But, glossy smooth finishes are pretty boring (not everyone
>is blind; a product should appeal to sighted users as well!).
I have had good results in the past with the following:
Apply primers etc in the usual way, finishing up with a coat or two of matte black. Apply white transfer lettering. Apply a thin coat of cellulose varnish to fix the lettering and allow to dry thoroughly. Apply several more thin coats of cellulose varnish
This is similar to the methods used by coachbuilders in the past and produces the clearest readable lettering on a deep gloss black that appears to have depth. It would probably be too labour-intensive for anything but a one-off, but the underlying principle of a clear varnish layer on a matte undercoat could be adapted to small batch production and gives outstandingly good results; the 'depth' effect is really attractive.
For clear lettering, I have found nothing better than Helvetica Bold unless it is critical to distinguish between '1', 'I' and 'l', in which case you need a Roman font.
[...]
There seem to be some coatings that are widely used. But,
> they don't seem to hold up over the long term -- many get
> "tacky" as if a plasticizer s*it the bed (?)
I have some cooking utensils that I dread touching. The plastic surface is supposed to be soft and appealing, but on something that may come into contact with food, such as the handle of a frying pan spatula, it just feels tacky and uncleanable. -- Ugggh!
Some of the QUAD amplifiers were coated with a 'flock' surface that I presume was supposed to give the impression of quality or opulence. After a while it broke down into a disgusting sticky mess which needs a lot of work to remove cleanly without damaging the panels underneath.
You would do much better to avoid the latest gimmicky materials and just keep to established surface finishes applied in a thoughtful way. You aren't in the fashion business; fashion is ephemeral and risky but good taste lasts much longer.