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Digital Signage Case Study

Durham College Digital Signage

A branded campus signage system built to work across static displays, looping motion ads, and supporting icon sets. The goal was to keep information readable at a distance while still feeling energetic, polished, and clearly aligned with Durham College’s visual language.

Campus Branding Motion Graphics Screen Design Icon Systems
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Durham College digital signage main composition
Main Signage Composition Built for high visibility on large-format screens The primary comp establishes the project’s overall look: strong hierarchy, clear wayfinding structure, and a high-contrast layout that holds up in public-facing environments.

Brief

Screen content built for fast understanding

The work focused on translating Durham College branding into digital signage that could deliver promotions, announcements, and informational content without becoming visually cluttered.

Deliverables

  • Static signage comps for branded display screens
  • Looping motion ads designed for digital placements
  • Weather and information icon assets for modular use

Design Priorities

  • Strong information hierarchy for distant viewing
  • Consistent visual language across different formats
  • Flexible components that could scale to multiple messages

System Thinking

A signage family instead of one-off screens

Rather than treating each output as a separate artifact, the case study was developed as a compact visual system. Shared typography, pacing, icon treatment, and composition rules helped each asset feel connected while still serving a different communication need.

Static Display Design

Built to communicate key messages quickly, with bold type, clear spacing, and a branded visual rhythm that works well on campus display screens.

Motion-Led Ads

Looping animated outputs extend the same design language into movement, helping announcements feel more dynamic without sacrificing legibility.

Supporting Iconography

Weather and utility icons round out the system so the screen language can handle both promotional and informational content in a consistent way.

Motion Outputs

Animated signage loops

These motion pieces translate the static composition into animated screen content. The emphasis stays on readable movement, measured pacing, and keeping the message visible long enough for passersby to catch the important information.

Animated Screen Loop 01 Introduces the project’s branded motion language through simple transitions, emphasis on key messaging, and controlled pacing.
Animated Screen Loop 02 A second execution showing how the same system can support variation without breaking the overall visual consistency.

Screen Components

Static boards and icon assets

The case study includes the primary comp alongside supporting weather and utility graphics. Together they show how the project balances expressive branding with modular assets that can be reused across practical screen scenarios.

Final digital signage composition
Primary Comp The main board sets the tone for the rest of the system with clean hierarchy and bold, public-space readability.
Weather-themed signage icon illustration
Weather Icon Example An applied icon asset designed to support campus information moments without looking disconnected from the main signage style.
Set of digital signage icons for campus display use
Icon Set The broader icon family gives the system flexibility for updates, alerts, and information panels that need quick visual recognition.

Process

How the system came together

The workflow moved from brand alignment into screen hierarchy, then into motion and modular assets. Each stage was aimed at making the final outputs easier to scale across different campus display scenarios.

01

Brand Alignment

Durham College’s visual language shaped the color usage, type choices, and tone so every screen felt institutionally consistent.

02

Layout Hierarchy

Compositions were organized to support fast reading from a distance, with deliberate contrast and clearer content grouping.

03

Motion Translation

Static ideas were extended into looping animations that added energy while keeping the core message readable in a short viewing window.

04

Reusable Assets

Supporting iconography and modular graphic elements made the system more flexible for future content needs beyond a single campaign.

Tools

Built with motion, vector, and front-end tools

The project combines design software for visual systems and motion output, plus web-ready assets for digital screen implementation.

Adobe After EffectsAfter Effects Adobe IllustratorIllustrator HTML5HTML5 CSS3CSS3 Figma

Outcome

A cleaner presentation for the full signage workflow

This version of the case study shows the project as a connected design system instead of a loose gallery. It clarifies the brief, organizes the outputs by purpose, and makes the motion plus supporting assets easier to review at a glance.

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