When it comes to digital signage display, selecting the right screen for your display is important, since this is essentially the forefront of your signage deployment. Even though the content is critical, you will want to make sure that you have the best display to fit your needs. Several elements will influence the decision of which monitor to go with; among them would be the orientation of the screen - whether you want to have a portrait or landscape orientation.
Between the two options, the landscape orientation is used the most due to its versatility. It has a sense of familiarity for people since that is how a regular consumer grade TV at home is set up. Additionally, most video programming is produced in this particular format. Studies also show information being presented in a landscape format are better retained and recalled by its audience, in comparison to a portrait style. This has attributed to the fact that the human field of vision tends to be wider than longer.
What does that mean for portrait display orientation?
Customers who decide on portrait mode, usually have a specific goal in mind. Vertical screens tend to be created for clients, who are looking to carry out product campaigns that are unique, or whose branding behind the product is specific to their visual idea. Sometimes the screen may hang in portrait mode by the entrance of an organization when they want to display information such as digital menu boards, way finding, and building directories to give the incoming audience a glimpse of the company offerings.
Working Both Layouts
Working with both layouts can be quite cumbersome because the content creator would have to create unique content for both layouts. If the person has multiple screens to manage, this can also become quite confusing along the way. Landscape screens need horizontal designs while portrait screens need vertical designs. Because it calls for the extra effort, this may also increase the company's costs if they are looking to run both layouts. For this reason, it is best to pick one design and stick with it.
However, It is also possible to find digital signage solutions with the ability to automatically crop and rotate the content much as you would see with responsive website design. This feature makes things much easier if you are using both landscape and portrait orientation screens. However, if this is not available to you, you will need to create two different templates, one for portrait and another for landscape.
You will then need to properly schedule your content so that you work out which of your screens will be using the vertical content and which ones will be using the landscape content. It can get tiresome if you are managing multiple signage screens. Again, it is best to stick with one orientation so that you can minimize your design and administration efforts, and the costs that go with it.
Selecting Displays
When it comes to selecting the right display, you must take several elements into consideration, such as:
- Will you be using a consumer or commercial grade TV screens? To answer this question, you will need to look closely at the needs of your business, the expectations of uptime and the number of displays within a cycle. If you want to have it operating 24/7, then you should consider a product that will give you more longevity, be able to withstand the rigors of everyday use and be easy to maintain and service. In such a situation, whether you are going to display in landscape or portrait orientation, you will need to buy a digital signage screen that is commercial grade. It is advisable to purchase a professional display over a regular TV because it will be able to withstand customer demands and reflect your content in in the highest quality.
- The Scale of Installation - After you have decided on the commercial grade screen, your possibilities open up. You have a few options; for example, you may opt to create a focal point where you can have the entire wall turned into a screen with plenty of movement and color, also known as a video wall. You may want to have a more simple display which can include individual monitors, each displaying different content on each screen. Digital screens give you the option to customize your visual based on your companies branded needs.
- Viewing distance - It is important to note the space in which you will be installing your screen to decide on its size. The viewing distance is also critical because you want visitors or clients to experience your display from a comfortable distance. People perceive the display quality based on the distance from which they are viewing it. There is a distance at which some of the pixels in your screen become invisible. If you are using a high-resolution screen when using a tablet or desktop monitor, a few feet can lead to this issue, however, if you have a video wall, pixels will become invisible from many feet away. If you are planning to use a touch screen, it is safe to assume that your customers will be operating the screen from arm's length. An understanding of how far away or near a person will be when interacting with the display will allow for the right resolution and size to be used to have the right density of pixels.
- Experience to be enjoyed - This is a highly important question to consider when making a decision on display. What experience are you hoping that your users will enjoy? Once you have a vision for what your customers will prefer, you will then be better able to answer other questions regarding the complexity, budget, and scope of this project. You will also need to take commercial requirements into consideration, user behavior, and physical size into account when thinking about what the customer needs to experience whether you will be using landscape or portrait orientation.