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WireSpring BlogMaking great digital signage content: Motion, silhouettes and animationAuthor: Bill Gerba on 2008-05-07 18:38:57 Color, contrast, a simple message and a strong call to action. These things are all important, and they each need to be understood in your quest to create effective digital signage content. But the techniques we've mentioned so far would all be common knowledge to the workaday graphic designer at an agency or even a print shop. We've yet to talk about anything unique to our digital medium. So today, we'll focus on one of the most important differences between digital signs and static signs -- namely, the ability to show moving images. While you may think that having an object move on screen would make it more eye catching and more memorable, the opposite can also be true. In fact, poorly-planned motion can decrease visibility and readability, making your content less effective.7 things to keep in mind when using motion Fortunately, there are a few tips and tricks you can use to avoid such problems. As you'll see, they're basically extensions of the best practices we've discussed in past articles. To begin with, consider these seven key points:
Using moving silhouettes to your advantageOne of the most useful tools we've found for understanding the impact of motion on readability is what we call silhouette, or the relative contrast patterns of moving images. Because our peripheral vision is only really good at picking out shapes and outlines, we naturally identify items that we're not directly looking at by their contrast against the background. Thus, you could say that a moving image's silhouette is the only thing noticeable about elements in a viewer's periphery. Moving elements that have a strong and easily-identifiable silhouette will take fewer cognitive resources to identify than those with less recognizable silhouettes. Of course, a silhouette profile of a moving element will change as that object moves, so it's important to make sure that simple motions are exaggerated and lines are kept as clean as possible during the movement. Consider the following:
Most viewers with average vision will have no problem discerning these images when looking directly at the content. But for customers merely glancing at it (or even subconsciously watching it in their periphery), all they will see are object outlines -- especially when objects on the screen are moving. Consequently, the image on the left will be much more "recognizable" at-a-glance because of its strong silhouette. This is true even though the image on the right uses a distracting attention vampire that would normally suck attention away from other elements when viewed head-on. Plus, silhouettes aren't just important for getting people to notice your content from the periphery. Moving images with a strong silhouette can be also moved, scaled or rotated without significantly reducing comprehension time for direct onlookers. So, your fancy visual effects will have less negative impact on readability and comprehension if they modify elements with an easily discernible silhouette. Next week, we'll put together everything we've learned so far while examining the last critical component of any good digital signage spot: the scene composition. Just as each shot in a well-crafted movie is carefully laid out on camera, so too must our ads and announcements be arranged to form a cohesive product. Perhaps you agree with all this academic stuff. Or maybe you've got your own ideas about how to make content great. Either way, leave a comment and let us know what you think about using motion in digital signage. Comments (2)
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2008-05-08Francois Reeves writes: Finally, the tip of the iceberg is showing ;). Motion is key and should not be approached on its own but as whole, in a script. Moving pictures are...movies. Now if you can get creative to think in terms of colour, shapes and motion, you've got yourself a scriptwriter. Once again, thanks for this series of articles Bill, I just wish that in the next ones, you provide moving examples or a digital signage best of! Cheers. 2008-05-12Nate Nead writes:
I really enjoyed this post. Since everything I've read says that "content is King," I really think posting articles like this one are VERY beneficial and informative. Thanks again. Leave a CommentPrevious Article: Is the digital profiling of in-store shoppers a recipe for privacy disaster? Next Article: Making great digital signage content: Composing shots and scenes Front page of dynamic digital signage and interactive kiosks journal LEGAL STUFF: The WireSpring Blog is written by Bill Gerba but may periodically include articles by guest authors. The author of each article is clearly identified at the start of the article. The opinions expressed in each article are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official opinions of WireSpring Technologies, Inc. All blog articles are copyright © 2004-2008 William F. Gerba or the guest author, as appropriate. All content besides the actual article text, e.g. surrounding branding and informational content, is copyright © 2000-2008 WireSpring Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved. Except as provided in WireSpring's Republishing and Syndication Policy, no blog content may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without WireSpring's express written consent.
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We created this journal to help share useful info on the digital signage and kiosk markets. Our articles typically focus on project planning, industry research, ROI analysis, and high-profile deployments. We post new, original articles about once a week.
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Bill Gerba is CEO of WireSpring and maintains an active role in the digital signage and self-service kiosk industries. An industry advocate since 2000, Bill is the chairman of POPAI's Digital Signage Awards and a member of the group's Education and Advocacy Committees. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences (including the Digital Signage Expo) and has been featured in numerous publications. If you would like Bill to provide feedback for a story you're working on, or you want him to speak at your event, please contact us.
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