When coming up with the content to display on the digital signage at your workplace, it’s important to keep in mind that turning heads isn’t your only objective. Yes, you want to attract eyes to the screen, but you also want to ensure that the information provided is valuable to its viewers. Creating effective messages is accomplished through a combination of vibrant graphic design and clearly-communicated points.
Here are five best practices for crafting digital signage content:
Practice the “less is more” theory.
While the “less is more” phrase may be considered somewhat of a cliché, it’s a very effective approach to communicating messages effectively. When it comes to your digital signage, you have to consider the fact that your screens are bound to change frequently. Can your message be read within 2-3 seconds? Even if the images on the screen rotate every ten seconds, you still want to make sure that readers aren’t overwhelmed with too much text.
Keep each screen focused on one main point. Use appropriate graphics and photos to help strengthen your message. According to Rachel Gillett on FastCompany.com, “visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text, which means you can paint a picture for your audience much faster with an actual picture.”
Use easy-to-read fonts.
Don’t get too fancy. You don’t want your message to get lost in a hard-to-read script and overly-busy visuals. Make legibility a priority. Consider the fact that some people may view your digital signage from a distance. Your message should be legible no matter how far away the viewer is standing from the screen.
The most highly recommended fonts for text that appears on digital displays are Arial, Helvetica, Avenir and Futura. As well, use bold text in order to convey emphasis instead of sometimes-difficult-to-read italics.
Create headlines for each screen.
Think each screen displayed via your digital signage as a page in a newspaper. Use headlines to help capture the attention of viewers. Headlines quickly summarize what the rest of the information on the screen is about. An impactful headline contains no more than ten words. Get right to the point so that onlookers will be intrigued to keep their eyes on the screen in order to take in your message.
“Headlines are read more than 4 times as much as the rest of your copy,” reports Ryan Shelley on Business2Community.com, “While the term ‘headline’ often refers to traditional ad copy, headlines can still be found across all digital channels and mediums.”
Use contrasting colours.
The “less is more” approach works well here too. Utilizing colours that are in keeping with your brand image is a wise choice. But no matter which colours you choose to use for the text and images on your digital signage, it’s important that they work well together. This involves using contrasting colours.
Yellow text on a white background, for example, is generally a no-no. Always opt for dark text on a light background or vice versa. Ensuring that your message isn’t lost in poor colour combinations is a vital part of using your digital displays successfully.
Space out your text.
Remember that you’re trying to both capture and keep the attention of onlookers. Doing so requires you to space the text out so that it is easy to read and digest. Many people utilize what is known as the “3 x 5 rule”. Use no more than three lines of text that have five words in each line.
Here’s an example:
To effectively use digital signage,
It’s important to capture the
Attention of your audience quickly.
For more information about how Screenfluence can help you to benefit from using digital signage, call us at 1-844-772-7336 or email us at info@screenfluence.com
