Digital marketing is rapidly gaining popularity, and digital signage has been at the forefront of this trend in recent years.
Digital signage is essential because it allows businesses to easily and quickly communicate with customers in an engaging, informative, and visually appealing way.
Digital signage enables businesses to showcase their products and services in an eye-catching and interactive manner. Hundreds of websites now offer digital signage templates, making it difficult to decide where to start.
To make it easier, here is a list of the three best sources for digital signage templates. Some of them are even free! Use these sites to find a suitable template for your digital signage and ensure your business stands out.
The first step to finding a template online is to decide what you need for your digital signage. Some businesses already have a particular digital signage software where you can easily design multimedia for their digital signage media player.
Digital signage software supports various media formats, including video formats such as Flash video (FLV), MPEG-4, MP4, and MOV; image formats such as JPEG, PNG, and GIF; and animation formats such as SWF. Most can also support audio files such as MP3 and WAV.
You may need video files, presentation slides, and images for others. So, depending on what you need for your digital signage, many platforms can help. In this article, we will discuss 3 of them for all circumstances.
Digital signage works best when it displays content that is engaging and eye-catching.
Popular digital signage content includes videos, images, animations, news feeds, weather updates, and social media content. You can also use digital signage to display promotional materials, advertisements, and interactive content such as quizzes and polls.
Using digital signage templates for messages and layouts can help you save time, streamline content creation workflows, and maintain control over what is displayed on your screens.
Regardless of who creates and schedules messages for your system, you can be assured that everything will adhere to your branding and design standards.
Canva is a powerful and easy-to-use online graphic design tool that has revolutionized how businesses create digital signage templates.
With Canva, users can access various templates and graphics, making creating stunning visuals for digital marketing campaigns easy. Although Canva is not totally free, you can still access several professional templates for your digital signage free of charge.
All you need to do is create a free account, and you can search for anything you want. It is better to set the size parameters you want before opening a template because you cannot resize a template using a free account in Canva.
As mentioned, Canva has a vast library of free templates for digital signage, ranging from simple layouts to more complex designs. These templates are entirely customizable and can be edited to fit your branding, colors, and style.
You can also access a large selection of graphics and icons to add to your templates and make them more eye-catching. Canva offers a drag-and-drop interface, making moving elements around and adjusting the template's design easy.
Canva allows you to upload your own graphics and images in the template. This gives you complete control over the design, allowing you to create something unique and personalized.
Canva has an extensive library of fonts you can choose from, allowing you to create a design that speaks to your brand and resonates with your audience.
Finally, Canva makes it easy to share your digital signage template. You can print or export it as a PDF, JPG, PNG, or GIF. You can also share the template directly from the Canva platform with a link, making it easy to send to your digital signage software or collaborate with clients and teammates.
You can also use Canva with Google Slides to create a complete digital signage file for your business. Canva is an excellent choice for creating free digital signage templates. With its powerful features and easy-to-use interface, Canva makes creating beautiful visuals for your digital marketing campaigns easy.
Enplug is a digital signage solution that allows users to transform any television or monitor into a digital sign with a simple plug-and-play device. It enables users to create dynamic digital displays and access hundreds of free templates.
Enplug is a cutting-edge digital marketing design provider offering hundreds of high-quality, eye-catching templates and an easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor.
What sets Enplug apart from the competition is their extensive case studies—they've done their homework to ensure that their signage and templates will be effective in helping you reach your goals. Best of all, they're customizable if you prefer to trust your instincts and make modifications.
Other features include countdown timers, custom triggers for automatically updating content, and an incredible multi-orientation preview that allows you to preview your design in any layout you like, from the traditional 16:9 landscape to 9:16 portrait and beyond.
Enplug's sleek templates are ideal for corporate communications (like the lobby or waiting room screens), banks, retail outlets, restaurants, cafes, and gyms. No matter what industry you're in, Enplug has got you covered. For example, to use Enplug on your TV, you must first connect it to Enplug's server.
Once connected, you can browse through the app's extensive, cloud-based library of images and choose the ones you want to display. However, you will need a compatible device to use this service. Enplug is compatible with Amazon Fire TV, Nvidia Shield, Apple TV, and certain models of smart TVs released in 2019 and 2020.
Mac users can access Enplug on supported TVs via AirPlay. Remember that you will need a desktop or laptop computer to set up the app, use the templates, and manage your image gallery.
ONELAN digital signage players are equipped with powerful design tools, such as the ability to layer zones, that make it easy for users to create professional-looking designs.
ONELAN offers a range of free templates that you can use to help create customized displays. These templates are designed to be easy to use and save time when creating digital signage content.
With these templates, users can quickly create displays that provide important information and can help engage visitors, providing a more efficient and effective way to communicate. You can use their templates for free through their website.
Once you have selected the template, you can download it by simply clicking on the one you would like to use, and the download will start automatically. They also offer customization options like custom branding, content scheduling, and analytics.
Digital signage can be an effective and powerful tool for businesses, but it is only as good as its content. For this reason, it is important to use a digital signage platform that offers a range of professionally designed templates that can be customized and used for free.
Many digital signage platforms offer a selection of templates that can be used to create engaging and eye-catching displays, while others provide additional features such as custom branding, content scheduling, and analytics.
Using a platform with various templates and features can help businesses create powerful and effective digital signage displays that get noticed.
Once you have determined the best digital signage templates and providers for your needs, the next step is to create your digital signage content and get it out there.
Depending on the type of content you plan to create, you may need to purchase additional software or use free online tools to create your digital signs. Once your content is ready, you can begin spreading the word and getting your message out to your target audience.
Creating digital signage that stands out and effectively conveys your message takes considerable skill and experience. Fortunately, many experienced digital signage creators have shared their knowledge and advice on the subject.
This section will be divided into 2 parts:
1. Essential file properties
2. Content ideas to help you create visually appealing and impactful digital signs.
These tips and tricks can help you create dynamic and effective digital signage that will help you reach your target audience.
When creating digital signage, keeping the file size in mind is essential. WiFi powers most digital signs, so it is vital to ensure the design file is not too large for the screens to handle.
An image or slides of about 2 - 5 MB should provide good quality while being small enough to be supported by the screens. File compression is available on platforms such as Canva. Use this feature to get the best out of your screen displays.
It is important to keep the aspect ratio of your digital signage in mind when creating it. The aspect ratio is determined by the screen you display the digital signage on, and most television screens are 16:9 (landscape) or 9:16 (portrait).
If you do not use the correct aspect ratio, you may have blank space on either side of your design, diminishing the overall effect. Double-check the aspect ratio before creating your digital signage to ensure your designs are correct.
You must set these parameters before you open the template if you are using a free account on Canva. It is a different case with Enplug and Onelan, as you can set the ratio as you go.
Resolution is essential for the quality of images and text displayed on a screen. Higher resolution means higher quality, with HD (high-definition) displays having a resolution of at least 1920 x 1080 pixels and Ultra HD (UHD or 4K) displays having a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. For the best image quality and sharpness, use higher resolutions.
It is important to ensure that your display can play the sound associated with your sign. Also, make sure that the sound is appropriate for the environment in which the sign is located.
For instance, playing music with explicit lyrics or aggressive content may not be suitable for a quiet nursing home. Loop TV can help with this. We have over 150 music and other content channels to suit any industry.
When viewing a sign or digital sign for the first time, research has demonstrated that people’s eyes tend to move in an F-shape pattern: across the top, then down and slightly across, then down further. Design your sign with the key information in these areas to ensure your audience sees the most crucial information.
To ensure that viewers get the message quickly, it is important to follow the 3x5 rule: use 3 lines with a maximum of 5 words each. Too many words on a screen can make it overwhelming and hard to process, so it is best to keep it short and simple.
Readability should be your priority when designing your sign. Choose clear and legible fonts such as Arial or Verdana, and make sure the font size is large enough to be easily read from a distance.
If you plan to place text over an image, add a colored overlay that contrasts with the text color to help the text stand out and be more readable.
It's important to remember that your digital sign will be displayed on screens, and these screens might crop a few inches around the perimeter.
To avoid having any of your content cut off, leave a border of outside space surrounding the sign. This border should be consistent with the color scheme of the sign, but avoid placing any content in the outermost few inches of the design.
When designing your sign or advertisement, it's important to consider the next steps that you want your audience to take. This is where the Call to Action (CTA) comes in. A CTA can direct your viewers to visit a website, scan a code, tweet a hashtag, or any other action you want them to take.
To ensure your CTA is compelling, it's essential to test different wording and see which one gets the best results. This way, you can ensure your CTA is doing its job.
Effective digital media designs are essential for successful communication in the modern world, whether for marketing, providing information, or carrying out other tasks.
To ensure your digital signage is practical, find various templates and resources to help guide you through the content creation process. These templates are available for free online and through digital signage service provider companies.
You can use a wide range of online apps or something as simple as Google Slides when designing your signs. For the best results, follow the tips for creating effective digital signs, such as using clear fonts and image overlays.
When you're ready to display your signs, consider using a provider such as Enplug, Canva, or Onelan.
