Sign and Accept

I was shopping at my local hardware store in Jersey City last weekend and the line at the register was long. As she rang up the totals, the cashier chanted, "Sign and accept," while the customers were swiping their credit cards, signing in the little box on the card reader and pressing accept to send their signatures to the electronic file. This mantra, sign and accept, repeated over and over again, made me think of how Congress is working right now to protect the interests of ordinary credit card holders like me. Recently the House of Representatives passed a bill designed to make credit card companies act more responsibly towards their customers, regarding terms, interest rates and so on. The President weighed in during his weekly address on Saturday. He stated, "Americans know that they have a responsibility to live within their means and pay what they owe. But they also have a right to not get ripped off by the sudden rate hikes, unfair penalties, and hidden fees that have become all-too common in our credit card industry." This week the Senate is considering a similar bill.

As you know I am a graphic designer and it seems to me that there is an opportunity to make good design standards a part of this new legislation. What if the Federal Government mandated a Credit Card Facts box similar to the Nutrition Facts box that appears on most food products? This box could appear on all credit card offers and statements. Simple, clear writing and good information design could make much clearer, the tangle of rates and fees that confuses and often blind sides most consumers as they sign and accept each day with their credit cards and then look at their monthly statements with disbelief. And imagine if our national government was mandating good communications policies that really benefit all Americans. I'd sign on for that and I think many Americans would accept it too.