Full Color vs. Monochrome LED Displays

Often when faced with the dilemma of choosing the most appropriate LED display for your business, common sense dictates a full color display trumps a monochrome LED in favor of attraction. However, there are many factors which are involved in the decision. You need to take in to consideration your budget, the message you are aspiring to get across to your prospective audience and the nature of your advertisement, before reaching to a conclusion. Afterall, McDonald's restaurants known for their high signage budgets, still finds value in Monochrome LED displays. The question of “what is a better investment?” is presented to many potential LED sign buyers that will have long-term consequences.  Here are a few considerations to take in to account:

1) Budget

Monochrome LEDs are without a doubt, less luxurious and pricey than their full color counterparts. Outdoor Monochrome LED Signs employ a single color of LED to create text and/or graphics. The text can be tweaked to display in myriad options, like sparkle, flash, blink, and scroll, to create a message that will catch the eye of prospective customers as they approach your business.

For businesses that don’t have intimidating competition in the vicinity or are on a limited budget, monochrome LED would serve the purpose without breaking the bank. These can be changed to advertise current promotions or news, without the additional costs and at a fraction of the effort, normally associated with a traditional billboard installation.

2) Location

Look around your business to get a view of where you stand. In the placid world of manual copy boards and static signs, even a monochrome display would stand out and create quite an impact. However, if you are surrounded by high-resolution full color or video LED displays, they would overwhelm the monochrome LED of your business and make it seem rustic. The public is quite picky about where to divert their attention. If you want to deflect their attention back to you, creatively crafted content and a vibrant colored sign would give them the push to look your way.

3) Nature of Message

If the nature of your message is pure data delivery, without incorporating images, monochrome LEDs are a more prudent option. Locations like factory floors, outdoor way-finding areas, stock tickers, loading bays and security checkpoints are all great examples. However, when it comes to demanding the undivided attention of the public, full color signs are the way to go. Supporting graphics and colorful text add more meaning to the LED sign content. Using animated images and vibrant hues, a simple text advertisement is replaced with a fully branded call to action.

4) Nature of Business

There are situations where images enhance the meaning of your message, more than words ever could. E.g. a pizza place would fare better with an enticing image of a pizza slice, oozing melting cheese, than using only words for words to tempt the public. With the additional benefit of complex images via multiple color display options, in full color display, a more awe-inspiring and tantalizing message can be displayed. On the other hand, if you are in the insurance business, a mere picture can’t convince people to stop by and utilize your services, and in that case, a monochrome text display would serve the purpose better.

LED Signs for Schools

Schools need a means of instant communication with the students to operate efficiently, as they are a hotbed of activity, such as sports games, club announcements, plays, fund raisers, safety warnings, and a plethora of other events that need to be shared with the students and the parents within the community. Bid adieu to rustic blow away message boards, or flyers which are cost-intensive and might be lost, since schools are increasingly incorporating large LED display boards to increase the outreach and visibility of all important messages.

Here’s how LED signs enhance the effectiveness of communications in schools:

1. Cost-Effective LED signs

Old-fashioned marquee signs with changeable letters are not feasible anymore and are prone to theft and vandalism. Indoor or outdoor LED signs are not only attractive and easier to read, but also have a useful life of more than 10 years. As LED signs are brighter than LCD or plasma displays, while only using 10% of the energy as compared to incandescent bulbs, their animation and vibrancy attract attention and create awareness. Although the initial investment may come as a surprise, the return on investment makes up for it.

2. Display Important Announcements

LED signs enable schools to inform students, faculty, and the community about a variety of information: welcome and guide campus visitors, broadcast safety alerts, weather warnings and other safety instructions, announce any schedule changes and cancellations, promote student activities, school spirit and achievements, advertise the auditioning for extracurricular clubs, attract community members to get involved in school activities, issue public notification of school events, display motivational quotes to inspire students, flash the motto of the school to passersby and promote the school on an innovative level. An LED display is an easy and effective way to communicate with the school community.

3. Present Innovation

Your school may be splurging a fortune on top-notch technology within the classroom, but people driving by the walls of your school may never be aware of the happenings inside the premises. Therefore, investing in digital signage presents a tech-savvy front for your school. Show everyone what a great school you have and the technology you are using inside!

4. Ensure the Safety of Students

Any unprecedented occurrence can compromise the security of your school. A fire may break out spontaneously in the cafeteria, a suspicious stranger is suspected of lurking in the school premises, there is a threat of imminent violence or crime, or the school needs to evacuated due to a severe weather condition, a mass response LED sign can be used to broadcast safety announcement in a matter of seconds.