You likely already have a powerful content creation tool at your fingertips: Microsoft PowerPoint. While known for presentations, it’s also a surprisingly effective and accessible solution for creating compelling digital signage. Many businesses overlook this familiar software, but with the right approach, it can help you design, update, and display dynamic content on your screens with minimal effort.
This guide will show you how using PowerPoint for digital signage is a smart choice for your business. We’ll cover its main benefits, offer practical design tips for creating screen-ready content, and explain how to take your presentations from a simple slideshow to an automated digital signage network with SignageTube.
Why Use PowerPoint for Your Digital Signage?
PowerPoint is more than just a presentation tool; it’s a versatile platform perfect for beginners and seasoned designers alike. Its widespread availability and user-friendly interface make it an ideal starting point for businesses looking to explore digital signage without investing in complex design software or extensive training.
Familiarity and Ease of Use
Most office employees already know how to use PowerPoint. This familiarity eliminates the steep learning curve associated with specialized graphic design software. Your team can start creating content immediately, from promotional slides to internal announcements, without needing weeks of training. This accessibility empowers various departments to contribute content, ensuring your displays remain fresh and relevant.
Cost-Effective Content Creation
PowerPoint is often included in the Microsoft Office Suite, meaning your business probably already owns it. This removes the need to purchase additional expensive design software licenses. By leveraging an existing tool, you can allocate your budget toward other important aspects of your digital signage strategy, such as screen hardware or a reliable content management system.
Surprising Versatility
Modern versions of PowerPoint are packed with features that are perfect for digital signage. You can embed videos, add high-resolution images, create smooth animations, and use a wide range of fonts and branding elements. With features like slide transitions and looping, you can create a professional-looking display that runs continuously. You can even create content in portrait or landscape orientation to fit any screen.
How to Design Effective Digital Signage in PowerPoint
Creating content for a digital sign is different from designing a presentation for a meeting. The audience is often moving, and you only have a few seconds to capture their attention. Here are essential tips for designing effective slides.
1. Set Up Your Slide Dimensions
Before you start designing, make sure your slide size matches your screen’s resolution and orientation. Most modern TV screens have a 16:9 aspect ratio.
- To change the slide size, go to the Design tab.
- Click on Slide Size > Custom Slide Size.
- For a standard HD screen (1920×1080 px), set the width to 20 inches (50.8 cm) and the height to 11.25 inches (28.575 cm).
- If your screen is in portrait mode, simply swap the width and height values.
This step ensures your content fills the entire screen without any black bars or distortion.
2. Prioritize Visuals Over Text
Digital signage is a visual medium. Use high-quality images, bold graphics, and even video to tell your story. A single, powerful image is far more effective than a paragraph of text. If you must use text, keep it short and impactful. Think of your slides as billboards—viewers should be able to grasp the message in three to five seconds.
3. Use Bold, Legible Fonts
Your content needs to be readable from a distance. Choose clear, sans-serif fonts like Arial, Helvetica, or Calibri. Avoid decorative or script fonts that are difficult to read quickly. Ensure high contrast between your text and the background. White text on a dark background or black text on a light background works best.
4. Keep It Simple
A cluttered screen is an ineffective screen. Each slide should have a single, clear message. For example, if you are promoting a sale, one slide could announce the discount, and a subsequent slide could showcase a specific product. Don’t try to cram too much information onto one slide. White space is your friend—it helps draw attention to the most important elements.
5. Incorporate Your Branding
Maintain a consistent look and feel across all your slides. Use your company’s brand colors, logo, and fonts. This reinforces your brand identity and makes your signage instantly recognizable. Create a master template in PowerPoint with your logo and brand elements to ensure consistency, even when multiple people are creating content.
Taking PowerPoint to the Next Level with SignageTube
Designing slides in PowerPoint is just the first step. The real challenge is getting those presentations to play automatically and reliably on your screens. How do you update content across multiple locations? How do you schedule different presentations for different times of the day?
This is where SignageTube transforms your simple PowerPoint files into a powerful, automated digital signage network.
Instead of manually loading a USB stick into each TV, you can manage everything from a central, cloud-based dashboard. SignageTube connects directly to your PowerPoint files, allowing you to:
- Automate Playback: Simply upload your PowerPoint presentation to your SignageTube account. Our software converts it into a video format that plays on a continuous loop on your designated screens.
- Manage Content from Anywhere: Update promotions, change messages, or add new slides from any computer with an internet connection. Your changes are pushed to your screens automatically.
- Schedule Your Content: Plan your content to display at specific times. Show a breakfast menu in the morning, lunch specials in the afternoon, and happy hour promotions in the evening.
- Control Multiple Screens: Whether you have one screen or hundreds across different locations, you can manage them all from a single dashboard. Group screens by location or function and send targeted content with ease.
Get Started with PowerPoint and SignageTube Today
PowerPoint is an excellent tool for creating digital signage content, offering a familiar and cost-effective way to get started. By following best practices for visual design, you can produce engaging content that captures attention.
When you’re ready to automate the process and unlock the full potential of your displays, SignageTube provides the missing link. Our software makes it simple to turn your PowerPoint presentations into a dynamic and remotely managed digital signage system.
Explore what SignageTube can do for your business. Start your free trial today and see how easy it is to bring your screens to life.
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