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.