A plastic keypad with data entry elements and at least one display element is protected from electrostatic discharge by an assembly having an overlay substrate on which an electrically-conductive arrangement is disposed. The overlay substrate has a top side and a back side with a precisely-positioned vias formed through the substrate. A top surface of the top side is a layer of a conductive polymer. The back side is printed with at least one layer of color ink that depict a plurality of alpha-numerical and pictorial elements of the keypad. The electrically-conductive arrangement is disposed on the overlay substrate to collect electrostatic charges on the top side, transfer the electrostatic charges to the back side through the plurality of vias and drain the transferred electrostatic charges to a ground.