Red Exit Signs vs Green Exit Signs



During the spring break, I went on a trip to Seattle. I saw many interesting points of interest, like the original Starbucks coffee parlour, the University of Washington and the. But a recurring detail caught my attention: Green Exit signs.

In restaurants, malls, hotels and pretty much every building. I wondered why exit signs in Vancouver (and maybe the entirety Canada) are red and why exit signs in Washington State are green. What's the difference? Is there an upside to green signs over red?

First of all, why do we have exit signs? Exit signs are back-lit signs that show the direction exit in public areas. They are designed so that they are easy to spot and understandable. They are not connected to the main power supply so that when the power goes out, the signs can stay on. They can be connected to a battery or an external generator, or are photoluminescence, meaning that they absorb light around and allow it to glow dimly.
Red EXIT sign
Common in US and Canada
Green pictogram with a running man
Pictograph Exit signs are easier to
understand by non-English speakers
As it turns out, Washington recommends buildings to have green exit signs.Image result for green exit sign vs red

Green signs are better because green indicates safety while red indicates danger, this could be confusing in the event of an emergency. In addition, rods, which are colour detectors in the human eye, green rods, in particular, are more sensitive to green than red. 

After some research, I found that in Canada, new buildings are fitted with green pictograph signs but red signs are still used as long as they are well distinguishable and one style is consistently used throughout the building.

Well, now you know that the colour (and maybe purpose) of an exit sign actually matters!


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