Customize Your Display Board so it Works
for You and Your Audience
Designing a template for your display board isn't hard – and with a little planning you can customize your display to show exactly what your audience wants to see, and what you want your audience to see.
Devise a general layout based on your board size.
Your matrix or video board is made up of pixels: a certain number of pixels high by a number of pixels wide. Determine your board's pixel dimensions, as they tell you how much space you have to work with. For CTS displays, this information is available by clicking on the About menu option on the Display Link main window.
Choose the elements you will display
List and prioritize the elements you'd like to display through this particular template. The Template Editor Manual contains a list of pre-formatted data types for each sport, which includes such items as score, period, game time, shot clock time, possession indicators, fouls, etc.
Other elements to consider are time of day, static text (name of the school, name of the tournament, etc.), graphics, animations, and a quick message area. A quick message area sets aside a space on your board for text messages that you can change easily during the event.
Place the elements on the template
Deciding which information to display is a balancing act between content and readability: you want to show as much information as you can that will be interesting to your audience, and at the same time, make sure that the information is large enough and separated from other information so that it can be easily read. Map out the elements on graph paper.
Choosing a font
Choose a sans serif, non-ornamental font, as simpler fonts are more readable and generally look better on a board. Use a fixed-width font for displaying scores and numbers shown in columns.
Choose a font size, using larger fonts for the most important information. Your font size and style will determine how much space it will take on your board. If you're using a pixel-mapped font, you can figure the space by adding the number of pixels each character takes and at least a pixel between each character. Larger fonts should have more than a pixel between each character. If you're using another font, type some text in Template Editor, then go to Options and open the Properties Window to see the average width of a character in that font and size.
Choose a font color. Solid, bright colors are the most readable: red, green, blue, white, yellow and orange. Avoid using too many different colors in the same template, as this will be distracting to viewers. If you're displaying rows of similar information, such as lane information in swimming or track, you may want to alternate between two colors row by row to increase readability.
Leave enough space between elements so that each can be seen and easily read. It's better to provide less information in a clear, readable display than to cram in more information but have it be difficult to read.
Display the template on the board and confirm the result.
Finally, send the template to the board and see how it looks in "real life." Have someone else look at it. Is it readable and clear from various points in the venue? If not, make adjustments as necessary. |
