If you are following this series, you know we are talking about the science behind good sign design, and how this applies to digital sign content as well. In our first post, we reviewed content considerations as  a whole. This brought us to Part 1, CLEVR acronym for Conspicuity, Legibility, Visibility and Readability. We reviewed Conspicuity and what it means in the application called Dynamic Signage. Part 2 discussed Legibility, and how this relates to dynamic content for digital sign systems. Visibility and a great tip for improved dynamic signage was presented in Part 3. If you haven’t read up on the premise, do so with the links above.

And now, to complete the series, Readability is our subject today!

A readable display allows people to quickly and accurately recognize and understand information, in particular, alphanumeric characters. The message should be clear and unambiguous. In traditional sign design, a few words to convey important information is all that is required. The same can be applied to dynamic signage. Again, these displays are not television. It is not a seated audience, for the most part, watching the screen with no other distractions. In an ideal world, there would be nothing but the screen. In reality, there is likely to be other signage, noise, people milling around, and multiple distractions. The dynamic display message, therefore, should be built much like static signage.

This means the concept of readability takes on great importance. If you have only a few minutes to engage your viewer, you should make certain your message is readable – that the message is conveyed quickly and clearly. While we love our HD content, LobbyPOP always includes on-screen text and clear voice-over in bite-sized chunks to assure no part of the message is obscured or lost. Text is often white with a pin-line outline, to assure it shows clearly on any motion background.

Dynamic Signage displays are alphanumeric displays, using letters and numbers, along with graphic images and sound, to convey messages. The contrast ratio for the characters is an important element in readabiliy and legibility.

In their book, Human Factors in Simple and Complex Systems, Robert W. Proctor, Trisha Van Zandt explain that under optimal conditions, for black text on a white background, the font stock width-to-height ratio is ideally 1:6 to 1:8. For white characters on a black field, the optimal ratio is 1:8 to 1:10. Thinner lines for white on black images are required because of a phenomenon called radiation or sparkle. This is where the light color “bleeds” together due to the contrast -the eye’s reaction.

Keeping the core message concise, and the entire message in a ten to fifteen second clip, is a good rule of thumb. This does not mean that a 30-second spot is not desirable. On the contrary, the core message can be emphasized and repeated in ways that assure readability and recognition. This is the heart of all advertising: Repetition. So whereas traditional static signs can be read several times over in the space of a few seconds, thereby assuring a point is communicated, a dynamic sign can enhance this and “force” repetition upon the viewer by repeating the same points in slightly different ways, with supporting information in concert, much like bullet points in a presentation.

How many words? How much information per minute? We have validated that seven words or less for the core messaging, and up to eight supporting messages within a 60-second spot can be read and comprehended.  So go forth and multiply your advertising!

Dynamic Digital Signage has a certain mystique that, due to the expansion of worldwide demand, we have been working to clarify. Why is this dynamic sign Technology getting so much attention? Why should you invest in this new learning curve as a digital print or sign professional? If you’ve carved out your niche, you may not need to differentiate any further. But for the tens of thousands of digital sign shops across North America, differentiation needs a push.

By entering the world of digital signage, sign designers and sign company professionals maintain complete control of their client base, and signage portfolio.

Sign makers who have worked for their entire career with static signage can find all of this new territory difficult to navigate.  There are many new manufacturers of digital signage products, and it is unfortunate that many of these manufacturers do not have a sign-making background, and therefore do not always speak our language.  And, while it may be easy to find companies who offer digital signage software (more than 350 exist today!) and/or hardware, it is much more difficult to learn how to implement the technology for the end-user – our clients.

Here at SOSA, we had an epiphany!  Find the best and most widely recognized certification program for dynamic sign experts, check it out, and if it works, bring it to the digital print sign industry! Enter the Digital Signage Certified Expert (DSCE) program, offered by the Digital Signage Experts Group through SOSA registration!

Finally! Answers from a respected, definitive source, to questions such as: What kind of content is going to be displayed?  What kind of hardware and/or software should be used?  Where is the display going to be located?  How will it be programmed, and by whom?  Will there be multiple displays?  How will the whole system be controlled and updated?  How in the world do I guide a prospective client, and, most importantly, what will make this kind of visual communication EFFECTIVE?

The DSCE course is a widely recognized certification course which covers all of the essential ingredients for anyone who wants to offer digital signage.  Who has taken the course already? About 4700 individuals, most from the AV industry. We, however, believe YOU are even better equipped to deliver sign messaging through dynamic systems!!  SOSA is very excited to make this available to you, the sign professional, with an exclusive added bonus, a 48-page guide book made for YOU, valued at $75!  This guide, Making the Move to Dynamic Signage, is designed to help sign companies make the transition from a flat world, to a dynamic one.

The entire course is $195 anywhere you sign up, but ONLY at SOSA can you get this PDF book, Making the Move to Dynamic Signage, absolutely free. SO, SOSA says, the course gets five out five stars:

It is inexpensive (only $195 for an 8-hour certification course. Come on!)

You can stop and start the course on your own schedule

When you pass the course, you earn the respected DSCE credentials

There are video “chapters” you can watch throughout the exam

You get a tremendous bonus guide book

Here’s how it works:

You purchase a program access key code at SOSA for $195, then go to the DSEG.org website and log in.  Upon doing so, you can begin your training course, which is a series of instructional videos, accompanied by a 68-question certification test.  Once you’ve filled in all of your answers, you submit your test for review.  It is instantly graded, and, provided you receive a passing score, you then instantly receive your Digital Signage Certified Expert certificate via email, and are added to the Digital Signage Experts Group list of … well, Experts!

When you purchase your DSCE course access code through SOSA, you’ll also receive the PDF book: Making the Move to Dynamic Signage …. Did we mention, it’s free!  This 48-page guide for the sign professional is approved by founder of DSEG.org, Alan Brawn, CTS, DSCE, DSDE, ISF, ISF-C, this year’s Chairman of the Digital Signage Federation. A great companion to the DSCE course, it includes additional insight, statistics, and information on the current and future digital signage market. It normally retails for $75, and is the only book of its kind. TWO different needs analysis surveys complete the book, giving you the ultimate consultation forms to use with your prospective clients. Those alone are worth the price of admission! The book arrives instantly via email download – you don’t have to wait until you finish the on-line course!

Simple, right?  Hold on there, Skippy.  Yes, the concept is simple, but this isn’t just a log-in-and-get-your-certificate kind of program.  You will have to do some work, as this is some serious business with a lot of information to cover.  You’ll need a few hours to complete the training and test.  It’s designed as an 8-hour course, so allow yourself at least 6 hours, perhaps more, depending on your existing level of understanding and the amount of caffeine in your cup. If you need to stop along the way to use the restroom or take a nap, you can save your progress and return later, using a progress code given at the start of your session.  Heck, go home and sleep on it, return the next day and jump back in!

What’s the test like?  Some of the questions are multiple choice, some are true/false, and some are of the “fill in” kind.  You do need to learn some things before you can answer everything correctly, and you are only allowed to get 8 questions wrong to pass.  After your test is graded, you’ll be shown the questions you missed, although you will not be given the correct answer.  I think the idea is for you to go back and review the training, and find the correct one for yourself.

Four of us took the course, and we all passed! We found the training to be very thorough, well-researched, and quite accurate, as well as entertaining at times.  The videos include nice diagrams to help solidify the material, and pleasant voice narration, which is a good thing, considering you’ll be listening to these voices for several hours.  The subject matter is very complete, covering a range of topics – see the curriculum on the product page in the SOSA Store.

In short, there’s a wealth of information here that is far beyond the price of the course… not to mention the PDF book you will refer to again and again. You’ll walk away with a great understanding … not only of digital signage systems and how they work, but also what makes content effective and entertaining, so the display hardware on the wall actually does what it’s intended to do.

We highly recommend the DSCE course for anyone who is currently offering Digital Signage products, or even if you’re just in the “I’m thinking about it and would like to know more” stage.  You’ll learn a lot, and gain a great deal of confidence in what you offer and how to communicate it to your clients!

Order here at SOSA. You can view the curriculum there by clicking on More Images at the top of the page there in the SOSA Shop!

We are pleased to present posts by permission from the knowledgable www.LobbyPOP.me blog, which features all things dynamic signage! If you haven’t checked them out, you are missing invaluable information. Seriously. Here’s a series of blogs about dynamic signage and good (read: readable) content.

If you are following this series, you know we are talking about the science behind good sign design, and how this applies to digital sign content as well. In our first post, we reviewed content considerations as  a whole. This brought us to Part 1, CLEVR acronym for Conspicuity, Legibility, Visibility and Readability. We reviewed Conspicuity and what it means in the application called Dynamic Signage. Part 2 discussed Legibility, and how this relates to dynamic content for digital sign systems. If you haven’t read up on the premise, do so with the links above.

Today we are examining Visibility, one of the key elements guiding good sign placement and design. This is perhaps one of the most overlooked factors in digital sign system development. As we create stunning graphics, clever messaging, and build meaningful news and live feeds into our dynamic signage, then make sure our sign is conspicuously placed in its new location, we are not looking at visibility the way that traditional sign professionals do.

Visibility is characterized much as you would expect: It is the aspect of “being visible” period. When a sign first becomes visible, you may not yet be able to read or hear the content. You can see the screen flickering in that bright blue fashion indicating an exciting message. With on-premise signage, you can see the illuminated beacon of the Golden Arches in time to cut across three lanes and safely grab a burger. Back a block or two, you couldn’t read the daily specials – all that mattered at that distance was that the sign was visible.

Too often, digital sign screens are placed where you can’t see them until you enter the immediate zone in which they are displayed. This may be appropriate where a touchscreen is used, for instance, to determine the right mattress to purchase, as you stand in the bedding department of the box store. But when signs are to be used for creating awareness of products, guiding shoppers through your facility, or for advising of coming events, these displays are often a few feet lower than they should be. This is likely a phenomenon that comes from the deep hold that our living room television has on society. It is hard to separate digital signage from television, at least in our minds. We are conditioned to expect the screen to be at eye level.

What eye-level means for a digital display is that the dress racks, or the cubicle walls, or simply masses of people are blocking visibility of the screens. By installing the screens overhead, instead of at eye level, we achieve maximum reach, better engagement, and more attention. This is the Visibility Factor that LobbyPOP classes address.

For a good example, think of airport signs that show your gate, and your luggage carousels.  These are overhead, visible from far down the corridor.  Want to do a better job with dynamic digital signage? Consider installing more of these screens six feet or higher. Might mean a larger screen is in order, but is that really such a bad thing?

Next and final post in this series: Readability! CLEVR!

We are pleased to present posts by permission from the knowledgable www.LobbyPOP.me blog, which features all things dynamic signage! If you haven’t checked them out, you are missing invaluable information. Seriously. Here’s a series of blogs about dynamic signage and good (read: readable) content.

If you are following this series, you know we are talking about the science behind good sign design, and how this applies to digital sign content as well. In our first post, we reviewed content considerations as  a whole. This brought us to Part 1, CLEVR acronym for Conspicuity, Legibility, Visibility and Readability. We reviewed Conspicuity and what it means in the application called Dynamic Signage. If you haven’t read up on the premise, do so with the link above.

Today, we focus on Legibility. As we learned, CLEVR is evaluated according to the application.  Within a textbook, for example, conspicuous text is not the aim. Legible and readable content is of great importance.

A document from the International Sign Association (ISA) regarding sign legibility gives us a clear definition, “Legibility: The physical attributes of a sign that allow for differentiation of its letters, words, numbers, or graphics and that directly relate to an observer’s visual acuity. Legibility is considered an objective stimulus.”

What does this mean for dynamic sign content?

The “physical” attributes would in this case be the contrast between message text and background, the clarity of the image, glare or reflectivity of the display screen, size of the text and graphics, and the motion effects that may be in play.

Typographic elements are the focus here, no pun intended. Font style, size, color, spacing, and whether the font is ornate, upper case, lower case — these are all factors that create degrees of legibility. Obviously, light yellow letters on a white background will not be particularly legible. If, however, you add a black pin-line around each, you can increase legibility. Now, factor in motion – if you have created an electronic message with letter characters that bounce on the screen, you have decreased legibility. The same goes for very small fonts, which are commonly used in the “fine print” for car commercial interest rates and lease information.

A case can be made for some legibility loss, however!

We, as sign designers, are sometimes drawn to a zesty or ornate font, in order to convey a particular spirit or feeling in our messaging. Some typefaces are just designed to stand out from the crowd. To the degree that a typeface has personality, spirit, or distinction, however, it almost always suffers proportionally on the legibility scale.  We have found over the past three years that when designing dynamic content, less is more. The most legible typefaces are “transparent” to the reader–that is, they don’t call undue attention to themselves.

Look for fonts that not excessively light or bold, weight changes within character strokes are subtle, and serifs, if the face has them, do not call attention to themselves. Use zesty or elegant cursive styles in moderation, and keep their movement to a minimum.

Next post, we look at the quality of Visibility. Yes, another factor in good dynamic sign design!

We are pleased to present posts by permission from the knowledgable www.LobbyPOP.me blog, which features all things dynamic signage! If you haven’t checked them out, you are missing invaluable information. Seriously. Here’s a series of blogs about dynamic signage and good (read: readable) content.

We mentioned in our previous post that sign industry professionals use the science of signs when creating a communications vehicle for their clients. These same principles should be applied to your dynamic digital content as well. The four considerations are known as Conspicuity, Legibility, Visibility and Readability. We like an acronym to help recall these four design factors: CLEVR. It really is more than clever

Conspicuity

Just what are these four factors, when you analyze them?  Today’s post gives you a framework for understanding these principles, as we tackle each one in this blog series.

For communication to take place, a message must be conveyed. Just like speech, or signing, a physical sign exists to communicate a message. This is considered commercial speech. Let’s look at Conspicuity!

If you were to shout out a math answer in a forest, a teacher thousands of miles away will never know you had the right answer- this relates to “visibility.” If you were standing in front of the professor, and then relayed the test answer with a language you made up that morning, the professor will still not know if you answered correctly or not. This relates to “readability” in the typographic world. If you are speaking clearly, but at a low volume while a jet passes overhead at 120 decibels, your voice will not stand out. This is akin to a sign that is not conspicuous.

The same policies holds true for dynamic digital signs: Your sign’s message must be noticed, and then, it must clearly communicate. This entails conspicuity, legibility, visibility, and readability.  For the sign industry, “conspicuity and readability” have become synonymous with sufficiency in size, height, placement, and illumination to allow the message to be seen, read and comprehended.

Today we’ll focus on Conspicuity (no pun intended!). Conspicuity is the “quality of a character or symbol that makes it separately visible from its surroundings” (Sanders and McCormick, 1993). Typographic research on conspicuity has mostly been concerned with the effect of underlining, change of typesize and so on, using eye-movement and comprehensibility measurements.

A sign placed in an empty room may meet all the criteria for visibility, legibility (letters and/or graphics can be easily differentiated), and readability (the legend in totality conveys a meaningful or understandable message to the viewer.). Now, place that same sign in the urban environment, where it competes visually with other signs, telephone poles, street lights, bus shelters, flags, banners, and right-of-way landscaping, it can be essentially invisible.  In other words, conspicuity has to do with the context in which the sign appears. 

In the case of dynamic digital signage, often though not always seen indoors, the unit placed on a wall or kiosk is not going to find too much competition for attention in its natural environment. With its internal illumination, and motion aptitude, the dynamic sign is unlikely to suffer from inconspicuousness.  

It should be easy to understand, therefore, that CLEVR is evaluated according to the application.  Within a textbook, for example, conspicuous text is not the aim. Legible and readable content is of great importance. The CLEVR science, according to the criteria of legibility, readability, and conspicuity, will be reviewed here with interior dynamic digital content application in mind.

Next posting: Let’s look at Legibility (no pun intended!)

Or, Taming of the Video File (Prepare for submission…)

By now, you have heard of an internet web-display format known as flash video, or flv – this is the web’s most popular display format for videos. A progressive download of a large video becomes more manageable… yet many viewers will find hiccups – starts and stops - with any progressive download format.  No matter what file type you use, a viewer with less than perfect internet bandwidth connection can have a very frustrating experience. 

MP4?  MOV?  WMV?  RMV?  H.264?  SWF?  SWV?  AVI?  MPEG2?

So many video formats … so much to learn … why does everything have to be so DIFFICULT?

Well … that’s because … well … just BECAUSE.  Sorry it’s that way, but until there becomes a single universal video format, we just have to … ahem … deal with it. 

But it doesn’t have to be all bad.  If you’re preparing video for submission to SOSA, we can make the task a little easier.  In this article, we’ll outline the format used for our videos on the SOSA website, and fill you in on what you can (and CAN’T) send to us for your submissions.  We hope that will make your job (and ours) a lot easier and a lot less stressful.

The taming of large files comes from a special format +special servers that offer a true “streaming” experience.  That’s what you want from us. And that’s what this article will give to you:  A complete guide to file preparation, so that we can offer YOUR video for a high-quality streaming experience. 

FREE BONUS:  If you are developing content for video signage, most of this information will be invaluable for you!

SOSA Streaming Video

The videos broadcast on the SOSA website are formatted specifically for streaming, allowing the host server to communicate with the viewer’s computer to determine the best rate at which to send the data.  The videos are encoded in MPEG-4 (or MP4) format, which uses H.264 encoding.  It is agreed by virtually all hosting services that this is the most universally viewable and stream-able format, while allowing a very high quality image and sound.  Basically, that means virtually anyone can watch our videos, whether they happen to use a Windows-based PC or a Mac, provided they have a reasonably fast Internet connection (cable/DSL or better – sorry old-school phone line modems won’t cut it).  The resolution for our standard videos is 448×336 pixels, and for widescreen it’s 512×288 pixels.  These resolutions have been chosen using a very complex mathematical formula to determine a proper multiple of 16 pixels, which seems to result in better execution of the H.264 encoder.  Whew.  All you really need to know is … these resolutions work … they keep the video clear, and allow a stream rate that can be viewed by almost everyone out there in inter-web-land.

We Covertly Convert

Behind locked and hidden doors, during the dark of night, in a padded room … we will convert your video submission to the SOSA broadcast format.  We add our title tags and watermark for security, to avoid illegal copying and such.  It will then be uploaded to our server, added to our catalog, and made available to the waiting masses for purchase via on-demand viewing. We call the entire process “SOSAfication”. Yes, we SOSAfy your video project!

 So what do we need from you in order to make this happen?  We need one of the following:

1. A video file in an acceptable format (see below).
2. A video tape from your camera (see further below).
3. A DVD Video disc (see even further below).

 Once we have your video, we’ll get to work.

Acceptable File Submission (take that! And that! and that!)

Although we can work with virtually any file format, there are some that work well, and some that work … well, NOT so well.  Given that premise, here are our preferred formats (not in any specific order) … which means if you want to send anything different, you need to contact us first and do some explaining:

•  WMV (or Windows Media Video) 
• MP4 
• MOV (QuickTime) 
• AVI – this makes for HUGE files, so only use this if nothing else is available!! 
• CAMREC (native Camtasia Studio file – with audio, please!)

Frame size, or resolution, for standard 4:3 aspect (non-widescreen) video must be AT LEAST 448×336.  You can also send any larger multiple of a 4:3 aspect ratio (width to height).  For example, you could send a video with resolution of 640 pixels wide by 480 pixels high, which maintains the proper width to height ratio of 4:3.  Got it?

Frame size for widescreen video uses a 16:9 (width to height) aspect ratio.  Your video submission in this format must be AT LEAST 512 pixels wide by 288 pixels high (512×288).  As with standard aspect video, you may send files with a larger frame size, as long as it maintains the same 16:9 proportions.

 PLEASE NOTE: We can scale your videos DOWN in size and retain the quality … but quality will be lost if we have to scale them UP!

Compressed Video Bitrate (for applicable formats) should be AT LEAST 800Kbps … or higher!!

Compressed Audio Bitrate should be at least 80Kbps, preferably 128Kbps or higher.  Either Stereo or Mono modes are fine.  The Sample rate should be 48KHz.  If the audio in your file is uncompressed, make it 48KHz-16bit.  Please keep in mind that uncompressed audio will result in much larger file size, so it may not be the best choice for longer videos.

All files may be submitted in one of the following storage formats:

• Data CD 
• Data DVD 
• Portable Hard Disk 
• USB Flash Drive 
• Upload via Client FTP

We will not take responsibility for any damage to your storage device during shipping.  Portable Hard Disks and Flash Drives may be returned upon request.  (Shipping charges will be applied)

Video Tape Submission

If you don’t have the hardware/software to prepare your own video in one of the above file formats … or if you don’t have the desire and time to learn the process and do it yourself … or if you don’t have a friend, family member, or distant cousin thrice removed who “does it all the time” … but you do have video you’ve shot on your digital camcorder, we can likely help if you send us your video tape.

We can accept ONLY the following:

• Mini DV tape – Standard 4:3 aspect ratio (sorry, no widescreen tapes)

Please understand there will be additional charges for capturing your video tape, editing, and converting to our broadcast format.  It is a much longer process than starting from a prepared video file.  Please call if you have any questions.This SOSA site has price guidelines – see Studio SOSA pages.

DVD Video Submission

If you have a video already produced on DVD, you can simply send us a copy!  We can generally … which means ALMOST always … extract the video files from the disc and convert them to our broadcast format.  In some cases, this may not work, but most standard DVD video discs will yield good results.

 Your DVD must be in an NTSC compliant format, either standard or widescreen aspect ratio.  Sorry, no PAL DVD videos accepted at this time.

Please be aware that if you have special menus or other navigation features on your DVD, these will not be a part of the converted video for online viewing.  The online format does not allow for those functions straight from your set-up.  However, individual chapters or titles/segments from your DVD can be made selectable in our online menu!

Questions??

 If you have any questions regarding acceptable formats or how to submit your video, or just a technical question and want help, feel free to drop me a line. If I can help, you can buy me a cup of coffee