Digital signage content creation [Complete guide in 2026]
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You picked the right time to get into digital signage content creation. In fact, the global digital signage market has reached $33.6 billion in 2026, up from $31.1 billion in 2025, while video walls already accounted for the largest share of the market in 2025. More screens, however, also mean more content to create, update, and manage.
A few years back, this process would’ve been painfully manual. Think clunky software, zero templates, and hours spent resizing things that never quite fit the screen. Today? You’ve got more options than ever, and while you’ll still need a solid template to start with (or a designer to create one for you), the rest of the process doesn’t have to eat up your time, budget, or sanity.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to get started with digital signage content design: by doing it yourself, using pre-made templates, or outsourcing the whole thing. And once that’s covered, we’ll get into the main content types, the examples by industry, and the ways to produce them. We’ll also introduce you to the right tools for the job and give you a checklist you can steal at the end to master digital signage content creation. Don’t worry - we won’t tell! ;)
What is digital signage content creation?
Digital signage content creation is the process of designing and producing visual content, such as images, videos, or animations, that is shown on digital displays. These can range from TV monitors and LED walls to digital billboards, tablets, and even kiosks. The content itself is multi-format and multi-medium, often combining text, visuals, motion, and live data to inform, promote, or engage viewers in public spaces, workplaces, retail stores, campuses, and more.
One of the best examples of engaging digital signage content in action is Times Square in New York City, where massive LED screens light up the streets with nonstop ads, branded videos, and real-time visuals that capture the attention of millions every day. But it can also be as simple as a retail store displaying daily offers on a panel by the checkout or an office sharing team updates on a lobby display.
Types of digital signage content
Digital signage content falls into 4 main categories.
Depending on what you want to communicate, how quickly the information changes, and how long the viewer is likely to look at the screen, you may go for:
- Static images and graphics - Static content is… well, static, meaning it always stays the same and works well for content that doesn’t change often. It can include posters, infographics, promotional banners, digital flyers, menus, announcements, and other forms of graphic design solutions.
- Video and animation - These use motion to attract attention and explain more in less space. Think product promos, short ads, explainers, branded videos, and animated announcements, among else.
- Dynamic / data-driven content - This type of content changes dynamically depending on the data that is fed into it through sources like Google Sheets, APIs, RSS feeds, inventory systems, weather platforms, social media feeds, etc. As the data changes, the content updates with it.
- Interactive content - Interactive content lets the viewer do something rather than only watch, making them the main character in the brand story.
3 ways to create digital signage content
We have already mentioned the options available to you when it comes to digital signage content design. You could:
- Go DIY
- Use templates
- Outsource the work to a freelancer/agency
So, which one should you go with? It depends on your skills, the budget, and time. Nevertheless, let’s go deeper into the choices to help you decide which route to take!
Make it yourself from scratch
Creating professional digital signage content from scratch means designing visuals manually using content creation tools. This option gives you full creative control, but also takes the most time.
Tools-wise, you can go with graphic-based tools like Canva, Adobe Express, or Venngage for infographics. Or, if you want to work with video, After Effects, Biteable, Veed, or Placeit are great options - even if you're not a video editor.
Pros
- Free or low-cost tools
- Full control over your design
- Fast to execute once you get the hang of it
Cons
- Difficult to scale
- Time-consuming if you need a lot of content
- Design quality depends on your skill
Use a ready-made template
Ready-made templates allow you to effortlessly create digital signage content by editing pre-designed layouts.
Canva, PosterMyWall, and Placeit are great tools for this, as they offer screen-friendly templates you can customize with just a few clicks. Yes, even without design skills.
Pros
- Fast and beginner-friendly
- Looks professional with minimal effort
- Great for maintaining brand consistency
Cons
- Can feel cookie-cutter if not customized
- Less flexibility for unique formats
- Requires basic editing knowledge
Hire a freelancer or an agency
Outsourcing digital signage content to a freelancer or agency gives you access to professional design without doing the work yourself. It’s the best choice if you want high-quality visuals but don’t have the time, skills, or resources in-house to create them.
Of course, the pros can do the proper job only if you provide them with the proper brief. The brief should contain the description of the work, the specifications of the content, its purpose, and references (if you have them).
If you don’t have an agency or a freelancer of choice, you can fall back on freelance platforms. Although they sometimes get a bad rap, platforms like Upwork or Fiverr can be a lifesaver in this job market.
A word of caution, though: pay attention to the freelancer you are hiring. Vet them properly, ask for a portfolio, and set clear deadlines. If you don’t do the above, you might end up with a result that you aren’t satisfied with.
Pros
- High-quality, custom content
- Saves you time and stress
- Great for one-off campaigns or animations
Cons
- More expensive
- Slower turnaround
- Requires feedback and revisions
How to create digital signage content?
You can't create compelling digital signage content without knowing why you're showing it, who it is for, and where it's going.
That said, here's a step-by-step framework to help you create digital signage worthy of displaying.
1. Identify your goal and audience
Before you open up any design tool (or delegate the job to a freelancer), ask yourself:
- What’s the purpose of this content? - Are you trying to increase sales, share internal updates, promote an event, or build brand awareness? Your objective should shape everything from format to tone to call to action.
- Who is this content for? - Audience defines the approach. A shopper passing by a screen needs quick, eye-catching content. Meanwhile, an employee sitting in a break room might be more open to longer-form updates or internal dashboards.
- Where will you display digital signage? - Screen placement should influence creative direction. For example, content for digital screens in a high-foot-traffic hallway can’t follow the same rules as one shown in a quiet office lounge.
To paint a picture, say a restaurant wants to boost lunch sales. Their audience is a shopper already inside the venue, the screen is above the counter, and the goal is to promote a limited-time combo. That immediately tells you the content should be short, visual, price-led, and easy to read from several feet away.
Or take an internal office screen. If the goal is to recognize employees and share weekly performance updates, the audience has a longer dwell time. A rotating performance screen with team wins, milestones, and upcoming events makes more sense than a 5-second sales-style promo.
Also, from our experience, it’s best to define KPIs early on (foot traffic, clicks, QR scans, time-on-screen, etc.). This will help you track what’s working later on.
2. Choose your content type
With your objectives all set, it’s time to decide on the type of digital signage content that will best support them.
You could go with:
- Text-based messages for the latest news, announcements, and notices
- Static images for posters and graphics
- Videos for ads, explainers, promos, and similar.
- Infographics for data visualization and dashboards
- Dynamic content for live data, RSS feeds, weather forecasts, etc.
Yours is to choose the format. But keep in mind that if your digital signage content will be displayed in high-foot-traffic areas, you may be better off with short videos and motion graphics. Viewers tend to retain only 10% of a message from static content. Meanwhile, with videos, numbers go as high as 95%!
Also, digital signage best practices published by Texas A&M University suggest that viewers typically spend only 10-15 seconds reading digital content. That’s why we recommend keeping fast-moving environments focused on one idea, while longer-dwell spaces can support richer video, live data, or interactive content.
3. Design your content
The next step is to bring your content to life!
As you go about designing, remember these best practices:
- Use high contrast between text and background.
- Stick to large, readable fonts and make sure the content is clear and legible from a distance, not just when looking at it up close.
- Focus on one main message per slide/screen.
- Follow visual hierarchy (headline > sub > body).
- Movement naturally draws the eye, so use it to emphasize the main message, introduce a product, or show a data change.
- Follow the 3x5 rule for text by either using 3 lines of 5 words or 5 lines of 3 words.
- Design for the actual screen resolution and orientation (landscape vs portrait) to avoid stretched or cut-off layouts.
- Keep critical copy, logos, prices, and CTAs within safe zones and away from the edges. Safe areas protect important content from bezels, overscan, and mounting differences that can crop an asset that looked perfectly fine on your laptop.
4. Distribute your content
Once the asset is ready, you need to get the right message on the right screen at the right time. In other words, it's time for content delivery.
Most businesses use a CMS (content management system) to schedule and push content to screens. Depending on what you’re showing, your schedule can be:
- Time-based - You could show breakfast menus in the morning, lunch offers around noon, and then dinner promos later in the day.
- Day-based - Run different content on weekdays and weekends, or schedule specific messages for certain days.
- Seasonal - Publish holiday promotions or other time-sensitive content for a set period.
- Event-driven - Trigger content when something happens, such as an inventory change, upcoming event, or live data update.
Some CMS platforms even allow real-time updates through live data sources, APIs, or integrations to keep the content fresh.
5. Track and optimize
So, you’ve designed your digital signage content. You’ve pushed it to the display(s). Does that mean your job is done? Nope.
In fact, what comes is possibly the most complicated part of the process. Tracking how your content performs and adjusting it accordingly.
If you’ve already decided on your KPIs as we suggested earlier, this will be a breeze. If not, that’s ok. You can do it now.
Depending on the type of content and your objectives, you may want to use analytics to track:
- Engagement rates - to measure how often people pay attention to or interact with your content.
- Dwell time - to track how long viewers spend looking at the screen or staying in the area.
- Interactions (for touch displays) - to see how users engage with interactive digital signage elements like buttons, menus, or forms.
- Playback data and uptime - to monitor whether your content is running smoothly and how often it’s being shown.
- Conversions or sales lift (for retail) - to evaluate whether the content actually drives purchases or other desired actions.
These will help you identify underperforming content, so you can swap it out quickly. And if you notice something performing exceptionally well, even better! You’ll know which approach to take the next time you go about creating digital signage content.
Digital signage content examples and ideas
There’s no shortage of things you can put on a digital display. What actually makes sense, though, depends on where the screen is, who’s looking at it, and what you want them to do.
To give you a few ideas, here’s what great content can look like across different industries.
Restaurants
- Digital menu boards that change depending on the time of day
- Videos of new dishes, combos, or limited-time offers
- Order status screens so customers know when it’s finally their turn
- QR codes for ordering, loyalty programs, or leaving a review
Retail
- New arrivals and seasonal campaigns
- Product videos next to the actual product, because sometimes seeing it in action does the selling for you
- Opening hours, return information, or click-and-collect instructions
- Social media feeds showing customer posts, reviews, or UGC
Hotels
- A welcome display with check-in information and local weather
- Directions to restaurants, meeting rooms, the spa, gym, and other amenities
- Content promoting breakfast, room upgrades, late checkout, or local experiences
Corporate
- Internal announcements and company news
- A live dashboard with sales numbers, KPIs, or other team results
- Birthday and work anniversary shoutouts
Gyms
- Class timetables and schedule changes
- Short exercise demos or workout-of-the-day videos
- Fitness challenges, membership offers, and member achievements
Schools & universities
- Class schedules and exam dates
- Campus events and deadline reminders
- Cafeteria menus and library updates
- Maps and directions for students and faculty members
- Emergency alerts and other time-sensitive information
Events
- Agendas and session schedules
- Speaker intros and sponsor videos between sessions
- Live polls or audience questions
- Social media feeds and attendee content shown around the venue
Healthcare
- Queue numbers and estimated wait times
- Directions to departments, waiting rooms, and other parts of the facility
- Health tips, service information, and other relevant content for patients and visitors
Transportation
- Live arrivals, departures, delays, and gate or platform changes
- Directions and connection information across airports and stations
- Safety messages and emergency notices
- Ads or localized recommendations based on the route, destination, or time of day
Digital signage content creation software
You’ve got the digital signage content strategy. Now it’s time to choose your tools.
Some digital signage platforms help you manage your digital signs, others help you design content - and a few can even automate the entire process.
Below, you'll find what we personally believe are the best digital signage solutions out there. And to make things simpler, we've grouped them into 6 categories based on what we found they are best at.
Digital signage content creation checklist
Here's the ultimate checklist to come back to when you want effective content that displays perfectly on screens. Use it whether you’re designing from scratch, templating, or automating the whole content creation process.
Create great digital signage content with less manual work
By now, you know the main types of digital signage content, the different ways to create it, and the steps that go into making it actually work on screen.
We’ve also covered what good design looks like, how to schedule and distribute content, what to track, which tools can help, and a bunch of ideas you can steal for your own screens. So, start simple, test what works, and keep improving from there.
And if manual content creation starts getting in the way as you grow, take it to Plainly Videos. Book your demo today to see how you can automate digital signage content creation and scale video production without creating every version from scratch.
