MLG TAXIES OFF OF TXWY ON WAY TO RWY 10R AT SFO.

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TURNED PRIOR TO RWY 10R RUNUP AREA AND HAD TO CROSS A PAVED 'INFIELD' AREA TO REACH THE RWY. FEEL THAT LIGHTING; SIGNS AND SURFACE MARKING WERE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS; ALONG WITH LATE NIGHT OP AND THE RESULTING LACK OF 'PEAK AWARENESS.' TAXI CLRNC: TO RWY 10R VIA INNER TXWY; HOLD SHORT OF 'S'. AN ACR FLT WAS AHEAD OF US AND NOT READY FOR TKOF APCHING THE RWY. WE WERE CLRED TO TRANSITION TO THE OUTER AT 'K' AND GO IN FRONT OF HIM TO RWY 10R. APCHING THE RWY NOTED A SIGN. THINKING THE SIGN WAS MOST LIKELY AT THE END OF RWY 10R; THE AREA TO MY R HAD NO LIGHTS; IT LOGICALLY SEEMED TO BE THE RUNUP AREA. I TURNED R AND DISCOVERED WE WERE ON A PAVED 'INFIELD' AREA. A L TURN WOULD HAVE PUT US UNCOMFORTABLY CLOSE TO THE ABOVE SIGN. THEREFORE WE CONTINUED ACROSS THE PAVEMENT TO THE RWY WITH NO DIFFICULTY AND MADE A NORMAL TKOF. I FEEL THAT BETTER MARKING OF THE TXWYS FOR NIGHT OPS WOULD BE IN ORDER. THE NEW SIGNS SLATED FOR DOMESTIC ARPTS MIGHT HAVE HELPED (IT WOULD HAVE SHOWN IN BLACK THAT I WAS ON TXWY S RATHER THAN MY THINKING THE RUNUP AREA WAS TO MY R). THE LACK OF LIGHTED EDGE MARKINGS IN THIS AREA ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THE 'BLACK HOLE' EFFECT AND 'MURPHY'S LAW' TAKING OVER. ANOTHER FACTOR: ON THE MLG THE SIDE FLOOD LIGHT SWITCHES ARE ON THE F/O'S SIDE OF THE GLARE SHIELD. HE WAS PREOCCUPIED WITH INSURING THE FINAL TKOF DATA WAS CORRECT AND THE LIGHTS WERE OFF. I WAS TAXIING BY THE NOSEWHEEL LIGHT. LATE NIGHT; 2 MAN CREW; POOR SIGNS AND A 'MAZE' TXWY SYS WITHOUT EDGE LIGHTS WERE THE FACTORS. IN BROAD DAYLIGHT I AM CERTAIN ONE COULD EASILY QUESTION HOW SOMEONE COULD MAKE THIS MISTAKE. BELIEVE ME; IT WAS EASY! I THANK MY LUCKY STARS IT WAS PAVED!