How to Choose the Right Font for Healthcare Wayfinding Signage

Hospital environments can be overwhelming, and unclear signage can add to patient and visitor stress. In fact, a PubMed study on the cost and effects of ineffective wayfinding reveals that hospital staff spend around 30 minutes per week helping visitors find their way due to unclear signage. By choosing the right font, you can make healthcare wayfinding easier, reduce confusion, and help patients and visitors move through your facility with confidence.

Why Make Font Choice a Priority?

You can control how visitors experience your space with the fonts you choose. With poor typography, it forces people to pause, ask for directions, or take wrong turns. That’s why clear, readable fonts guide people efficiently. So, everytime you install a directional signage, it’s ideal to use typography that communicates clearly from every angle.

Guide to Selecting the Right Font

Here are a few factors to keep in mind when choosing a font for your signage.

Prioritize Readability

According to Wayfinding for Healthcare Facilities, you shouldn't use italic or condensed fonts because they reduce legibility. In addition to that, you should avoid decorative or overly stylised fonts, as they can slow down reading and make your clinic signage less effective.

That’s why, it’s best to choose fonts that people can read quickly, even from a distance. Sans-serif fonts like Helvetica, and Arial provide clean, simple letterforms that reduce confusion.

Consider Distance and Size

When you plan your wayfinding signs, remember that visitors view them from varying distances. A font that looks fine up close may blur or become unreadable across a corridor. As such, select fonts with stable stroke widths, generous spacing, and proportionate letter height. These choices ensure your healthcare signs remain legible in all areas of your facility.

Use Proper Letter Spacing and Open Forms

Keep letters sufficiently separated to prevent crowding. Also, choose fonts with open counters, like the spaces inside “a,” “e,” and “o,” so people with low vision can read them easily. Apply this approach across all directional signage and wall-mounted signs.

Ensure High Contrast

You can make your healthcare wayfinding more effective by using high-contrast typography. For example, place dark letters on light backgrounds or light letters on dark surfaces. The main reason for this is that high contrast ensures people can read your signs quickly, even in bright corridors or dim emergency areas.

Follow Accessibility Guidelines

You need to comply with Australian accessibility standards when designing clinic signage. Fonts should meet requirements for tactile lettering, braille, character size, and contrast. That said, choosing compliant fonts ensures every visitor can go through your facility safely.

Recommended Font Styles

Use clean sans-serif fonts to combine clarity with a professional appearance. Popular choices include Helvetica, Arial, and Clearview. With these fonts, they remain highly legible in both print and digital formats.

For 3D or illuminated signage, select fonts like Frutiger or Helvetica Bold, as they maintain readability when fabricated in three dimensions or backlit. For large-format wall graphics or murals, consider using fonts such as Arial Rounded or Univers. These fonts scale well without compromising sharpness or spacing. In this way, your healthcare wayfinding signs remain clear from any distance and angle.

Make Navigation Easy for Patients and Visitors

Choosing the right font helps you create effective healthcare wayfinding that guides visitors clearly and efficiently. By selecting legible, high-contrast, and accessible fonts for your clinic signage, directional signage, and healthcare signs, you make your facility safer and easier to navigate.

To make things easier, a trusted signage company, like Artcom Fabrication, can help you design, fabricate, and install signage that meets these standards. For more information, get in touch with our team today!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are answers to common questions that healthcare facilities often ask.

What is wayfinding in healthcare?

Wayfinding in healthcare is the system of signs, symbols, and visual cues that help patients, visitors, and staff navigate a medical facility. It ensures people can find departments, clinics, and services quickly and safely.

What is the value of comprehensive wayfinding in healthcare?

Comprehensive wayfinding in healthcare helps patients and visitors navigate facilities quickly and confidently. The thing is that hospital signage reduce patient anxiety, stress and confusion. It also improves operational efficiency by minimising staff interruptions and guiding people to the right locations safely.

How Hospital Signage Reduces Patient Anxiety During Admission

Walking into a hospital for the first time can feel stressful. Between managing health concerns and unfamiliar surroundings, your patients often experience heightened anxiety during admission. However, thoughtfully designed hospital signage helps create a calming, manageable environment. That's because a well-planned sign for hospital spaces provides reassurance, reduces stress, and helps your patients feel more in control during vulnerable moments.

The Impact of Hospital Signage on Patient Experience

According to a bioRxiv, patients who struggle to find their way in a hospital often experience increased anxiety. Fortunately, strategic medical signage can significantly reduce this stress by providing clear directions that help patients and visitors navigate complex hospital layouts confidently.

The thing is, when people know where they're going, they feel more oriented and in control of their surroundings. Even small moments of autonomy, such as easily finding a waiting area or treatment room, can reduce anxiety. As a result, thoughtfully designed signage supports patient comfort and a calmer, more organised hospital experience.

Elements of Effective Hospital Signage

Successful custom hospital signage uses several foundational principles to create a calming, navigable environment.

Visibility and Placement

Your signs should be large enough to read from a distance and positioned at decision points where patients need guidance. Colour contrast also ensures legibility for people of all ages and visual abilities. In this way, it makes information accessible to everyone who enters the facility.

Consistency Throughout the Facility

A unified design language helps patients recognise and trust the signage system. By using standardised fonts, colours, and symbol styles, it creates intuitive navigation that allows patients to predict where to find information. With this kind of consistency, it reduces cognitive load and helps ease stress during visits.

Clear, Simple Communication

Messages should be concise and free from medical jargon. Thus, medical clinic signs that communicate directions in seconds help patients make informed decisions about where to go next. Typography should also be clean and professional, to reflect your facility's quality of care while ensuring that information is immediately understandable.

Specialised Signage Solutions That Reduce Anxiety

Hospitals serve a diverse range of patients with varying abilities, languages, and literacy levels. That's why it's a good idea to use a universal sign for a hospital with internationally recognised symbols for restrooms, elevators, emergency exits, and accessibility features. This improves navigation for all patients and visitors, as it allows them to move independently, even if they don't speak the local language.

Moreover, clear door signs for hospital rooms help eliminate confusion when patients search for specific rooms or services. For instance, someone needing radiology, phlebotomy, or admissions can quickly confirm they have arrived at the correct area they intended to go.

Benefits Beyond Patient Comfort

Effective signage systems indirectly reduce patient anxiety by freeing up your staff to focus on care rather than directions. That's because hospital employees spend countless hours redirecting lost visitors. According to Gozio Health, staff spend an average of 1.5 minutes daily giving directions to patients, and it takes over 5 minutes to assist a lost person.

Thus, having a comprehensive sign for your hospital enables patients to navigate independently, which means your staff can focus more on their clinical duties. As a result, this efficiency benefits everyone, as patients receive better face-to-face care, staff experience fewer interruptions, and the entire facility operates more smoothly.

Enhance Patient Comfort & Simplify Hospital Admissions

Thoughtfully designed hospital signage helps reduce patient anxiety by providing clarity and guidance during vulnerable moments. That's why every sign for hospital environments should clearly communicate information while adhering to Australian design regulations to support all visitors.

Fortunately, Artcom Fabrication recognises the impact that well-planned signage has on patient experience and operational efficiency. As an experienced signage company, we create comprehensive wayfinding systems that combine functionality, accessibility, and visual appeal. For tailored signage solutions, get in touch with us today!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

If you have additional questions about hospital signage, check out these details below!

How to make a hospital sign?

Design the sign with clear text, readable fonts, and intuitive symbols for easy navigation. In addition to that, use durable, visible materials and place them strategically so that patients and visitors can easily see them.

What does a hospital sign look like?

A hospital sign can be a wall-mounted or freestanding display showing directions, department names, or room numbers. It often uses clear typography, symbols, and high-contrast colours for easy visibility.

Wayfinding Signage Regulations in Australian Healthcare Facilities

Compliance with legal standards and guidelines is not optional when it comes to healthcare facilities. That’s why even the smallest details, like wayfinding signage, have regulations that need to be followed. These rules provide a safe, accessible, and universally understandable way for people to arrive in their intended places.

That said, having a clear and compliant signage system is important to avoid costly mistakes such as legal non-conformity or failed accreditation. To help you manage wayfinding strategies, we’ll tackle on signage and its regulations specific to Australian healthcare facilities.

Australian Standards and Regulations for Signages

There are specific guidelines that healthcare facilities should have in their wayfinding signage. Here are the most significant rules to follow:

AS 1428.1

The AS 1428.1, also known as the Design for Access and Mobility, ensures signs placed for hospitals are accessible for people with impairment. The Australian Building Codes Board shared the updated requirements for signages, which are:

• Signage should include tactile and braille features for inclusivity.

• Signs should be at heights reachable from seating and standing.

• Letters should be properly sized so they are readable at expected viewing distances.

With this regulation, it basically helps improve patients’ experience in healthcare facilities.

AS 1319

The AS 1319, or Safety Signs for the Occupational Environment, governs warning, mandatory, and emergency signs. This includes exit signs, fire safety, and hazard warnings. Specific colours are also used to signify urgency, such as:

• Green - used in emergency signage and wayfinding.

• Red - used in fire and prohibition signs.

• Yellow - used for general warnings.

Aside from colour coding, standard pictograms should be used for universal understanding. For example, the National Safety and Quality Health Service conducts safe environment inspections that include clear medical signage.

Illumination and Visibility Standards

Aside from mandated standards, wayfinding signage should be visible and readable in low light and power failures. Signs that are internally illuminated or made of glow-in-the-dark materials are recommended. It’s also important to consider the contrast between the text and background for better readability.

Branding and Identity Considerations

Even though hospital wayfinding signage should prioritise safety and clarity, branding elements can still fit within regulatory limits. In fact, branded signs can be considered with the right custom signage strategy. Too much decorative flourish can reduce readability and fail in accreditation.

Get Compliant Custom Signages at Artcom Fabrication

Poor placement of wayfinding signage can compromise safety and risk accreditation setbacks. That’s why strict regulations, accessibility needs, and design requirements are implemented to address these issues. Well, this is especially true for healthcare facilities, where safety is the utmost priority to consider.

That being said, hospital management works with a professional signage company like ours. We provide end-to-end signage solutions and consultation on signage systems for better compliance. For more information, check out our signage services today!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are answers to some of the most common questions about signage standards in Australia:

What are the 6 categories of safety signage used in Australia?

There are six categories of safety signage implemented in Australia. These include regulatory, hazard, emergency information, fire, danger, and prohibition signs. Each category has specific colours, shapes, and symbols to ensure quick recognition and safety. 

What is the Australian standard signage?

The key standards that regulate signage in Australia are AS 1428.1 and AS 1319. These guidelines define colours, symbols, and design to ensure accessibility and inclusivity of signage in places like hospitals.