A clear safety sign tells people what the hazard is or what they need to do, with a recognisable symbol and short supporting wording. Start with the message, then check the layout from the position where people will read it before ordering the print.
What should your safety sign tell people to do?
Write down the action the reader needs to take. For a workshop entrance, that might be putting on the required protective equipment before entering. Near equipment, it might be keeping hands away from a particular part.
Use the wording specified for your workplace where it exists. If you are preparing a new message, make the instruction concrete: a reader should understand what to do without needing someone beside the sign to explain it.
Avoid filling the main panel with a general statement about being careful while leaving the actual instruction in small text. Decide which message belongs on this sign and which information belongs in the workplace procedure or a separate notice.
Have the person responsible for workplace safety confirm the message before you spend time polishing the artwork. A neat layout still needs the right instruction for the location.
How should you arrange the symbol and wording?
Give the safety symbol and the main instruction clear space. Keep supporting information together underneath or beside the main message, rather than scattering words around the edges.
If your workplace specifies a symbol or supplies approved artwork, preserve its shape and proportions. Avoid stretching a symbol to fill a wide panel, replacing it with a decorative illustration or changing its colours to match a company logo.
Use a plain, readable font for the wording. Avoid script lettering, narrow decorative fonts and text placed over photographs. These choices make the design harder to judge when it is reduced on a screen or viewed at an angle.
Keep branding secondary. If a logo pushes the instruction into a cramped corner, simplify the layout before making the whole panel larger.
For a notice containing several instructions, group each symbol with its own wording. Check that a reader cannot accidentally associate an instruction with the neighbouring symbol.
Which language should your safety sign use?
Choose wording the people using the area can understand. Think about visitors, delivery personnel and contractors as well as the staff who already know the site.
Where your workplace specifies the language or exact wording, use that text. If you need a translated version, have someone who understands the instruction and the language check it before printing.
Keep translated instructions beside their matching message. Avoid putting all the symbols in a row and all the translations elsewhere on the panel, where the relationship becomes unclear.
Do not squeeze extra languages into the artwork by shrinking every line until it becomes difficult to read. Shorten unnecessary supporting text or reconsider the panel layout with the person responsible for the message.
A familiar symbol can support the wording, but do not assume everyone will interpret an unfamiliar symbol correctly. Check the complete message with the people who will use it.
How do you check the layout in its intended position?
Look at the location before choosing the final artwork shape. A narrow wall beside a door and a wide fence panel offer different spaces, even when the instruction is similar.
Measure the available area and look from the direction people approach. Check whether the sign will be hidden by an open door, stored materials, shelving or equipment.
Place a paper mock-up in the proposed position where practical. Read it from the approach you expect people to use, rather than judging only from directly in front of the wall.
Check reflections and shadows under the lighting used in that area. If the main instruction disappears into glare or a dark corner, reconsider the position and finish before ordering.
Do not treat the available wall space as proof that a particular sign size is suitable. If the symbol and wording cannot be read comfortably, simplify the layout or discuss a larger panel. Follow any size and placement requirements specified for your site.
When is a simpler sign or a sticker enough?
A safety message does not need decorative effects to look finished. Start with the required symbol and wording, then choose the physical format for the surface where it will go.
| Format | When it can be enough | Published minimum charge per piece |
|---|---|---|
| Sticker Only | A suitable existing board, glass or door already provides the surface | RM6.00 |
| PVC Foamboard 5mm | The message needs its own rigid, waterproof panel | RM19.00 |
These are minimum charges, before finishing options and delivery. Enter the required size on the regulatory sign page to see the exact price.
A sticker can save buying another board when the existing surface is suitable. Check its condition and whether it is appropriate for the chosen sticker before ordering. A rough, damaged surface needs attention rather than a more elaborate design.
If the sign needs a separate panel, choose the material for its location and support. Our safety sign price and material guide explains those choices in more detail.
What should you confirm before ordering?
Check the exact wording, symbol, language, orientation, finished size and quantity together. Make sure the dimensions entered on the product page match the proportions of the artwork.
For signs used in different locations, keep a clear record of which artwork belongs where. Similar filenames can lead to the correct design being ordered for the wrong position.
Use a clear source file rather than a screenshot of a small preview. Where you have vector artwork, retain it when preparing the print file. Our large-format artwork preparation guide covers file setup.
Tandaku supplies printed signs online. If you are ordering supply only and arranging fitting separately, confirm the intended support and mounting needs before selecting the available options.
Finally, review the exact version being ordered. A spelling correction or changed instruction needs another check of the complete layout, especially if the new wording takes more space.
FAQ
How to draw safety signs?
Start with the instruction and any symbol specified for your workplace. Use clear source artwork where available, preserve the symbol's proportions and arrange short supporting wording around it. Check the finished layout in its intended position before printing.
What is the purpose of safety signs?
Safety signs communicate hazards, restrictions, required actions or safety information at a relevant location. Choose the message for what people need to know or do there, then make its wording and symbol clear.
Can safety signs prevent accidents?
Safety signs can help communicate a hazard or required action, but displaying a sign does not remove the hazard itself. Use signs alongside the workplace's safety measures and procedures, and keep them visible as the area changes.