Digital Signage Design for Non-Designers: Create Professional Displays Without Design Skills

You've got your old tablet mounted on the wall and OpenSign running smoothly. Now comes the part that makes most business owners nervous: actually designing something to display. If your last "design project" was a Microsoft Word flyer in 2015, the blank canvas can feel paralyzing.

Here's the truth: effective digital signage doesn't require artistic talent. It requires following a handful of practical rules that professional designers have already figured out. This guide gives you those rules in plain language, with specific formulas you can apply immediately—no design degree required.

The Only Design Principle You Actually Need

Every design decision you make should answer one question: Can someone glance at this for three seconds and understand the message?

That's it. Digital signage isn't art hanging in a gallery. People don't study it. They walk by, wait in line, or sit in your lobby—and your sign gets a few seconds of their attention at most. Everything in this guide flows from that core principle: clarity beats creativity, every time.

Start With the Right Canvas Size

Before designing anything, you need to know your display's dimensions. Most TVs and monitors use a 16:9 aspect ratio in landscape orientation. If you're mounting a tablet vertically, you're working with 9:16 (portrait).

When creating designs in Canva or any other tool, use these dimensions:

For landscape displays (horizontal): 1920 x 1080 pixels. This matches standard HD resolution and works on virtually any modern screen.

For portrait displays (vertical): 1080 x 1920 pixels. Same resolution, just rotated.

Using the correct dimensions from the start prevents awkward cropping or stretching later. In Canva, click "Create a design," then "Custom size," and enter these numbers.

The 3x5 Rule: Your Text Limit

Here's where most first-time signage creators go wrong: they treat the screen like a document and fill it with paragraphs. Your digital sign is not a brochure. It's a billboard.

Follow the 3x5 rule: your main message should contain either three lines of text with no more than five words per line, or five lines with no more than three words each. This keeps your content scannable at a glance.

"Monday Happy Hour Special: Half Price Appetizers From 4 to 7 PM" becomes:

HAPPY HOURHalf-Price Apps4-7 PM Mondays

Same information. Fraction of the words. Dramatically more readable.

If you find yourself wanting to add more text, that's a signal to create a second slide in your rotation instead of cramming everything onto one screen.

Font Size and Viewing Distance: The Math That Matters

The most common mistake in digital signage? Text that's too small to read from where people actually stand. A font size that looks fine on your computer screen becomes illegible from across the room.

Here's the rule of thumb that professionals use: for every 10 feet of viewing distance, your text needs to be at least 1 inch tall on screen.

For practical digital signage situations, this translates roughly to:

If viewers are 5-10 feet away (counter displays, checkout areas): minimum 48-point font for body text, 72+ points for headlines.

If viewers are 10-20 feet away (lobby displays, waiting rooms): minimum 72-point font for body text, 96+ points for headlines.

If viewers are 20-30 feet away (restaurant menu boards, gym entrances): minimum 96-point font for body text, 120+ points for headlines.

When in doubt, go bigger. No one has ever complained that a sign was too easy to read.

Test your design by displaying it on the actual screen and viewing it from where your customers will stand. If you have to squint or move closer, increase your font size.

Fonts That Actually Work

You have access to hundreds of fonts. Use two of them, maximum.

For digital signage, stick with sans-serif fonts—the ones without the little decorative feet on letters. They're significantly easier to read from a distance. Good choices include:

Safe bets: Arial, Helvetica, Open Sans, Roboto, Montserrat, Lato

For headlines with personality: Bebas Neue, Oswald, Raleway

Avoid: Script fonts (the cursive-looking ones), thin or light font weights, decorative fonts, anything with elaborate styling

Use one font for headlines and one for body text. Or use the same font family with different weights—bold for headlines, regular for details. This creates visual hierarchy without visual chaos.

IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Side-by-side comparison of the same message in a hard-to-read decorative font vs. a clean sans-serif font

Color Combinations That Don't Require a Design Eye

Color is where most people feel lost. The good news: you don't need to understand color theory. You need sufficient contrast.

Contrast means the difference between your text color and background color. High contrast equals readable. Low contrast equals invisible.

The safest combinations:

Dark text on light background: Black or dark gray text on white, cream, or light gray backgrounds. This is the easiest to read and works in any lighting condition.

Light text on dark background: White or light text on black, navy, or dark gray backgrounds. Slightly harder to read in bright environments but creates a modern, bold look.

Colors to pair carefully: If you want color in your signage, use it for accents and headlines rather than body text. A bright yellow headline on a dark background grabs attention, but yellow body text will strain eyes.

Combinations to avoid: Similar colors together (light gray on white, navy on black), red text on blue backgrounds or vice versa, and any combination where you have to ask yourself "is this readable?"

If your business has brand colors, use them—but test readability from viewing distance before committing. Your forest green brand color might look sophisticated but become invisible on certain backgrounds.

The Power of White Space

The empty space around your content isn't wasted space—it's what makes your content readable. Designers call this white space (even when it's not literally white), and beginners almost always use too little of it.

A good target: 40% of your design should be content, 60% should be breathing room. This sounds extreme until you see the difference.

When your sign has adequate white space, the viewer's eye immediately knows where to look. When content fills every inch, nothing stands out and everything competes for attention.

Practical application: after you finish designing, look at your creation and ask "what can I remove?" If a design element isn't essential to understanding the message, delete it.

A Simple Layout That Works Every Time

If you want a formula that produces professional-looking results with zero design decisions, here it is:

Top third: Your headline or main message in large, bold text.

Middle third: Supporting information or a relevant image.

Bottom third: Call to action, logo, or secondary details in smaller text.

This layout works because it follows how eyes naturally scan: top to bottom, largest to smallest. The most important information gets the most prominent position.

You can apply this to almost any signage need—welcome messages, promotions, menus, event announcements. Adjust the proportions based on your content, but the principle holds: hierarchy from top to bottom, most important to least.

IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Visual diagram showing the top-third, middle-third, bottom-third layout with example content

Using Images Without Making a Mess

Photos and graphics can make your signage more eye-catching—or they can completely undermine readability. A few guidelines keep you on the right side of that line.

Choose simple, uncluttered images. A single product on a clean background works. A busy scene with dozens of elements competes with your text.

Ensure sufficient contrast for text overlays. If you're placing text over an image, the image needs a consistent area light enough for dark text or dark enough for light text. Adding a semi-transparent color overlay (like a dark blue at 60% opacity) between the image and text solves most contrast problems.

Use high-resolution images. Blurry or pixelated images instantly make your signage look amateur. For a 1920x1080 display, your images should be at least that resolution. Canva's free image library includes millions of high-resolution photos you can use.

When in doubt, skip the image. A clean, text-only design with good typography looks far more professional than a cluttered design with a mediocre photo.

Free Tools That Do the Heavy Lifting

You don't need Photoshop. Canva's free version handles everything most small businesses need for digital signage, and it's designed for people without design training.

Why Canva works for digital signage:

It offers thousands of templates specifically designed for displays—search "digital signage" or "menu board" or "welcome sign" to find starting points you can customize.

The drag-and-drop interface means no learning curve. If you can use a word processor, you can use Canva.

Built-in font pairing suggestions take the guesswork out of typography. When you select a font, Canva shows you complementary options.

The free image library eliminates the need to purchase stock photos.

Brand Kit (available on the free version with limitations) lets you save your colors and fonts so every design stays consistent.

Quick Canva workflow for signage:

1. Create an account at canva.com (free, no credit card required)
2. Click "Create a design" and enter custom dimensions (1920 x 1080 for landscape)
3. Search templates for your use case, or start with a blank canvas
4. Replace placeholder text with your content, following the 3x5 rule
5. Adjust fonts and colors to match your brand
6. Download as PNG or JPG and upload to OpenSign

The entire process takes 10-15 minutes once you've done it a few times.

Content Ideas With Built-In Design Templates

Still staring at a blank screen? Here are common signage types with straightforward approaches:

Welcome message: Business name at top in large text, "Welcome" or a greeting in the middle, today's date or a tagline at the bottom. Simple background color or subtle pattern. Total text: under 10 words.

Daily special or promotion: Product/service name as headline, price prominently displayed, one line describing the offer, timeframe if applicable. Consider including a single product image if high-quality.

Menu board: Category headers in bold, items listed below with prices aligned. No more than 8-10 items per screen—use multiple slides for longer menus. Avoid the temptation to shrink text to fit more; scroll through slides instead.

Event announcement: Event name as headline, date and time prominently displayed, brief description or tagline, location if needed. Use one strong image if available.

Social proof display: Large quote from a customer review, attribution smaller below, your logo or "5 stars on Google" badge. Rotate through multiple reviews.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Even with these guidelines, certain errors crop up repeatedly. Here's how to avoid them:

Mistake: Using your logo as the largest element on screen. Fix: Your logo matters, but it's not your message. Keep it small and in a corner. Let your actual content take center stage.

Mistake: Centering everything. Fix: Center alignment works for headlines, but body text and lists are easier to read with left alignment. Mixed alignment creates visual interest while maintaining readability.

Mistake: Too many colors. Fix: Limit yourself to three colors maximum: one for background, one for primary text, one for accents or highlights. This isn't a limitation—it's what creates cohesion.

Mistake: Forgetting about the environment. Fix: A design that looks perfect on your computer may be unreadable in a bright storefront window or a dimly lit waiting room. Visit the actual display location and adjust brightness, contrast, and color choices based on real-world conditions.

Mistake: Never updating content. Fix: Stale signage trains customers to ignore your screens. Schedule a weekly reminder to review and refresh your content. Even small changes—a new quote, updated pricing, seasonal message—keep the display feeling current.

Testing Your Design Before Going Live

Before publishing any design to your display, run through this quick checklist:

1. Distance test: View the design on the actual screen from where customers will stand. Can you read everything without squinting?
2. Glance test: Look away, then glance at the screen for three seconds. Did you catch the main message? If not, simplify.
3. Squint test: Squint at your design until it blurs. The elements that remain visible are what viewers will notice first. Are those the right elements?
4. Lighting test: Check readability in the actual lighting conditions where the sign will display. Adjust brightness settings on the display device if needed.
5. Fresh eyes test: Show the design to someone unfamiliar with your business and ask what message they take away. Their answer reveals whether your design communicates clearly.

Building a Content Library Over Time

Your first few designs will take longer as you figure out your style and preferences. But once you establish a template, creating new content becomes much faster.

Save your best designs as templates in Canva. When you need a new promotion sign, duplicate a previous one and swap the text. Your fonts, colors, and layout are already set—you're just updating the content.

Build a library of designs for recurring needs: a welcome sign template, a promotion template, an announcement template. Over time, creating new signage content becomes a 5-minute task rather than a 30-minute project.

The Bottom Line

Professional-looking digital signage comes down to restraint: fewer words, fewer fonts, fewer colors, more white space. When you're tempted to add something, ask whether it makes the message clearer or just makes the design busier.

You don't need natural design talent. You need the willingness to keep things simple and the discipline to test your work from where your customers actually stand. Follow the rules in this guide, and your signage will look better than 90% of what you see in other small businesses—created by someone who never considered themselves a designer.

Ready to put these principles into practice? Create your first design in Canva, upload it to your OpenSign dashboard, and see it live on your display in minutes. Start simple—a clean welcome message or today's special—and build from there.