—and whom it serves.

Watch the third episode of Voices of Experience featuring Donald Meeker, FSEGD

Join us every two weeks as we continue honoring SEGD Fellows whose work has shaped the environments—and experiences—that define our world.

Because visibility isn’t a luxury—it’s a public right.