Is Digital Signage Art? Here's How to Get the Most Out of It
Digital signage has many different uses: it can show us the way, it can work as advertising and it can highlight a business or organisation, but is it art? The truth is that in most cases, it can be both. There are vast amounts of design and creativity that go into every digital sign, making each one a masterpiece in its own right, and here’s how…
What is Digital Signage?
Digital signage uses to digital displays made up of LED walls, LCD monitors or projections to display information, posters and even videos in a way that is both interesting and visually striking.
The fact that your signage is being displayed in such a way, means that you can change and update it in an instant, and make use of the bright lights and colours of the screens to reach out and grab your audience in a way that other types of signage cannot do.
It is an incredibly versatile form of display, and can be found in almost any business, from retail outlets to restaurants, offices and sports centres. It has the flexibility to showcase and products or messages that you choose, and it can rotate through different signs and adverts to ensure that there is a constantly changing display if you want one.
Digital signage is a powerful form of communication that crosses the boundaries into art on the basis that these days, the only limits are your imagination.
Be Seen
Digital signage is designed to catch the eye, otherwise it becomes useless, and so a lot of though needs to go into how it works and what it looks like. The benefit of digital signage is the flexibility that it offers, meaning that it can use different styles and techniques interchangeably to help make it stand out to the right audience.
This makes it a hugely important part of any physical marketing strategies, as it is one of the first ways that a business can get itself noticed or draw attention to something that it wants to highlight or promote.
Flexibility
If a restaurant wants to invite people in for breakfast, then it needs to show the sausages and croissants that it offers, but by lunch time this advertising will have become obsolete. Digital signage is perfect for this, as it gives businesses the opportunity to change what they advertise according to the time of day or the audience that they are targeting.
It is possible for a customer to walk past multiple times and never see the same sign twice, which can be a powerful tool in catching someone’s attention, as they are sure to see something that appeals to them eventually.
Different Mediums
Whilst businesses might have become used to putting together a poster, digital signage provides different options for so many more mediums.
Not only do you have the option to produce a single flat image, but you can also make sure of video and animation to create something totally unique and as well as being something that can catch the eye, it will also be able to hold the attention of passers-by who stop to see what is coming next.
Direct Your Customers
Whilst digital signage can be seen as a way of drawing people in, it can also be used as way to direct your customers once they have entered your premises.
It could be something as simple as signposting, or it could focus on offers or events that you want to push people towards. It can help you to determine where the main flow of traffic goes to, how you want people to experience your business and what thoughts you want to leave them with.
Speed
If there has been an event in the world that you want to react to, or you simply want to sell off some cakes that are going out of date, digital signage gives you the ability to react to any situation quickly. With the touch of a button, you can upload new artwork and a new message, allowing you to respond to situations as they happen and give your business a new sense of immediacy and speed.
Cost-Effectiveness
Producing a marketing strategy takes time, and when you only get one shot at producing a poster or billboard, you need to put all of your energy into getting it right, which can be heartbreaking if you finally show it to the world and find that it misses the mark. This can mean that more money needs to be pumped into printing out replacements or commissioning new signs, and this is a cost most businesses struggle to absorb.
With digital signage, you can change your artwork as often as you feel the need. Adverts can be changed and uploaded immediately without waiting for anything to be printed, and the costs associated with that.
It can also prove to be a much cheaper option than printing brochures or business cards. The savings that you make on printing costs can then be invested back into the business and the creation of high-quality artwork and marketing strategies.
Be More Memorable
Did you know that digital displays can capture 400% more views than static ones? Our eyes and brains seem to be more drawn towards a digital display, meaning that any signage that you produce for a digital outlet is more likely to be seen than other digital methods.
By grabbing the attention so effectively, you can also help yourself to be more memorable, ensuring that you stay in the minds of more people, and can therefore attract and retain greater numbers of customers.
Digital signage has long been put to work by some of the masters in marketing because of the wide varieties of options that it gives them.
This is now available to almost any business, turning their marketing strategies into their own works of art that are capable of tugging on the hearts, minds or pockets of customers and helping to drive them to new levels of success.