Digital signage white pages

Owned by KARYN O'DELL
Last updated: Apr 22, 2021
12 min read

In the following sections, we outline suggestions for how to keep the deployment and upkeep of a digital signage system streamlined. This covers how to request digital signage, organize content and your content library, create messages and layouts that cohesively bring together the intent of the system, and other basic tips for making your system successful.

Basics

We want to ensure that digital sign administrators have at their disposal information about best practices to ensure that signs have the greatest impact and maximize engagement with their various audiences.

Digital signage presents an opportunity to enforce a sense of community. This Digital Signage White Pages should be used alongside the OTC Editorial Style Guide, OTC Social Media Style Guide, and the Website Standards and Guidelines to ensure successful digital signage.

Before setting up a digital signage network, it is important to establish your goals:

Ask yourself:

  • What exactly do you want to accomplish with your displays?

  • What business goals do you want to meet?

    • For example, do you want to increase sales, inform customers, or improve employee productivity?

  • Who will be viewing the displays?

    • What do you want them to take away from the experience?

  • What type of content will be displayed on your network?

    • Advertisements, important information, entertainment?

    • What percent of each type will be shown?

  • What resources - time, money and human - are you willing to commit to the network?

Of course, the answer will depend on your industry and the audiences you are targeting. The support of these systems is in place to help the College communicate messages of general interest to the public. Digital signage presents an opportunity to enforce a sense of community. Digital signage is used to achieve specific communication goals. When deciding if you need this form of communication, consider your goals, audience, and editorial schedule for keeping the content fresh.

Information / Content to be displayed (in order of priority):

  • Communicate emergency information – Initiated via PR 

  • Campus and/or building utility outages – Initiated via Sign Owner

    • Campus wide events

    • Orientation

    • OTC Weekly Events

    • Commencement

    • Finals

    • Hazing Prevention Week

    • Sexual Assault Awareness Week

    • Other events, promotions or information from the office of Public Relations

    • Building / Department Information

    • Directory / Campus Map

    • Room changes

    • Announcements (weekly / daily)

    • Student Organization / Department Activities

Support

Departments are responsible for the funding of equipment, licenses and installation costs.

  • Department’s digital signage requests must include their dean or department head / director’s approval for digital signage location and funding.

  • Approval of the Department / Colleges Dean or VP of that unit confirming the project in writing

  • Equipment purchases must be coordinated and approved through the OTC IT department in order to maintain consistent quality, technological and installation requirements.

  • Equipment must be installed by OTC IT or approved representative.

  • OTC IT will approve digital signage locations within buildings to comply with fire code, ADA requirements, and historical building and structural standards.

  • OTC IT will maintain server and server software.

  • Digital Signage is NOT allowed for any General Scheduled Classroom Space

    • Exception for emergency alerts

  • OTC IT department will train the users on how to publish content and how to access the Digital Signage Repository.

    • OTC will maintain the digital signage equipment and software

    • Report any issue to the IT Help Desk

Basic Content Guidelines

In an effort to maintain consistency in message and branding, we have established some basic content guidelines that should be met before displaying content. By following these simple guidelines, your message will look more professional and reach more people.

  • All digital signage televisions must have a minimum resolution of 1920 x 1080 (1080x1920 for portrait). This is to ensure that all approved graphics are displayed correctly.

  • Public Relations and the Creative Service Team will develop standardized templates for all campus monitors. User readability will be maintained between buildings and monitors. Approved graphics can be found on the R: drive (R:\Digital Signage Repository\Approved Graphics).

  • Maximum of 40 words on any static graphic.

  • Insufficient contrast between text and background can make reading difficult. For example, avoid using red type against the OTC blue or vice versa.

  • We recommend video clips that are from 10-30 seconds in length for digital signage.

    • Some promotional videos may be longer but only plan to engage the viewer for less than 60 seconds.

  • All video clips to be posted on digital signage must be at a 16:9 aspect ratio, preferably at 1920 x 1080 pixels.

  • The video should be saved in MPEG-4 (.mp4) format.

  • Audio will not be available for video clips shown on digital signage displays.

    • The IC Video Wall has audio capabilities

    • Any digital sign has the ability to play sound but as of right now we are disabling that feature.  You can propose why your signage needs sounds to your system administrator by submitting a ticket to the Help Desk and it will be taken into consideration.

  • Please use a text overlay for the entire duration of your video to briefly indicate to viewers what the video is promoting.

    • Most people walking past digital signage displays will not see the entire video, so some context is necessary.

  • You must follow the OTC Editorial Style Guide, OTC Social Media Style Guide, and Website Standards and Guidelines. These standards extend to the use of wordmarks, logos, signature colors, type fonts and other matters that affect OTC’s visual identity. Any video in violation of the OTC Style Guide will be removed.

Design Tips – The Basics

While designing for signage can be similar in many ways to designing for other digital media - and in some cases, even print - there are a few major differences to consider. Digital signage is a powerful medium with the ability to distribute multiple ideas and messages at once. By following some simple guidelines, your displays become a powerful source of information-sharing.

Establish a campaign

Each campaign will have its own unique goals and strategy. Since we are a college campus, campaigns can be as simple as fall, spring, and summer.  The majority of the information is apt to remain the same.  However each semester usually has a slightly different focus.  The style of each campaign should differ from one another.  If the sign remains unchanged for too long the viewer will no longer notice the information being displayed.  To avoid stagnant signage make sure each campaign has a unique style.  Even if the information stays the same across campaigns the change in style will draw the viewers’ attention. 

Content Guidelines

Here we will explore the ideas presented in previous pages in more detail, with examples of what to avoid when creating content.