Colors increase brand recognition by 80%, try implementing some color in your digital signage content

This is another installment of our bi-monthly digital signage content design blog, written by our Content Creation Team, geared to help users create visually compelling content.

Few people choose to watch a black and white movie if there is a color alternative, just as no one gets excited about plain, black on white text. The same rule applies to digital signage content. Color is key to audience attraction. In fact, it’s one of the main factors that connect viewers to a message.

Did you know that almost 85% of consumers said color was the primary reason that they purchase a particular product? 1 Or that 93% of consumers look at the products overall visual appearance when they’re buying? 2 Color improves comprehension, learning and readability. And it gets better, color increases brand recognition by 80%. 3  Branding connoisseur, William Arruda, wrote in a Forbes article: “Color is powerful because it exudes brand attributes and makes you memorable. Are you using color appropriately to stand out?”  (Follow him on Twitter.)

But before you get a little too color-friendly with your slides, consider your design aesthetics. Certain messages call for certain hues, while others should be based on your brand’s criteria. Let’s discuss a few color theories to consider when choosing which part of the rainbow is appropriate for your digital signage content.

Color Can Improve: Comprehension, Learning and Reading

The Color Wizards at WebFX put together a great infographic on the Psychology of Color.

Color Strikes Our Emotional Chords

This probably isn’t the first place you’ve heard this: color plays a huge part on our psychological state.  If you do a little digging, you’ll find that brand colors of everything in branding are strategically chosen, down to the color of the tables inside your favorite fast food chain.

Colors hit close to the heart.  Whether we’re aware of it or not, they remind us of our first emotional experiences. Some, like neon yellow, attract attention. Others, like beige, blend in with the environment and stay neutral. Different colors mean different things in each culture, so for the sake of this blog, we’ll focus on western culture.

Your brand’s colors are very important and should be used in messages that promote your organization. Other messages, however, may need a few extra details. For example, a warm pink background, or a fresh green font can add a subtle depth to your design. Just remember, neutral colors should dominate while brighter/darker colors should be used more sparingly.

Harmonize Color Palettes

Think of how an interior designer would decorate a living room: The wall color might be neutral and light, the couch might be a vibrant color, and the carpet might have a pattern. Hardly ever are the all three from the same category.

This rule applies to your digital signage content, too. Pick a color for the background, then a contrasting color for the font so that it is readable from a distance. The third color, or picture should complement the first two colors. To avoid clashing, choose colors that stem from the same palette:

Pure Colors: Full fleshed colors that are vibrant, cheerful, and energetic.
Tinted Colors: Colors mixed with white for a lighter tone.
Shades of Colors: Colors mixed with black for a mysterious or dark effect.

Pure colors are often used in fast food menus and cartoons, while tints are used in heavenly paintings or bridal bouquets. A digital signage campaign in a spa might strictly use tints for all messages, while a K-12 deployment might use a lot of pure colors. If your message is about a darker topic, like identity theft, you might opt for a palette of shades.
 
Switch it Up Your Digital Signage Content

They say, variety is the spice of life, this too applies to digital signage. Staying within the same palette category is fine, but don’t use the same colors for all 17 of the slides in your campaign. The same colors time and time again may be perceived as one long, mundane slide to less observant audience members. Jump from a slide with a blue background to a contrasting orange. That’ll be sure to catch the eye of any day-dreaming lobby dweller.

So now we’ve focused on why we need design, what mistakes to avoid, which general practices to follow, and now how to incorporate colors. You’re well on your way to being a design guru. Stay tuned for more design advice, and as always, click below to download October’s free digital signage content!  Keep those signs fresh and your organizational communications strong!

This is the second installment of a bi-monthly blog piece, written by our Content Creation Team, geared to help users create visually compelling content.

Believe me, creating well designed content takes practice. Most content creators learn the basics of how to use their digital media software, and stop their education there. I’m here to tell you that there is always room for improvement.

In the first blog of this series, Why Design Matters, I explained how design has a huge impact on attracting and retaining audiences. In this blog, let’s focus on what not to do when creating a design. Don’t worry, these mistakes are easy to remedy! Make these simple changes and not only will you see an increase in audience engagement but also notice your signage has become the go-to for organization communications. Here are the five most common mistakes customers seem to make when creating content for their digital signage :

1. Multiple Thoughts Per Slide

Too many ideas, so little time! Where is the audience supposed to focus? Remember, slides play on a time limit, so the audience only has time to digest one idea. With too many messages being displayed at once, the audience is sure to get confused and annoyed. Instead of cramming multiple event details onto one slide, limit messages to one idea: “Picture Day: Friday 13, 2015. Auditorium from 10AM-3PM”

2. Text Overload

A paragraph in size 10 font will do nothing for your communication. Your viewers have been reading emails all day, the last thing they want to read is an essay on the company picnic. Too much text is a sure-fire way to get people to ignore your message. Instead of listing tons of safety tips, keep messages narrowed down to one sentence: “Be sure to wear protective eyewear before using any machinery.” You can break up longer thoughts into multiple slides, just be aware that your viewers may not have a chance to see every slide in your series.

3. Hierarchy

If the visual order of the content doesn’t make any sense, your message will be lost. Make sure that the most important part of your message is the first thing your viewers see. The last thing you want is for your message to get lost in the shuffle because you didn’t have room for it next to the funny cat meme.* Make sure your message gets consumed by making it the largest element on the slide, altering it’s color to be different than other text, or even repeating it a few times.

4. Boring

Static, black text on a white background, no pictures, bland language… digital signage shouldn’t look like a boring legal document . So often do we see amazing digital signage deployments in high traffic areas playing dull slides. Clearly, no one pays any attention to this content. Black and white televisions are a thing of the past for a reason, give your material life and color! Use some stock photography to add a visual to your message, or upload photos from your social media sites.

5. Lack of Supporting Elements

Slides with just words or slides with just pictures will do nothing for communication. The best slides incorporate both text and images. Marrying the two will hit the viewers with an emotion and a call to action. For instance: if the message is about eating right, provide a picture of some freshly washed veggies. You’ll capture their attention with the photo, then they’ll be more likely to read the message.

And while it is always easier to assign these responsibilities to someone with a graphic design background, it isn’t always necessary. Instead of getting overwhelmed and resigning from the design position, you can steer clear of the faux pas listed above. Avoiding those will take your signage to a whole new level of design and improve the effectiveness of your signage communication, readying you for our next blog piece: implementing design best practices.

Your digital signage is finally ready to go and your content management system is stocked full of content. Unfortunately, your self-celebration is quickly silenced by the lack of audience engagement. In fact, no one seems to notice the signs at all. What gives?

If you're like the vast majority of those who implement digital signage, you're not a designer. If that's the case, you have to acknowledge the harsh reality of the situation — your slides are repelling your audience's attention. Just because your content is being fed through a screen doesn't mean everyone will automatically connect and engage. Think of how you quickly avert your gaze from mediocre-at-best advertisements on the subway, so too do the people in your workplace.

You're probably asking yourself, "What is so wrong with my design?" I'll answer the question for you. Your first mistake is you didn't actually consider a design at all. Sure, you might put the right message and images on your slide, but those assets alone do not create an engaging visual. This brings us to the second question you should ask yourself...

What is design?

Your content is made up of two essential pieces, the message and the design. Both are vital in trying to reach your audience. A typical problem users have is that their messages aren't reaching their audience. A strong design can eliminate this situation. Design is the marriage of form and function. Good content design will give your message a visual package that excites consumers enough to explore.

Almost half, a full 46.1 percent, of people say a company's design is the No. 1 criterion for discerning their credibility. If a company's content looks messy, consumers assume the same of their products and services. Good design not only organizes the mess, but can also add a noticeable finishing touch. When your desk is organized and clean, it's much easier to find your keys rather than when you have to sift through stacks of paper and the remains of yesterday's lunch. Graphic design works the same way: It helps viewers digest the information while putting in minimal effort. Okay, next question.

How does design apply to digital signage?

When you have endless flexibility for content creation like digital signage, design is the science that crafts and harnesses your message. Keep in mind that you're designing content for large screens or kiosks, not a desktop computer. Create for the environment. Don't focus on creating an award-winning design, instead keep the following principles in mind. Use a design that makes your message understandable, a design that is unobtrusive, and a design that is honest.

Visual thinking happens faster than text-based thinking; with digital signage this is a vital detail. The message should already be narrowed down to the essentials: the who, what, where, when or why. The visual elements, too, should be set up in a way that helps viewers easily understand the message. The design should not get in the way of the message; rather it should support the message in a visually appealing manner.

Digital signage is a powerful tool for communication; its ability to attract, engage and retain audience of all types is unparalleled. However, if your content is bland or confusing, the messages will go right over your viewers' heads. By creating content that is aesthetic, concise, refreshed and entertaining, your digital signage will be a hit. Spend a little extra time learning design basics, so your slides will capture the attention of your audience.