Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid in School Signage Design

Effective school signage is vital for communication, accessibility, and functionality within educational environments. This is crucial to grabbing the attention of the increasing 1.1% of students who enrol in Australian schools every year. But school signage design mistakes can cause confusion, frustration, and even legal issues in Australia. 

So, you should be aware of the design mistakes for your school signs. Some of the top school signage design mistakes you must avoid are as follows. 

• Neglecting school branding
• Cluttered school signs
• Skipping regulatory compliances
• Poor colour and contrast choice
• Overlooking durability and maintenance needs
• Ineffective directional signage layout
• Using unreadable fonts and more. 

In this article, we will explore the top mistakes to avoid in schools’ signage design. We will also discuss the actionable solutions to these mistakes. 

Here Are the Top 10 School Signage Design Mistakes to Avoid

Beyond simply pointing the wayfinding, school signage functions with many things. They include vital information, reinforcing branding, and ensuring accessibility. However, mistakes can hinder the core functionalities of signage. 

So, we have enlisted the top 10 mistakes in school signage design you should avoid to keep the pace. We also discussed effective solution tips for them below. 

#1 Neglecting School Branding

School sign is a powerful branding tool to showcase your school’s identity, values, and professionalism. If you fail to align signage with your school branding guidelines, this will indicate poor branding of your school. 

Poor branding will create a disjointed image and reduce trust and recognition. Inconsistent use of colours, fonts, and logos confuse students, parents, and other visitors. An incomplete motto and vision can’t create confidence in students’ and parents’ minds to enrol. 

According to ACARA:

• The number of schools in Australia was 9,629 in 2023. 
• This was an increase of 15 schools in 2022. 

On the other hand, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics:

• 4,086,998 students were admitted in all these 9,629 schools in 2023. 
• This is an increase of 1.1% in student enrolment compared with 2022. 

See, every year, the number of schools and students is increasing. It is vital to attract new students with properly designed school signage. 

Best Practice for Branding in School Signage

• Use the school’s official colours, logos, and fonts across all signs. Keep them consistent.
• Incorporate the school motto or vision statement into prominent signs. You can add them to entryway signage or auditorium displays.
• Create branded banners for events to strengthen your school’s identity further.

#2 Cluttered School Signs

Another common mistake in school sign designs is overloading signs with too much information. This creates clutter in human visual aspects. 

Studies show that cluttered and disorganised resources drain our focus. So, we lose our memory. As a result, it is hard for visitors to remember and retain vital information from the school’s signs. 

For example, a school sign that combines 

• wayfinding instructions, 
• upcoming event announcements, and 
• emergency contact details on a single board. 

All these in a single signboard overwhelm viewers and make it harder to process critical information.

How to Avoid This Mistake

• Use clear, concise messaging with no more than two or three lines of text per sign.
• Incorporate symbols and graphics alongside text to simplify communication.

#3 Poor Colour and Contrast Choices

The use of colour is not just about aesthetics. It plays a vital role in readability and emotional impact. Poor colour and contrast choices can render signage ineffective. For example, although vibrant, red text on a green background is difficult to read due to its low contrast. 

The same happens when you use red text on blue backgrounds. The things are vice versa. You can check examples here for visualisation. 

Tips for Effective Color and Contrast

• Use colour psychology in design to evoke appropriate emotions. For example, blue conveys trust, while green promotes calmness.
• Ensure a high-contrast ratio between text and background. Dark text on a light background or vice versa is ideal.
• Follow guidelines for contrast and visibility in signage. This will ensure the text stands out against its background. The recommended contrast ratio is 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
• Avoid using more than three colours per sign to maintain simplicity.
• Always consider working with professional designers to ensure effective visual communication.

#4 Using Unreadable Fonts

Fonts are critical to readability. Decorative or overly stylish fonts look attractive. But this can make your signage hard to read. This is especially true for younger students or visitors with visual impairments.

If there are font readability issues, people are less likely to engage with it. For example, you might put key branding messages or school values through signage. But potential students and parents might overlook them due to unreadable fonts.

Tips for Best Font Readability

• You can choose simple sans-serif fonts for maximum clarity. Sans-serif fonts are the most suitable fonts for signs. They are clearly visible from a significant distance. Some of the most popular sans serif fonts are Helvetica, Arial, Avenir, etc.
• Avoid script or decorative fonts, especially for wayfinding signs. Fonts that are overly decorative, too small, or lack proper spacing must be avoided. They exclude individuals with visual impairments or reading difficulties. This will violate accessibility standards like ADA compliance in Australia.
• Use scalable signage solutions so that text remains legible from short and long distances.

#5 Overlooking Signage Maintenance and Durability

Poorly maintained or easily damaged signage looks unprofessional. They also cause you additional costs for frequent replacements. Replacing damaged signs cost $2.3 million in 20213 in Perth, Australia.

Fading was one of the reasons, among other reasons. And it happens with less durable and poorly maintained signs. 

How to Avoid This Mistake

• Use weather-resistant materials. Outdoor signs exposed to UV rays, rain, or strong winds need to be made from durable materials for signage. This is particularly important for Australia’s diverse weather conditions. 

Queensland has a hot and humid climate where weather-resistant materials are highly recommended. You can use aluminium, polycarbonate, or treated wood for school signs in Queensland. 

• Ensure regular Maintenance. Schedule periodic inspections and cleaning to keep signs legible and functional.

#6 Skipping Regulatory Compliance

Accessibility in school signs isn’t optional. It’s a legal requirement in Australia. The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 says that-

• Public facilities, including schools, must be accessible to all.

The facilities also include school signs. Non-compliance with the regulations can result in penalties and lawsuits.

For example, 

• suppose you have a lack of braille signage near elevators.
• You used low-contrast colours for critical signs.
• Signs are so high that they aren’t accessible by all people.
• Emergency exits, fire safety signs, and evacuation plans are not understandable. 

These can exclude visually impaired individuals. Vision Australia’s study shows that 453,000 Australians are blind or have low vision. This aspect demands accessible designs.

Also, people with moving disabilities can reach the height to see the instructions. 

Solutions for Accessible School Signs

• Use tactile lettering and braille for key directional and informational signs.
• Emergency exits, fire safety instructions, and evacuation plans must be clear. 
• Ensure signs comply with height and location standards. The height of the signs must be accessible to all, including wheelchair users. These are outlined by the Australian Standards for Access and Mobility (AS 1428.1).

#7 Ineffective Directional Signage Layout

Clear navigation is essential in school signs. This is especially important for new students, staff, or visitors. Poor directional signage layout with unclear arrows or inconsistent terminology leads to confusion.

For example, a sign may direct people to the “Canteen” in one area. But if you refer to the exact location as the “Cafeteria” elsewhere, this will create confusion.

How to Improve Wayfinding Signage

• Avoid wayfinding signage errors. You can do so by using consistent language and universally recognisable symbols.
• Place signs at decision points, such as at corridor intersections and building entrances.
• Use arrows and icons to improve understanding of the instructions. Use clear maps and directional signs at strategic entry points. As a result, students and parents will get smooth navigation across the large campuses. 
• Ensure signs are visible at all hours. Incorporate this by poor signage lighting solutions. For example, LED backlights or solar-powered lights.

#8 Forgetting About Strategic Placement

You may implement the highest level of effective designs for your school signs. But they won’t be effective if you don’t place them strategically. Poor placement can result in signs being ignored or obscured.

Tips for Strategic Location of Signs

• Position entry signs at eye level and near the main entrance.
• Prioritise strategic signage placement to reduce visual clutter. Place wayfinding signs at busy spots like hallways and staircases.
• Ensure furniture, plants, or other obstacles do not block signs.

Heat maps or foot traffic data can help you determine optimal sign locations.

#9 Overlooking Spelling and Grammatical Errors

Spelling and grammatical errors are a drastic way to undermine your school’s credibility. These mistakes can cause the following consequences. 

• Errors reflect the school’s poor professionalism. This harms the reputation. As a result, this deters potential students and parents.
• Errors in textual instructions lead to miscommunication. These mistakes confuse readers and damage your school’s credibility.
• Replacing signs with errors wastes time and money.

How to Avoid These Errors

• Proofread all signage content before production well.
• Do multiple reviewers to catch mistakes.
• Work with professional editors to ensure high-quality linguistic output. 

#10 Not Adding Digital Boards for Updated Information

Consider your school’s upcoming events, sports days, meeting times, etc… These things are always changeable.

So, failing to install digital signage in schools can lead to communication gaps. Digital boards allow for real-time updates such as changes in schedule, weather alerts, emergency announcements, etc. 

This will ensure that students, staff, and visitors always have the most current information about changeable things. 

How Digital Boards Help in Updated Information

You can add the following changeable updates to your school’s digital signboards. 

• Meeting Times:

Meetings are not static. Your school will hold multiple meetings around the year. So, adding digital boards will help you update new meeting schedules for teacher-parent meetings, staff, or school assemblies every time. 

• Holiday Announcements

With digital signboards, you can highlight upcoming holidays, school closures, and term-end dates. 

• Break Time

Digital school signage can be used for different types of break times. You can add

• Lunch break
• Recess break time
• Snack time
• Physical activity
• Staff coffee break
• Holiday countdown reminder and more. 

• Event Notifications

Showcase your school’s upcoming event notifications with updated information. Add details of sports days, cultural events, open days, etc. 

• Emergency Alerts

Digital boards are a great way to announce emergency alerts. For example, you can add harsh weather-related updates, emergency school closures, etc. 

• Cafeteria Update

Add cafeteria updates with updated menus, price lists and special menus for special days. 

• Transport Update

Add bus schedules, pickup/drop-off zones, or parking instructions. 

Final Words

Designing effective school signage requires attention to detail. By doing so, you can efficiently avoid mistakes in vital school signage. Mistake-free signage will help you improve communication and strengthen your school’s identity. 

If you are unsure about where to start, you can walk with us. At Signage 4Business Group, we have been providing signage installation services with utmost efficiency and excellence. Our services have been served across Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and the Sunshine Coast for over 20 years. 

To get your professional and valuable school signs, contact us today. We will take care of your concerns.