I spent two weeks last winter inventorying trail markers along the North Kettle corridor. The signs that worked best were not clever. They were heavy, brown, deeply cut, and plain enough to be read through rain on a tired walk back.
The alphabet has to survive weather
Thin letters look refined in a meeting room and disappear under mud, glare, and gloves. A bracketed slab carries its weight into the corner, keeps the counter open, and gives a ranger room to repaint without turning every word into a blur.