Digital Signage 101: Learning to Think Like a Designer

It wasn’t in the job description when you accepted your position, nor did you study the topic in college. But suddenly you find yourself in charge of your business’s digital signage. Are you prepared?

You associate digital signage with graphic design. You associate graphic design with art. But is that right? And if it is, oh man, you’re in trouble—because an artist is the last thing you’d call yourself, at least in public or on your LinkedIn page.

But hold on. You’ll be all right. With a slight shift in your thinking, you can likely handle many of your digital signage needs on your own and start to think like a designer.

Crystal Clear Messaging

The first thing to keep in mind is that while art is subjective, design is definitely objective. A painting can mean different things to different people and still be considered a great painting. In fact, the possibility for multiple, even contradictory interpretations may be one of the painting’s charms!

In digital design, by contrast, such ambiguity only leads to confusion. Your message should be clear and easy to understand and crafted for a specific audience. Cool, vivid, stylish, or even flashy—these characteristics aren’t good enough by themselves. Their only worth is in their ability to clearly convey your message to the people who need it.

So, before starting your next digital signage project, clearly identify who it is you’re trying to communicate with and what it is you want that person (or people) to do. Let the answers to these questions guide you in all of your design decisions.  

Easier said than done, of course. The designers who succeed create good memories and strong attention spans. It’s those moments when designers forget or lose track of either purpose or audience that things go off-topic.

So tape it to the bathroom mirror: everything you do in design should be to accommodate the goal you are trying to achieve. That isn’t to say that those in digital communications can’t be creative. Designers are problem-solvers—the most creative of the creative-types out there. They’re also extremely versatile, able to quickly transfer their skills to a variety of mediums: digital, print, UI/UX, Motion Graphics. As the famous designer Massimo Vignelli once said: “If you can design one thing, you can design everything.”

Omnivex Can Help

Omnivex offers complete digital communications solutions that not only meet but exceed our customers’ expectations. Services include consulting, project management, creative design, technical design, hardware selection, installation, training, and technical account management. Our unparalleled product expertise and experience ensure our customers receive the best solution for the best possible outcome.