Three Tips for Getting the Most out of an Outdoor Digital Signage Display

Outdoor digital signage displays have many advantages and benefits as a form of communication. An outdoor screen can communicate to a large audience in a dynamic and engaging way, but using a screen outdoors does involve a fairly significant investment. Therefore, no matter what the reason for using an outdoor digital signage display, getting the most out of the screen is essential for getting a good return on this investment.

Outdoor digital signage requires a good location

Simply erecting a screen outside a building may not be taking full advantage of the uniqueness of the medium, but there are steps you can take to make sure you are making full use of the flexibility and dynamic nature of an outdoor digital signage display.

Type and size of outdoor digital signage display

For outdoor digital signage, making sure you have the right size and type of display is important. While size and type of screen make little difference with indoor displays, for outdoor digital signage the type and size of screen can make a big difference. While it doesn’t matter what technical format screen is used, whether it is an LCD, plasma or some other form of display, what is important is the screen brightness. Due to the power of sunlight, a high brightness screen is important for outdoor areas, to avoid readability problems in times of high ambient light.

Outdoor screens are often read from further away than indoor screens, so making sure you have a large enough display is also important for outdoor locations. The screen should be readable from a good distance away, which may mean using a display far larger than you would indoors.

Position/location of outdoor digital signage display

Making sure you have the right location for an outdoor digital signage display is also important for making the most of the technology. Firstly, a screen needs to be in a location where an audience is most likely to view it. A screen on the side of a building is not going to be as effective as one placed near an entrance. Secondly, the screen should be as close to eye-level as possible. If a screen is hanging from a ceiling or is generally too high, there is a good chance an audience will overlook it. All outdoor digital signage displays should be placed to face the oncoming audience and be as prominent and hard to miss as possible.

Content of outdoor digital signage display

Due to the distance an audience views an outdoor digital signage display, as with screen size, content needs also to be big and bold. All messages should be simple, to the point. Avoid using too many transitions, moving images and fancy graphics. Just because an outdoor digital signage display is similar to a television, that doesn’t mean the content should be too. The main benefits of an outdoor digital signage display is its flexibility, dynamic nature and ability to engage with large numbers of people, not the fact that it can display moving images and fancy graphics.