The Rules of Designing Digital Content

CREATING CONTENT

The Rules of Designing Digital Content

Creating content is an exciting part of your communication efforts, as it is one of the primary ways you can relate to your audience and establish a connection. But figuring out the most effective means of doing so can be a tricky endeavor. Through our many partners, REACH has seen a variety of successful campaigns that have similar themes throughout their digital signage solutions.

Developing our industry knowledge has revealed there are common rules to follow when creating content for digital signage. Keep the following rules in mind, and your screens will be turning heads in no time!

Rule 1: Less is More

While a common, somewhat clichéd phrase, “Less is More” has proven to be an effective way to communicate through digital signage. Digital signage is meant to be dynamic, circling through multiple images and videos in a short timeframe. Hence, shortening things down to the essentials ensures clarity in your messaging. Keeping each screen focused on a single topic not only makes sure that message is conveyed, but also keeps your tenants from being overwhelmed.

Using easy-to-read fonts and uncomplicated writing will only help your audience’s understanding. Some of the most used fonts include: Arial, Helvetica, Avenir, Futura.

DESIGN titles

Rule 2: Use Headlines

Headlines are used in all forms of media for good reason. Giant, bold text with an enticing premise naturally draws in onlookers. The same is true for digital signage. Again, with a headline, you want to get right to the point of what you are conveying, but you do not want to give so much away that your audience is uninterested in seeing more. It’s a tricky balance to master, but becomes easier with time. If you ever feel stuck about how much should be going into a headline, refer back to Rule 1.

But having a juicy headline will not get you very far if it does not pop out of the screen. Using contrasting colors, such as black and white, makes your lettering stand out while also making it easier to read. The less effort your audience needs to make in finding and understanding your information, the more likely they are to respond to your efforts.

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Rule 3: Space Out Your Assets

Now that you have an understanding of what needs to go into your content, it is time to start considering the layout of your assets. Jumbling everything together will scramble your communication efforts and overwhelm the audience. But spacing things too far apart will make your design seem bland. A helpful tip to know is that readers will read your sign from top to bottom, so one strategy that may work is the pyramid layout. This is when you put all your most important points at the top, then add the details toward the bottom.

When filling out your content, it is important to leave enough “white space” around the edges of the screen. This is to ensure nothing gets cut off from any of your images. The goal of spacing out your assets is to provide a nice flow of information for your tenants to follow. This will capture their attention and present a cohesive message that is easy to understand.

Wide audience

Rule 4: Use Video Sparingly

Videos are a great, fast way to relay information to a wide audience. Their dynamic nature is also great for drawing awareness to your screens. But they are also a very stimulating form of media, since they call upon more than one of our senses. A general rule to follow when employing video is to only play one at a time. This makes sure your message gets across clearly. Keeping the focus on one topic at a time will also prevent your audience from being overwhelmed.

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Get started

With these tips, you have a solid foundation to produce excellent content for your digital signage. As you become more comfortable with these tactics, you can begin experimenting with more advanced techniques and strategies. At REACH, we are constantly evaluating the digital signage landscape to see what the latest trends are. Visit our website now to learn more and contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.

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