This article originally published in Self-Service World magazine, May 2007.
Good content is the heart of all successful digital signage. Any digital signage solution — no matter how technically advanced its hardware — can and will be rendered ineffective by poor content.
With something as infinitely flexible as content, it's tough to provide hard and fast rules, but here are some general rules:
1. Thou Shalt Not Lose Focus. When content is message based, keep focus on the salient points. For maximum impact, try to keep things clear and clean. It is tempting to add a lot of detail, but the likelihood of it being seen or recalled is low.
2. Thou Shalt Not Misuse the Timeline. Digital signage content is inherently more flexible and eye catching because it has the benefit of a timeline, but this doesn't mean you have to be the next Spielberg. Make sure that the core message is present for more than 90 percent of the timeline. This minimizes the chance that a cursory glance will reveal nothing but vague imagery.
3. Thou Shalt Not Use Ticking Text. Tickers are not a good method of communication because they cannot be read at a glance. Out-of-home media's audience rarely sits still, so ticking text is wasted. Get the message right and ticker effects shouldn't be needed.
Tickers do have their place. They're fine for content that an audience expects to consume in this format, such as travel information, stock updates and news headlines.
4. Thou Shalt Employ Movement. Use motion to capture attention and draw the eye in — but don't overdo it. The eye is most attracted by the onset of motion and changes in luminance. However, too much constant binary activity, such as flickering and blinking, does not help readability and is filtered by the brain more easily.
5. Thou Shalt Not Dismiss Audio. Audio can be very effective at capturing attention. It's much harder for your audience to filter out in a visually busy environment. Here, the same rules apply as per motion: Capture attention with changes, not continuous white noise. Continuous audio negatively affects people who have to endure it for long periods of time.
6. Thou Shalt Use Relevant Imagery. Use imagery to support core messages. For example, if you're telling people to send an SMS, show a phone. Capitalize on and leverage the dollars spent on multichannel campaigns by sharing style and imagery.
7. Honor Thy Fonts and Thy Typography. Select fonts that are easy to read without compromising the brand. Audiences can read mixed case (initial-capital letters followed by lower-case letters) faster than words in all upper-case letters.
The traditional signage industry's rule is that text one-inch high can be seen from up to 25 feet away. Maximum impact is attained much closer. To work out the ideal point size for content, consider the target screen size and the pixel pitch. You may need different content versions for different screen/viewing environments.
8. Thou Shalt Engage Your Audience. Content must be stimulating in some way. It can be entertaining, informative, good looking or humorous, and preferably a combination of all four. If you get it right, you have the potential to repurpose for other marketing channels.
9. Thou Shalt Not Undervalue Contrast. Be sure there is significant contrast between the core message and the background. Amongst others, white on yellow does not work, especially in high ambient light environments. Consider using drop shadows or other outline methods where print-based brand guidelines dictate difficult combinations.
10. Thy Platform is Thy Friend. Choose content formats that work best on the target platform. Take advantage of any proprietary facilities available, such as data integration, content management and dynamic rendering. Avoid formats that are not well supported; they will cause headaches in the long run.
Nikk Smith is technical director for Pixel Inspiration, a U.K.-based digital media company that operates across the real estate, retail, corporate communications and leisure industries.
