House Number

[Vagus]

We want to get our house number to attach to a tree at the end of our drive. Which do you think would be best and most noticeable...black numbers on a white background, or white numbers on a black background?

[calmck]

Get a piece of white and black card. Write the number on and see which is better. Consider where sunlight hits

[dannyk13]

White on black as the tree will be dark in the background

[Vagus]

I don’t have any black card, but that’s a good idea.

[Vagus]

There’s no light there, or not very much, when it’s dark so that’s why I want something which stands out as much as possible. It’s not a problem in daylight.

[vulcan42]

My postman kept leaving my letters next door so I put the house number on the gate in addition to the house. At first it was red on black but that didn't show too well so it was changed to silver on black. So I suggest white on black would be best.

[Arrods]

Did they not change front vehicle number plates to black on white for reasons of visibility? Just asking.

[jno]

black and yellow is better

https://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/116665/electronics/black_on_yellow_best_visible_contrast.html

[pixie374]

The most visible combination is black and yellow. Maybe, fluorescent, for night?

[Vagus]

Thank you everyone, hadn’t thought of black on yellow.

[Atheist]

Black on white; the background should then stand out against the dark tree, and the number against the black background. Please don't hurt the tree.

[Buenchico]

50 years ago, they were installing a new scoreboard in the cricket pavilion of the school I attended. Exactly the same question arose: Black on white, or white on black, for the numerals? So a couple of prefects were given the task over going round every class in the school and holding up examples of each style so that, by a show of hands, we pupils could indicate which was easiest to read. (They also carried out trials on the school field, to see which type of numbers were best when viewed from a distance. They were certainly thorough!).

The result? We ended up with a scoreboard displaying white numbers on a black background.

Later, when I was umpiring cricket matches at many grounds around the country, I often found myself looking at different types of scoreboards and trying to work out whether or not our school had actually made the right decision or not. I came to the conclusion that they had.

Further, a Google Image search for 'cricket scoreboard' finds hundreds of pictures like this one
https://nwscdn.com/media/catalog/product/s/c/scoreboard.jpg
and (within the first few hundred results at least), not a single board using black figures on a white background.

So I think that you can work out where my vote goes here ;-)

[pixie374]

Chris, you answered the question literally, but kind of missed the actual point.

[Mamyalynne]

As someone with visual impairment, I have just run through some images of different combinations and the two that were most easily distinguished were:

Black on Yellow

and

White on Black.

[Vagus]

Atheist, absolutely no way would we hurt the tree. The number will be tied on not nailed on.
Thanks for the further replies, particularly mamy x