Wikipedia:WikiProject U.S. Roads/Shields/Design
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Below are frequently asked questions about shield designing.
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[edit] Getting started
[edit] Install Inkscape
All shields are currently designed and saved in the SVG format. Therefore, you must get Inkscape or another SVG editing program. Now follow all the instructions while running the install program.
[edit] Get the Roadgeek 2005 Fonts
The font currently used for highway shields on Wikipedia are the Roadgeek 2005 Fonts, which are based on the series of fonts found in the FHWA's MUTCD. Download the fonts at the above link, then unzip everything into your Fonts folder (on Windows). If you were running Inkscape while unzipping into the Fonts folder, you will have to restart Inkscape for the fonts to appear.
[edit] Font series
The Roadgeek 2005 Fonts package contains several styles of fonts. Examples of the most commonly used fonts are shown below.
Missouri Route 366 shield. Series B.
Interstate 280 shield. Series C.
U.S. Route 30 shield. Series D.
Pennsylvania Route 5 shield. Series E.
[edit] Making shields
After everything is set up, you are ready to make shields! But first, you need a shield to make from, so here is a briefing:
- All shields are located and are to be uploaded to Commons
- Blank shields are in the categories that are in the aforementioned category.
- Some states have templates you can make the shield from.
[edit] Details
When starting to make a new shield, download a blank shield so you can build from that. You may also want to look at some pre-made shields to see what they should look like, and then make your shield! When you are done, convert the number into a path, or else the numbers will look odd once the shield is uploaded.
If there isn't any template shield, make one without converting the number to path, and then upload it to Commons stating it is a template shield and that it shouldn't be used on a regular article.
[edit] Fixing non-rendering shields
Bug 5463, which dealt with problems in the way that SVG images were being rendered, was fixed sometime in late June 2006. SVGs uploaded prior to this date, however, are still susceptible to the bug if they have not been purged since the fix. These unpurged images, when displayed at certain resolutions, will display as a blank, transparent image or will appear incorrectly. To fix, simply purge the image on the image page and then purge the page where the shield is being used. Multiple purges and/or cache-clearing may be necessary, depending on the image and your browser.
If it still doesn't work, re-save the image using Inkscape. The problem tends to only occur with images created in Adobe Illustrator.
