MyMedia, a digital signage integrator based in Mississauga, Ont., has implemented a series of screens in the University of Toronto’s (U of T’s) local campus.
Dynamic wayfinding
Digital signage is also rapidly becoming part of many schools’ efforts to enhance the wayfinding experience for their visitors.
Whether deployment of the medium involves replacing large, static directories or combining smaller-scale screens with traditional wayfinding signs, digital signage allows universities to instantly update their tenant details, class schedules and event information across entire campuses.
And whether the content is static or interactive, it can be published dynamically with updates from building management systems (BMSs) or simple spreadsheets maintained by facility staff. Tablet-computer-sized room signs that can integrate with resource-booking tools, including Microsoft Outlook, are also gaining popularity.
This application of digital signage is particularly beneficial because it gives schools flexibility to adjust their room and faculty assignments without discarding previous signage.
Leading deployments
Following these trends, along with a growing range of applications, digital signage is increasingly a becoming a ‘mainstay’ technology of many educational facilities, transforming the experience for students, faculty members and visitors alike.
Signmakers, with their high competency in visual communications, wide-format printing and architectural displays, are often well-suited to participate in or lead digital signage deployments in this vertical market. Any familiarity with interdisciplinary projects that combine print, digital displays and media player personal computers (PCs) in a single design will provide a competitive advantage, though it is becoming increasingly important to be skilled in information technology (IT) and data integration.
That said, the multidisciplinary nature of the digital signage medium often leads to partnerships, with multiple parties collaborating to bring best-in-class expertise to a given project.
Dmitry Sokolov is a Toronto-based retail solutions and thin clients category business manager for HP Canada. For more information, contact him via e-mail at dsokolov@hp.com.
