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Overview

How to get your message , or advertisement , "Billboard on to the Digital Signs around Campus

Currently the Digital Sign Network consist of approximately 120 nearly 400 signs in various schools, colleges and administrative units . While across campus and in remote sites. While there is only one application/network tying them together which allows for services like "Emergency Messaging", the administration of individual signs is distributed and so managed at the local level. Each unit may have their own protocols for what ultimately is displayed on the signs within their domain.

Best Practices

One should think  One should design as if they are preparing a message for a "billboardBillboard." 

Characteristics of a Bill board Billboard include:

• An eye catching graphic and/or color scheme

• A "concise" easily visible message intended for the passerby to retain

• Date, Time and Location for an event or

• Where inquiries may be made for more detail

There is no specific singular standard, your message may be displayed in a wide variety of sizes, locations, reading distances, and even the amount of time on the screen may vary from sign to sign.   Most sign locations are in relatively high traffic areas, so readers are typically in motion. Messages need to be legible, short, and easily understood to be effective. As mentioned previously, administration and protocols , controlling content , for on signs is a done managed locally by department so you may have little control over whether, where, and when they are your message is displayed.

Formatting

The vast majority of signs in the network use a 4x3 or 16x9 standard jpg image or a PowerPoint Slide shows shown in a a particular "region" of their sign, typically the sign. This region may take up 1/3 to 1/2 or more of the available real estate of a sign , for content that changes fairly regularly. As digital signage changes, larger displays and orientations are becoming more popular. As a result some result, some signs are now using a 16x9 landscape format and a few using a 9x16 or portrait orientation. They may be few, but they are located in some of the most heavily student trafficked locations.

At minimum for each message, you wish to have displayed you should provide .JPG images in three aspect formats as follows:

landscape orientation

• 4x3 (1440x1080x150ppi)

• 16x9 (1920x1080x150ppi)  

and a portrait orientation

• 9x16 (1080x1920x150ppi)

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Here is an example of a well proportioned sample slide Lynda-dot-com Digital Sign 16x9.jpg

Distribution

The distribution of your message may will be handled in a few different waysas follows.

•  If your contribution is of an occasional nature you may

  To have your content distributed simply send an email with

  attachments to Christopher Finkle

  attachments to Eric Ferguson and/or Roger Merrill, they will

  forward on your message

  announce the availability to the listserve of Digital Sign Admins and area Communications Managers. Please include:

  The three files in the following format: “expiration date_event title_size”  for example “2025_03_31_your_event_1440x1080.jpg”

  Title/File name: "expiration date_event title" 

  Start Date: ASAP (This date will allow Eric or I to batch drop the files/messages as close to the start date as possible.)

  Contact: (Someone that the Sign Admins

  If you plan on releasing content on a more regular basis, monthly or more frequently, you

  may contact with any questions)

   

  • Please Note: Digital Sign admins and area Communications managers are under no obligation to display your content. Some displays have unique or singular purposes. We do however encourage everyone to participate especially when the messaging is to the benefit of our students.

  • Sign Administrators, automate playing all SU Content by following the instructions here Consuming SU Content - Digital Signage Network SU - Answers 

• You may want to consider joining the Digital Signage listserve. The listserve is used to distribute notifications about available content for members signs and occasionally updates about the application itself

  ,

  or requests for assistance with issues

  as well as notifications about available content for members signs

  .

  • There is also a shared folder where images and PowerPoint slides

  may be

  • are deposited for admins and content managers to "pick up"

  Future work, "Channels" are also possible. Within the application a channel could be dedicated to a department or type of advertisement, for example "Athletics" or events focused on drawing the student population.  Sign administrators "could" opt to display these channels as a portion, usually a "time slice" (think commercials) as part of their overall programming.  To date there has not been the level of interest to warrant the time to set this up.

  • for display on signs.

I need a Digital Sign

If you are serious about getting about having your own digital sign hardware, please see this article: Syracuse University Digital Signage: Process, Get Started with Digital Signage Solution. It lays out everything you need to do.