The power of visual communication: A complete guide to Digital Signage solutions

In today's frenetic digital landscape, the power of visual communication cannot be underestimated. As companies strive to capture the audience's attention, Digital Signage solutions have emerged as a game-changing tool, revolutionizing how we share information and interact with the surrounding environment. This comprehensive guide to Digital Signage solutions is the key to unlocking the full potential of this captivating visual medium. From displays that spark curiosity and engagement to perfect integration with various marketing strategies, the capabilities of Digital Signage are incredible and can transform a brand's communication efforts.

Understanding the power of visual communication

Visual communication is a form of communication that relies on the use of visual signs, images, and symbols to convey messages and information. It's particularly effective at capturing people's attention and conveying information quickly and efficiently. In an era where we are constantly bombarded with information and stimuli, visual communication proves to be an essential tool to reach one's audience and get the message across.

What is Digital Signage and its components

Digital Signage is a form of visual communication that uses digital screens, like LCD, LED monitors, and projectors, to display multimedia content like images, videos, texts, and animations. It is used across various sectors, including retail, hospitality, outdoor advertising, corporate communication, and education.
The primary components of Digital Signage are:

• hardware: physical devices such as screens, projectors, and media players necessary for content display
• software: programs and applications to create, manage, and distribute content on display devices
• content: images, videos, texts, and other media displayed on digital screens
• connectivity: communication network connecting display devices to servers and content management software

Types of Digital Signage solutions

Hardware Solutions for Digital Signage: signs and digital displays

Digital Signage employs various display devices, including:

• LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screens: commonly used due to their versatility, image quality, and relatively low costs. Suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, though the latter requires weather protection.
• LED (Light Emitting Diode) screens: more energy-efficient and durable than LCDs but more expensive. Ideal for large outdoor installations and high brightness applications
• projectors: Useful for large images on irregular or transparent surfaces, like shop windows or building walls. They offer flexibility in image size and position but require a sufficiently dark environment for the best image quality, making projectors for museums an ideal use-case.

Software for Digital Signage

Digital Signage software is a fundamental element for creating, managing, and distributing content on display devices. To operate a Digital Signage ecosystem, several software types are essential, including:

• Content creation software: allows the design and modification of multimedia content to be displayed on digital screens. These software can include tools for image and video editing, animation creation, and layout design
• Content Management Software (CMS): used to organize, store, and schedule content to be displayed on digital screens. A Content Management System for Digital Signage may include features for playlist creation, programming planning, and real-time content updates
• Monitoring and control software: allows the monitoring of display device statuses and remote control of their operation. These software may include features for detecting malfunctions and technical issues, sending notifications, and managing repairs and maintenance.

There are also software that combines content management, monitoring, and control: for example, ANIMA, INFINITYS's Content Panel, allows managing content, devices, and users in a single application, as well as adding numerous widgets to screens, including the QR Code Engagement, to connect the physical world with the virtual one.

Benefits of using Digital Signage systems in various sectors

As mentioned, Digital Signage is expanding its potential uses, and consequently, its application sectors. In some sectors, it has been used for years, developing a large number of use cases and advanced features. These include:

• Retail: Digital Signage can be used to attract customer attention, promote products and special offers, and provide useful information such as opening hours, maps, and directions. Digital Signage can also improve the customer experience and increase customer loyalty. In particular, Digital Signage for car dealerships is becoming very popular due to numerous Smart Retail solutions
• Hospitality, tourism, and infrastructure: hotels, restaurants, tourist associations, and other businesses in the sector can use Smart Tourism and Smart Mobility solutions to provide information to customers and tourists, promote services and offers, and improve internal communication among employees. Digital Signage can also be used to create a welcoming and personalized atmosphere
• Outdoor advertising: Digital Signage can replace traditional billboards with digital screens that can display a wider variety of content and can be updated in real-time. This allows optimizing advertising campaigns and increasing visual impact
• Corporate communication: Companies can use Digital Signage to enhance internal communication, provide employees with up-to-date information, promote events and initiatives, and strengthen corporate culture through Smart Corporate solutions.

Factors to consider when choosing a Digital Signage solution

Choosing a Digital Signage solution depends on various factors, primarily the objectives and business needs for which a digital communication ecosystem is being implemented. For example, one might need a system to promote products in a retail store or to provide information to visitors in a museum or convention center.
Budget is another fundamental element, as Digital Signage solutions have costs that can vary significantly depending on their features and functionalities. It's crucial to consider the available budget and carefully assess the quality-to-price ratio of different solutions.
Finally, another factor to consider is the features and functionalities offered by different software and devices, to choose the combination best suited to one's needs. For instance, there might be a need for software that allows creating complex multimedia content or a display device with high resolution and brightness.

Most popular Digital Signage software solutions on the market

There are numerous Digital Signage software solutions available in the market, each with its characteristics and features. Among the most popular, we can mention:

• Samsung SMART Signage: Samsung, an industry leader, offers a complete hardware solution managed through intuitive and user-friendly software
• LG webOS Signage: LG's solution is based on the webOS platform, a content management system with features like voice recognition and screen sharing
• BrightSign: it is a solution based on an advanced content management panel with video synchronization and interactivity
• Scala: Scala is a company specialized in Digital Signage software, with a comprehensive and customizable content management system.

However, these popular solutions require an additional hardware device, called a media player, allowing computers, software, and final screens to operate. In contrast, ANIMA by INFINITYS is installed directly in the Tizen operating system of Samsung screens, saving a level of complexity and enhancing the integration between Digital Signage software and hardware.

The future of Digital Signage

Digital Signage represents an effective and versatile form of visual communication used in a wide range of sectors and applications. It's destined to become more widespread and advanced, thanks to the continuous evolution of display and content management technologies. In the coming years, there will be an increase in the adoption of advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and augmented reality, which create even more engaging and customized interactive viewing experiences, allowing users to interact with content displayed on digital screens.
Moreover, the evolution of display devices, with the introduction of flexible, transparent, and organic LED screens and the integration of Digital Signage with other technologies, like sensor networks and cloud computing, to enhance data detection and analysis, will be two crucial themes in the development of signage and digital communication.