More and more pools and aquatic environments are requiring the use of life jackets by non-swimmers. It makes sense; bodies of water present a significant drowning hazard to those who cannot swim. Tragic stories occur at hotels and other pool facilities, reaching the headlines each year when non-swimming children drown, and when non-swimming parents try to rescue non-swimming children with the unfortunate result that all perish.

As part of Clarion’s pool safety sign system, the “Non-Swimmers Wear Life Jacket” sign informs and reminds parents, guardians and swimmers of the need to take this precautionary step which can help to save a non-swimmer’s life.

One of the things that’s different about the Clarion “Wear Life Jacket” symbol is that we’ve used our design expertise to improve upon the ISO symbol. Rarely do we alter an ISO symbol – but when our experience in designing safety signs notes that an improvement could be made, we make it. In this case it was the addition of the water line within the symbol. Adding the water line to our symbol instantly puts the “wear life jacket” instruction into the context of the intended behavior; this means that it gives the viewer more of an understanding of what needs to be done. “Wear life jacket when in the water” is the message that the symbol now communicates, and the text that goes along with the symbol tells the viewer that “non-swimmers” must obey this rule. The comprehension tests we’ve run on our symbol-based signs show that people understand our symbol’s “wear life jacket” message.