Wayfinding signs are essential for hospitals

Hospitals can be stressful places for patients and visitors alike. If there is an emergency, if you’re seeking regular treatment or visiting a friend or loved one, a hospital can be a difficult place to navigate. Most feature multiple wings, long corridors, restricted areas, cafeterias and more, so it can be easy to get lost. No hospital administrator wants their patients to have delays in receiving care or for visitors to feel frustration because they can’t find the right area, so having a sign system which works well together to guide people to the right place is absolutely essential. Our company is proud to have served the sign needs of Lakeland and the entire Tampa area for years. We provide interior and exterior signs, can work with clients who need one sign or a whole new rebrand and are happy to work with many different types of businesses. We have helped several hospitals and medical facilities through the years, and we have learned valuable lessons about creating an effective wayfinding system in medical spaces. Today’s article will touch on a few of those tips and hopefully will assist medical administrators in creating the ideal sign solution for their facilities.

Let Your Signs Work Together

In a hospital, you can’t get by with just one sign here and there. These are complex facilities, and the signs used must work in tandem to guide patients and visitors to the correct places. This means each area of the building should be clearly labeled, not only on directional signs but as you enter a different area it should be an obvious change. One way to accomplish this is through the use of colors and symbols for each different department. You might think the signs should display clear fonts and arrows pointing to the right place, which is true, but using symbols and colors helps people to connect each area easily when viewing signs in different areas of the building.

Advance Your Brand

Your signs should obviously be effective in guiding people to their destination, but they should also be professionally designed, within your branding guidelines and uniform throughout. When logos are present and there is a consistent theme throughout all signs used, it helps to advance the look and feel of the facility. This can inspire confidence in patients and help them feel like they are receiving the best care possible. The alternative, a facility with mismatched signs or cookie-cutter postings can make visitors feel like the care in the hospital might be subpar.

Consult With Professionals

If you’re calling the shots for the hospital, chances are you already know where most things are located and don’t need the help of wayfinding signs. Since this is the case, seeking help from people who don’t know their way around can help you understand where signs are needed most. Our team can view your building from a fresh perspective and identify pain points which need to be addressed with new signs, and make recommendations on the location, number and functionality of your new sign system. We have the know-how to create the perfect sign solution for any facility, and would love to partner with you for any wayfinding needs.