Select Page

This post contains affiliate links.

If you have ever been curious about how pervasive digital signage is in our daily lives, you might be surprised to see all of the real-life examples. Most companies with brick-and-mortar locations, bars, restaurants, schools, transportation centers, and stations all have digital signs. When you look, it seems like digital signs are everywhere. 

This article compiles 37 real-life digital signage examples to give you an idea of your business’s digital sign content.

Restaurant Menu Screen

When you walk into your favorite fast food joint, you can immediately see what is on offer. Promotional offers like the McDonald’s McRib will be prominently displayed front and center, along with the price. You don’t have to waste time wondering what to order; you can think about it while you wait in line to get to the counter. 

Bank Loan Rates

Suppose you are planning to head to the bank to deposit money or for some other kind of transaction; you might take a second to look around at the loan rates, often displayed outside of the bank itself or just inside on the wall. Advising their customers of the loan rates might give you some incentive to reconsider buying that brand new car. 

News Segments

When you are waiting in line somewhere or patiently listening for your name at the doctor’s office, you might notice some digital signage in the form of current events. Whether it is a news story you are interested in or not, it helps to keep you up to date on the world’s events and passes the time wherever you are. 

College Upcoming Events Board

Most college campuses like to keep you informed about all club activities, fraternity, or sorority events. There is always a lot going on at a college campus, and it can be hard to keep track of. Luckily, digital signs near or on the campus give you some insights about where to be that night for something extra special. 

Salon Inspirational Quote

When you head into a salon for some quality you-time, you need to rest and relax. You know whether you want your hair colored or trimmed, but sometimes it is nice to see a pick-me-up. It might be a funny picture of an animal along with a quote, a beautiful flower or field in the background, or something else, but it’s sure to cheer you up. 

Rules For A Building

If you are worried about people not knowing or obeying certain rules or regulations inside your building or area, digital signage is a great way to alert them. Usually, the rules for social etiquette and buildings are well-known, but if you have any rules that are out of the ordinary, like that pets aren’t allowed, a digital sign can easily show that.

Mall Directory

Digital Signage Examples
Image via sixteen-nine

A shopping mall is full of stores, and it is easy to forget where to go. A digital sign kiosk can give you the mall’s layout and show you exactly where Nordstrom’s is or that Sephora is actually inside Target. Some of them are more interactive and help you pinpoint where you are currently, which is even more helpful.

Airport Map

Like the mall directory listed above, an airport map is an integral part of navigating through the friendly skies. The number of terminals and gates in a large airport is huge enough to make anyone’s head spin. An airport map shows you how long it will take you to walk to the gate or terminal because you need to carefully plan your journey. 

Weather Display

Knowing what to expect when you want to go for a walk is wonderful. Many schools, billboards, and other digital signs automatically display the current temperature and whether it is projected to rain any time shortly. Knowing if you need to grab that umbrella out of your trunk or not can go a long way towards improving your day. 

Elementary School Announcement Board

Although not typically as busy as a college campus, elementary schools often have a digital sign prominently displayed that gives information like the weather, if the school is open or not, and other information about upcoming events. You can easily announce things like talent shows, holiday breaks, and other types of activities to everyone who drives by.

List Of Currencies In The Airport Exchange

Digital Signage Examples
Image via CNTraveler

When you are going through the airport on your way to or coming back from a foreign country, the chances are high that you will want to have some cash on hand for souvenirs. Airport exchange counters allow you to trade cash from one currency to another. A handy digital sign by the side gives you real-time reports of how much each currency is worth. 

Real-Time Stock Exchange Reports

You don’t just have to go to the New York Stock Exchange to learn about the stock market. Many financial institutions have digital signs that track the rise and fall of the stock market so that you can stay in the know about the money you have been investing in and whether it is time to break out the champagne or phone your financial advisor in dismay.

Sales Posters In Department Stores

The use of the word posters does not refer to the usual printed ones. Digital signs can be amazing advertising tools. When someone walks into your store, they should be able to see immediately that a certain type of product is on sale or that one of your departments is having some kind of promotion. 

Drive-Thru Menu

When you pull up to a drive-thru, you want to order your food and get it quickly, which is why they have the digital signs up with the menu. Most fast-food places have drive-thrus so that people can get their food without leaving their car. These menus are often static, but sometimes they change to reflect the breakfast or lunch menus.

Building Directory

When you go to the doctor’s office, the chances are high that there are many offices in that building. Having a digital sign in the lobby listing which floors host which doctors can save everyone time and prevent frustration. You don’t have to have written down the office number either because the names are often listed on the sign.

Digital signage examples
Image via CRETech

Welcome Sign

When you check into a hotel or just come in to sit down at their restaurants, you will probably see a welcoming sign giving you some of the information about the hotel bar or restaurant’s hours, room service hours, and other useful tips. You might see a map or even use an interactive sign to see what is around the place. 

Departures And Arrivals

One of the most common types of digital signs is the one listing departures and arrivals in the airport. Plenty of people spend a ton of time looking for those signs and then watching them with dread to see if a flight has been delayed or, even worse, canceled. Although many companies now have apps, the signs are conveniently located everywhere in airports. 

If the flight is delayed, you can also stay up to date on the gate or terminal your flight leaves out of. It isn’t uncommon for a flight to change gates. You can see similar information about what platform you need to start racing towards to make your connection for trains and buses. 

Instagram

Plenty of fashion companies have started advertising by showing off photos of satisfied customers modeling their cute fashions via their Instagrams. You might see something adorable in the store on the digital sign that you just have to have or make a note that you need to visit that store the next time you’re out after passing a billboard. 

Eye-catching Videos

If you want people to sit up and notice your digital signage, consider utilizing a more engaging avenue. Lots of people enjoy watching videos and will often spend longer looking at a video than text. Whether you are promoting your brand, telling people about a sale, or just trying to get some fresh eyes, videos are a great way to keep your audience interested.

As a note, not all digital signs are capable of playing video clips or segments. You will need to make sure that you have the right kind of media player to display moving pictures or to have your sign be interactive at all, instead of a single static picture that you can periodically change out. 

Music Videos

Many popular stores that want to appeal to a younger demographic favor playing music videos in the background of the store. The combination of the music throughout the store and the performer on the screen keep up the air of excitement and the youthful vibes that entice customers to come back, again and again. 

Boardroom Information

For those who work within office buildings, digital signs can do more than keep everyone informed about current events and the weather. Recent compliments from employees, like shout-outs, can be displayed, or news about the company. You can show interesting tidbits about an increase in the number of customers easily with digital signage.

Customer Reviews

If your company has been receiving a lot of rave reviews, why not show everyone? Digital signs can display everything from Yelp! Reviews to Facebook comments. You can even display the comment section on a product or your website if there is a way for your customers to leave reviews there. Show off what a great job you have been doing!

Niche News

Depending on what industry your company occupies, your employees might be interested to know what else is going on in the world with people just like them. If you are working in a tech company, your employees might like to see what new strides IBM is making or see a new robot with some sweet dance moves. 

Real-Time Company Data

People working in the sales division might appreciate seeing exactly what marketing strategies are working by looking at the data and sales in real-time. Whether they are brainstorming something new or simply reviewing some of the current strategies being employed, that data will be beneficial. 

Digital signage examples
Image via Spinetix

To-Do List

For companies where there are many employees completing tons of tasks in teams, it can help keep track of all of that information in a to-do list. You can divide tasks by teams and show the progress being made on the overall project to encourage your employees or show you where some people might need to pick up the slack.

Quotes

Many churches, temples, and other places of worship have started using digital signs to explain both the times of certain services and provide a specific quote from the sermon or something that the leader has decided is relevant for the day or week. Whether that quote changes often or not, it should be broadcast where everyone can see it. 

Leaderboards

For people who play video games, leaderboards are a familiar concept, but it doesn’t have to focus on games. Membership at a library might have a digital sign that shows which people have read the most books off the summer list. The sign may show the top ten people who have checked out or returned the most books and their titles. 

Scoreboards

If you have teams within your company and completing tasks counts as points, you can use digital signs to encourage friendly competition among your employees and give something fun to talk about by the water cooler. Comparing their points might be a good way to motivate them to work harder to score those points.

Alarms

Digital signs can be a good way to warn people about something currently happening and needs to be addressed right now. For example, if there is a fire in the building or an earthquake, you will want to alert people immediately to the danger and advise them about where the building exits are or that they should evacuate. 

Room Reservations

Many office buildings have meeting rooms that can be reserved in advance. This system works well, but if you have ever used a meeting room, you know that some people will just show up and want to use it. Having a sign outside explains when the room has been reserved, people who want to sneak in know when they should come back.

Pictures

Photography studios, art galleries, museums, and plenty of other companies use digital signs to show off their work. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so instead of simply telling people about your work, you could use a digital sign to show them. For example, a new exhibition at a museum might be more interesting with a mummy picture. 

Commercials

If your company has recently shot a commercial, but you haven’t aired it yet, or even if you have already, there is another way to get your money’s worth from that investment. Showing your commercial on your digital sign with subtitles is a way to inform people about your product or service without interrupting their favorite TV show. 

Games

For digital signs in children’s waiting areas, pediatricians’ offices, or other places like those, simple games might be a good way to keep everyone entertained. At restaurants, tablets can have simple games to capture the children’s attention while the adults eat. At malls or airports, a little entertainment can go a long way towards keeping Mom and Dad happy too.

Giveaways

Interactive digital signs can offer giveaways for customers who sign up with their email address or phone number. A great way to turn a window shopper into an actual customer, or even a return customer, is to offer giveaways and rewards programs so that you can add them to your mailing list for future promotions. 

Status Updates

Depending on your product or service, you could use a digital sign to keep track of customer orders, so they always know how far along the process is. Whether they are waiting for food to be ready or for their doctor to be available, people always like to know their order’s current status. With digital signs, receptionists don’t have to update everyone constantly.

Ride Availability

Isn’t it annoying when you go to a theme park and head straight for your favorite ride, only to realize that it is closed? With digital signs, you could see which rides, or attractions are currently open or closed, as well as if they are expected to reopen that day or not. At the zoo, animals often take breaks but come out later, and a sign could explain that.

Instructions

If you offer an additional service in your building, like WiFi for guests, you can use digital signs to explain how to access it and their username and password. Alternatively, you can use the sign to explain wherein a hotel people should go for more information about a certain event or use their keycards in an elevator. The possibilities are endless. 

If you have been considering using digital signage to spread the word about your company’s services or products, then join the enormous list of brands that have already kickstarted the movement. If you start using digital signs, you will definitely be in good company.