Adding Digital Signage To Your Architect & Construction Plans

According to a Forrester Research survey, 46 percent of executives believe that in less than five years, digital will have an impact on more than half their sales.  As the digital signage industry continues to grow, it can be beneficial to consider it at the very early stages of architectural design and in your construction plans.  

By incorporating it into your plans, you will have the ability to truly think through what type of digital signage you want to utilize and how it will best benefit you and your audience.  

This is like giving a blank canvas to an artist.  The options become endless. There are, however, quite a few considerations to make when planning.  

What signage are you going with?

Will it be a video wall, an interactive touch screen system, meeting room signage, wayfinding or directional, just one display, a projector, menu boards, tablets, etc.?  Knowing what type of digital signage you want to implement, the design and layout of your construction plans can actually be designed around the signage.  

How can layout help?

Having your signage in a place that is ideal for your audience to see it is key here.  If you know you want a video wall that sets back in a recessed wall, you can plan to do so during construction.  

If you know you want to add touchscreen check in tablets as soon as customers walk in the door, you can design a stopping check point where they will be.  Maybe you are using digital displays throughout a museum to create an experience for the visitor.  

Layout also plays into lighting and viewing angles.  If you have a large window that takes in strong sunlight, you may want to consider what angles it will hit the displays.  Lighting can create bad reflections or on the positive side, can even enhance your displays.  

Layout can be designed around signage instead of signage designed around layout to save added costs later.

Wiring & Connectivity

Layout also can play into the wiring and connectivity needed for your digital signage system.  If you are using external media players to run your displays, where will you put them?  You can integrate their home into the construction plans.  

Also, running electricity through the walls to eliminate ugly obtrusive cords can be done along with construction instead of having to go back later to do it.  You can also ensure that connectivity is achieved where the displays are going to go.  The cloud based software won't work without connectivity.  

Mounting

Knowing the type of digital signage you are going to install it will be critical to figure out the mounts and where they will go.  Making sure the building is configured to withstand the mounts and even installing them as construction goes can make a big difference.  

Climate/Environment

Understanding the environment your digital signage will be displayed in makes a huge difference on what kind of hardware you will go with.  If the hardware has the chance to be exposed to extreme temperatures you will know this ahead of time from the construction plans, and can adjust accordingly.  

Knowing the pain points that can make the environment not conducive to the goal of your digital signage system can help you make adjustments during the construction phase instead of creating headaches afterward.

Budget

This is going to be the number one determiner for construction and digital signage plans.  You have to know your budget and knowing your digital signage budget during the construction phase can make a huge impact on it.  You can save thousands of dollars compared to what installing a digital signage system in a completed place would cost.  

Running electricity, installing mounts, to a spot that could have had it factored in all results in dollars spent or saved.  

Future Planning

Lastly, you will want to think ahead of any future ideas for digital signage during the construction phase.  For example, if you know you want to install a video wall in the next three years, be sure you plan for that with your architect.  Doing future planning can ultimately save you money down the road.

Obviously installing a digital signage system can be done at any point, however including it during the construction phase can save you money, ease the installation process, and give you the ideal implementation avoiding some of the headaches others experience.

Partnering with a digital signage integrator that offers experience and knowledge to communicate your goals with the architect or construction company can add value to your project.  To schedule a free consultation to see where we can help during your construction visit us at www.coffmanmedia.com.

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