Edward Donnelly, from California, in the US, posts photographs of address plates from buildings. How often do you pass by these house numbers and not even think twice about them? But, some are unique, old and interesting. Address Photography Do you have a house number visible on your home? Numbers should be easy to read, big in size, and a contrasting colour to the background they are affixed to. Placing house numbers on your mail box isn’t enough. These days not everyone has a mailbox and they tend to be smaller numbers, not so easy to read from the street. I have large house numbers over the garage and another set at the front door of the house. No credit to me, the numbers where here when we bought the house. One of those little things people usually don’t think of when they move into a new house. But, a nice thing to give your home some extra character and a practical item too.

Placement :

• The house number should be visible from the road or street in front of the property. As such, the house number sign should be placed on the side of the house that faces the road.
• If the house is too far from the road, the house number should be displayed on the mailbox.
• There’s a chance that you or someone else may park their vehicle in front of the mailbox; in this case, it’s suitable to paint your house number on your driveway. The number should be painted on the side of the driveway that faces the moving traffic.
• If your mailbox isn’t in front of your house or near your driveway, post a house number sign in your yard.
• The house number, whether displayed on the house, mailbox, or curb, should be unobstructed by objects such as tree limbs, bushes, debris, or decorations.
• A house number sign should be placed in close proximity to the porch light so it can be seen at night. When that isn’t possible, invest in reflective house address signs.

Color :

• Overglow can be blinding, and makes it difficult for anyone to see your house number.
• The color of the numbers should be in sharp contrast to their background. Certain colors on reflective address number signs may glow too much under headlights, which can overshadow the number on the sign. This is a major cause of concern for emergency personnel.
• White numbers on a black background is an ideal combination of colors when displaying the number on the house, mailbox, or curb.
• Brass or bronze numbers should be avoided – they don’t offer optimum visibility at night.
• When posting your address number or a sign on the mailbox, don’t use the same colors as the mailbox. Stickers with shiny silver numbers on a black background should be avoided, as well.
• You can also mount a sign above or below your mailbox.

Design:

• Use Arabic numerals. Writing numbers in words should be avoided.
• Most local governments recommend displaying numbers horizontally.
• While the color of the numbers and the background should contrast with each other, the alignment of the two should be the same. Avoid vertical signs with numbers aligned horizontally (and vice versa).