Signs

From the beginning of the project special attention was paid to the design and architecture of the stations.

This meant that aesthetic considerations should also incorporate aspects such as functionality, commuter convenience and well-being.

The signs used in the Bilbao Metro were designed by Otl Aicher and are based on:

Word Signs:

The type of font designed tries to improve legibility and speed of reading.

Pictograms and arrows:

Pictograms:When square, they indicate the presence of a service of interest for users. Round pictograms are reserved for prohibitions or norms that users must comply with.

Arrows:these may indicate four direction: left, right, up and down - straight on. Diagonal directions are not permitted.

Colours (four) :

Red is the basic colour.
Signs will use corporate Red as their background colour. This allows the sign system to stand out inside the stations where grey tones predominate.
The text and arrows will be White.
Black is reserved for secondary information such as pictograms or to differentiate some texts.
In exceptional cases, Grey may also be used as a background colour.

Two surface elements immediately identify the Bilbao Metro:

The steel and glass shelters.

The mast with the logotype.

Thanks to the signs, regular users know where to go, as well as which line and what direction they are to take. Foreigners who visit the city will have the aid of maps of the different lines and stations at their disposal. There is also a train timetable to inform on the frequency of trains at each station. This information can be located both in the streets and in the stations.

Almost all official signs are retro-illuminated so that they can be easily identified by users.