Ask anybody involved with digital signage and they will tell you content is king. Okay, there is danger of this becoming a cliché but as the purpose of all advertising and information screens is to display content, then in the case of digital out of home (Dooh) it is truly is the most important aspect.
Creating content for digital signage is an art in itself and while many people assume that generating the subject matter for a digital screen is just like creating a Power Point presentation. This, however, is fairly misguided. Presentations are watched by captivated audiences in meeting rooms while digital signage has to work to get noticed, the content has to literally jump out and grab people’s attention otherwise it does not get viewed.
And with outdoor digital signage things can become even more complicated. Outdoor content has to contend with bright sunlight, dreary days and be even more noticeable as people often have virtual blinkers on when walking in outdoor locations and can end up ignoring the street advertising.
To ensure you are generating lively, engaging and eye-catching content of outdoor digital signage, here are five tips to keep you on the right track:
- Never crowd an advert with too much information and text. Remember that digital signage gets viewed for perhaps two or three seconds – less with outdoor digital signage – so the message should be got across in just a brief glance.
- Don’t overload the content with too many different fonts or colours. Use two main colours, preferably linked to your brand and choose just a couple of fonts, perhaps one for headline and one for body copy. Never use all caps as people need to see the shapes of words to comprehend them (particularly if the content is only glanced at).
- Ensure you are aware of the technology you are using, and in particular ensuring you are aware of the screen size and aspect ratio otherwise the content could disappear off the side of the display.
- Remember the content is for outdoor digital signage and not TV – limit the moving images that are used and keep things simple and concise. Maximise any transitions or length of adverts to just a few seconds.
- With outdoor digital signage content that was designed for an indoor screen can look completely different when used on an outdoor screen. Outdoor displays have to cope with bright sunlight which can affect how colours and images look. Always test any outdoor content before you go live with it.
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