UWEC 860.A, Outdoor Digital Signage Guidelines

Last Updated Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at 9:00 pm

Procedure #: UWEC 860.A

Intent

The procedure provides guidelines and requirements for use of outdoor digital signage at the Davies Center, helping UW-Eau Claire faculty, staff, and student organizations create informative and meaningful outdoor digital signage content. This procedure supports practice directive UWEC 860, Outdoor Digital Signage.

Scope

This procedure applies to the outdoor digital signs at the Davies Center.

Definitions

Advertisement: A message or promotional content with the primary purpose of promoting a product, service, or event.

Emergency Alert: A critical and time-sensitive notification or message issued by UW-Eau Claire to inform the public about an imminent or ongoing emergency situation, such as natural disasters, severe weather events, public safety threats, or other urgent circumstances.

Procedures

Sponsor and Content Guidelines
Requirements
Creating Content
Submitting Content

Sponsor and Content Guidelines

The outdoor digital signage system displays advertising created by recognized UW-Eau Claire academic departments, administrative offices, registered student organizations, and external partners. The two (2) digital display screens outside the main entrances of the Davies Center run a continuous feed. The 10:3 screens are formatted to leave a 10:3 space available for digital graphics that advertise events sponsored by UW-Eau Claire divisions, departments, and offices, and registered student organizations. Graphics are to promote specific events scheduled through the Event Services office.

There are five categories of content that the outdoor digital monitor systems will display:

Department: created by department and managed by the event services content manager.
Administrative: created by administrative office and managed by the event services content manager.
Student Organizations: created by registered student organization and managed by the event services content manager.
External Partner: created by external partner and managed by the business development content manager.
Emergency: determined and transmitted by Learning and Technology Services (LTS) and supersedes any information currently being displayed.

The following are allowed:

Advertisements for activities or events open to the campus community or for information that enhances the campus environment;
Advertisements for external partners that provide brand awareness but must follow sponsorship policies.

The following are not allowed:

Advertisements for individual academic courses or on campus job postings;
Advertisements that include alcohol or controlled substances;
Advertisements for general image enhancement campaigns or regular meeting announcements;
Advertisements that may go against the educational mission of the university (i.e. racist, degrading, and/or potentially offensive);
Advertisements that contain elements that approximate or could be mistaken as an Emergency Alert.

Requirements

The name of the sponsoring university organization, department, or business must appear on the advertisement.
All advertisements should contain the date, time, and location of the event, and any other descriptive information.
Advertisements will be displayed for a minimum of seven (7) consecutive days and a maximum of fourteen (14) consecutive days. A two (2) week break must occur between advertising if requested to run again.
Only one graphic may be posted at a time for an event. Graphics are scheduled on a first-come first-served basis. No more than ten (10) graphics can be scheduled to run at any given time, so that each graphic may cycle through the system at least once every one (1) minute.
A maximum of ten (10) advertisements shall be shown per day.
Academic departments, administrative offices, and registered student organizations combined should make up no more than twenty-five (25) percent of outdoor digital board usage. External partners shall make up no more than seventy-five (75) percent of outdoor digital board usage.
Charges will apply to academic departments, administrative offices, and external partners.

Creating Content

Designing 10:3 Images

Graphics with a 10:3 aspect ratio are used to advertise scheduled events by academic and administrative offices and registered student organizations and student government. A 10:3 aspect ratio is also required for outdoor digital displays.

Images are on screen for only six (6) seconds, so simple designs are best.
Image resolution should be no less than 72 ppi and no greater than 150 ppi.
The name of the sponsoring organization must appear in the graphic.

Creating a 10:3 image in InDesign

StepAction1. | Create a new web document measuring 450 pixels wide and 135 pixels high.
2. | Design the graphic for your event. The smallest type should be no smaller than 14 point.
3. | Export the graphic to JPEG format (File > Export > JPEG).
4. | Set quality to High; format method to Baseline; resolution to 72 pixels per inch; and color space to RGB.

Creating a 10:3 image in Photoshop

StepAction1. | Create a file 450 pixels wide and 135 pixels high, with a resolution of 72 pixels per inch, in RGB color mode.
2. | Design the graphic for your event.
3. | Save the file (File > Save As) as a JPEG.

Creating a 10:3 image in Illustrator

StepAction1. | Create a file measuring 450 pixels wide and 135 pixels high, RGB color mode, with raster effects set to Screen (72 ppi).
2. | Design the graphic for your event.
3. | Export the graphic to JPEG format (File > Export > JPEG).
4. | Set quality to 10, the highest setting, and confirm that the image is in RGB color mode.

Submitting Content

Submit to eventservices@uwec.edu a JPEG or PNG in 10:3 ratio (450x135) for the outdoor digital signage system at least five (5) business days before the desired start date. In your email, state the first date the graphic is to appear, and the last date it is to appear.

Resources

Practice Directive UWEC 860, Outdoor Digital Signage

Practice Directive UWEC 42, Sponsorship and Advertising

Procedure UWEC 42.A, Accepting and Acknowledging Sponsorships and Advertising

University Centers webpage

Procedure Administration

Revision History