Digital signs are a modern and highly effective way to communicate information and advertising material. However, to ensure that they are used to full effect, it is important that they are well designed. If you are not a professional graphic designer, this can be a daunting task.
It’s not that difficult to design a good digital sign if you bear a few basic principles in mind. Here are some of the most important points to consider.
Work out what the purpose of your sign is
Before you start work on the design, figure out what the objective of the sign is. For example, is it intended to inform, such as displaying prices, menus, timetables, or other similar content? It could be to instruct, for example in an educational or healthcare setting. Maybe the sign is intended to inspire, such as an advertisement or shop window display.
If you want to create branded advertising and marketing messages, it may be best to outsource the design to a professional signage solutions company. However, it’s possible to create a perfectly good sign even if you don’t have any special graphic design training, particularly if you just want to convey information.
Use high contrast
The screen should have a high pixel ratio to ensure that the display is clear, crisp and bright. The contrast between foreground and background images and text should be high to ensure that the content stands out and is easy to read from a distance.
Low resolution images will look fuzzy and be difficult to recognise from a distance. This will lower the impact of your messages, and it also looks unprofessional and reflects poorly on your business or organisation.
Get the font size and style right
Consider how far away the sign will be viewed, and avoid falling into the common pitfall of using a font size that is too small. Most digital signs are viewed from a distance of between 7 and 10 ft, which requires a font size of at least 30 pt. A sign that needs to be read from a distance of 25 ft requires at least a 100 pt font size.
The style of the font is also important. It is always better to pick a clear sans serif font such as Ariel or Helvetica, rather than a serif font, especially one that is highly stylised. A plain font might seem to lack visual appeal, but they are much easier to read in a single glance and from a distance.
Pay attention to wording and layout
Unless the purpose of your sign is purely informational, it is best to use words sparingly, as research has shown that most people move on if they can’t comprehend a sign within a few seconds. A commonly cited rule is to use no more than three lines of text, which contain no more than five words.
Alternatively, you could have five lines of text that contain no more than three words each.
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