Have you ever thought about the significance of an arrow? In the financial sector an up arrow means profits. A down arrow can have all kinds of negative connotations. An arrow can be a life saver in an emergency. It can point you where to go when lost and can signal your intention to go in a certain direction.

I bet you’ve never thought about how an arrow should look though, right? Should it be skinny? Long? Fat? Short? There are as many different arrows as there are human shapes but each one means something different.

If you want to warn someone to keep a safe distance from a hazard you’re arrow should look like this. It should be a double sided arrow that indicates distance between the person and potential hazard.

If you want to warn someone that they may get squished by a massive weight, implement or machine, you shoud use the “Force” arrow.

If you want to warn someone that they may get run over by a machine or that a component of a machine may move, your arrow should look like this. One note worthy item to keep in mind is the arc of the arrow. It should always use the center point of the moving part as it’s reference point.

If you’ve ever walked by a running lawn mower then this next arrow will be all too familiar.  This arrow indicates falling or flying objects. Multiple arrows can be used to show that many objects may be in motion.