Information Technology & Institutional Planning

Campus Digital Signage

Introduction

The IT & IP division offers digital signage services for colleges and departments to publish and update digital content amongst specific locations or throughout the campus.

Features

  • Displays live and timely updates.
  • Integrated with campus safety alert system
  • Can be integrated with animation, video, audio and live data such as calendars, directory listings, etc.
    • Note: Video must be closed captioned to meet accessibility requirements.
  • Develop interactive touch screen buttons (see accessibility requirements below).
  • Design templates available.

Requesting Digital Signage

To request a digital signage consultation, submit an IT Service Desk ticket.  A member of the Campus Digital Signage Team will contact you within five business days.

Considerations for Creating/Designing Content

General

The following are general guidelines for digital signage content.

  • Use signs to promote CPP programs, events, or activities.
  • Do not use signs to promote commercial activities or advertisements from non-university organizations.
  • Content should not use copyrighted images or content without permission or license.

Technical Specifications

Creating content for digital signage is similar to creating content for the Web.

  • Aim for the lowest file size possible (without sacrificing image quality)
  • All standard digital signs are at a screen HD resolution of 1920 × 1080 or 4K resolution of 3840 × 2160 . These are the best resolutions to create your content at as it will be scaled down to fit any 16x9 regions or the full screen with ease.
  • DPI or Dots Per Inch -- It is important to have 300 DPI or higher for print material, but for digital signage you will only need to design your graphics at 72 DPI.

Accessibility Considerations

Each college/department needs to ensure that their signage and content is in compliance with the ADA standards for accessible design. If you have any questions, contact the Office of Accessible Technology.

Begin designing your content for accessibility by keeping the following recommendations in mind:

  • Wall-mounted signs should not protrude more than four inches from the wall to be provide adequate physical clearance.
  • Wall-mounted signs which protrude more than four inches from the wall must be installed with their lower edge 27 inches or less when measured from the floor.

Text should be visible at a reasonable distance from the sign:

  • Text should be large enough that it can be easily read from a reasonable distance. To test out the best font size for your design, set up a display showing various font sizes and try reading it from various distances.
  • Use text colors that have high contrast with the background color.
  • Use sans-serif fonts.
  • Ensure adequate spacing (10 to 35% of stroke for letter spacing, 35-70% of letter height for line spacing) between each element and between letters.

For interactive signs:

Interactive signs should have alternative accessible designs.

  • Accessible elements (e.g., buttons) must be placed between 36 and 42 inches when measured from the floor.
  • Consider accessibility when designing your way-finding content (such as stairs and accessible entrances).

Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQs)

Content

Q. Who would be responsible for providing and approving content for the signs and maintaining the signs?

A. The owner of the physical signage defines who will create, schedule and/or approve the content displayed on the screen. Shared content such as Campus Alerts, Strategic Communications Announcements and Master Calendar events will be determined by a committee. Content can be shared openly between departments to pick up and display on their screens.

Cost

Q. Would colleges and/or departments be responsible for paying for the signs?

A. Yes, the digital signage purchase would be the financial responsibility of the college and/or department. If a building is shared by two or more departments or colleges, they may share the costs of purchasing the digital signage and software as well as any on-going costs.

Q. Would there be an on-going cost for the operation of the signs?

A. There is an annual license fee for the media player software that distributes content to your screen. Your budget should include software upgrades so you can stay current with new features and/or hardware as computers and electronic signs do age. Additionally, you may want to consider adding more players or bandwidth in the future.

Technical

Q. How is the location of the digital sign determined?

A. The college or department can define the location of the digital sign. However, IT@CPP Client Services will do a local survey of power, network connectivity, and security policies on potential locations to determine the best location. Any potential issues or hazards will be communicated to the the requesting party.

Q. Is training and/or technical support available?

A. Training and technical support by IT@CPP Client Services is available if you choose to create and manage your own content to display. If you choose to subscribe to a campus template, then less training is involved.

Resources

Disclaimer

Cal Poly Pomona does not endorse or recommend any commercial products, processes or services. Cal Poly Pomona’s eHelp website provides links to other Internet sites for informational purposes only. When users select a link to an external website, they are leaving the Cal Poly Pomona website and are subject to the privacy, security and accessibility policies of the owners/sponsors of the external site.