Effectively using colors and typography on digital menu boards makes them more appealing digital displays. This is imperative, as poor designs kill conversions. Nielsen Norman Group affirms that users generally read only 20% of the text displayed on a digital screen. It means visuals play the entire game in coordination with the visual hierarchy and legibility, playing as the essential components in content design. So, when it comes to the digital menu boards, your choice of color palette and typography confirms whether it would drive revenue or lead to decision fatigue, losing sales opportunities.

This article guides how to effectively use colors and typography on digital menu boards to increase customer engagement, enhance readability, and maintain brand consistency. It follows 11 proven tips guided by industry experts.

Why Are Colors and Typography Important on Digital Menu Boards?

Effective colors and typography are important on digital menu boards directly shape the user experience or UI. An eye-catching board instantly communicates value and reinforces your brand’s identity.

As per Digital Signage Today’s research, customers remember information they visually witnessed somewhere. The chances grow higher if the information about your menu items is visually appealing and easy to read.

On the other hand, these design elements also affect adversely if executed poorly, as:

• Low contrast results in legibility.
• Excessive fonts make viewers overwhelmed.
• Inconsistent colors dilute the impact of the brand.

According to MIT AgeLab’s study, the easy readability of the digital signage content directly affects how conveniently customers can understand and remember information. This becomes important especially in the quick-service restaurant menu, which prevails in time-constrained environments.

Want to know how to process information faster and get more orders placed effectively? Have a look at the visual guide to learn about creating an effective restaurant menu board and obtaining better conversion rates.

11 Essential Tips for Using Colors and Typography on Digital Menu Boards

Here are 11 essential tips for using colors and typography on digital menu boards, including the right spacing, fonts, and colors. These valuable insights are backed by industry data and experts’ consultation.

This article also includes a special section on designing engaging content for digital signage boards. Follow the tips below and design what your customers expect to ensure better conversions.

1. Use Your Brand Colors for Consistency

Use your brand colors for consistency and reinforce your company’s visual identity across different platforms. This lets your audience recall your business, products, and services by 80%, as suggested by the experts from the University of Loyola, Maryland.

Including uniformity in screens, packaging, and other digital marketing efforts helps develop trust and establishes familiarity among your audience, especially from the fast-paced food industry. Whether you own a vegan café using greens or a modern burger stall with bold blacks and reds, your digital menu boards should reflect the identity of your brand.

• Use the color hex tool to maintain the code across all signage platforms.
• Avoid color fatigue by using accent shades.

2. Create High Contrast for Readability

Create high contrast for readability to ensure customers can see your menu from a distance, and lighting conditions. Maintain a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for body text, as recommended by Analyze Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). You can validate color contrast and readability issues using an accessibility checker to ensure your digital menu boards meet WCAG contrast requirements across different lighting conditions.

Digital menu boards generally suffer from light interference or glare. Hence, use light text on dark backgrounds or vice versa for making the menu and price categories visible from a distance.

• Use dark sans-serif text on light backgrounds for optimal daylight settings.
• Do not use background gradients that obscure the clarity of the font.

3. Limit the Color Palette to Avoid Clutter

Limit the color palette to avoid clutter and to reduce the display-related strain. The Institute for Color Research revealed that people make subconscious judgments about any product or service within 90 seconds, and around 90% of this judgment depends upon the usage of color alone.

Avoid too many hues that distract and become a reason for decision fatigue. Use typically 3 primary colors and 1 to 2 accents in your well-streamlined palette to focus better and for fast processing.

• Highlight one premium item or one CTA using an accent tone.
• Use neutral or greyscale backgrounds to make the key items shine.

4. Use Legible Fonts for Easy Reading

Use legible fonts for easy reading. It ensures quick comprehension and also minimizes customer hesitation. The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) reveal that clean fonts like Open Sans or Helvetica help customers process text faster while using the stylized or script fonts.

Make your digital tools your sales tools and not just the canvases for your artistic typography. Choosing function over flair is always better.

• Never use fonts with thin shadows, strokes, and excessive curves.
• Use larger fonts for headings, but maintain between 16-18pt for menu items.

5. Establish a Clear Typography Hierarchy

Establish a clear typography hierarchy for intuitively guiding readers through your content. As per UX Planet, 50% information retention improves due to efficient hierarchical structure.

Use a visual rhythm for structuring menu boards:

• Menu items: 24-32pt regular.
• Category titles: 4-48pt bold.
• Pricing: 18 – 24pt medium or light weight.

6. Use Color to Highlight Key Items

Use colors to highlight key items like combos, limited-time offers, and high-margin dishes. According to Harvard Business Review, customers generally choose brightly highlighted products over their neutral counterparts.

• Highlight promotional sections using a vibrant accent color.
• Consistently highlight similar types of content.

7. Stick to Simple and Readable Fonts

Always stick to a simple and readable font and font colors to make your message universally accessible through digital menu boards. Arial, Roboto, or Lato are sans-serif fonts that help in maintaining on-screen readability. The Google Fonts team suggests that these fonts are best for digital consumption as they reduce eye strain by 30%.

Do not use typefaces with high-stroke embellishments or variations. They may appear perfect in print, but sometimes get misinterpreted by the viewers when they are used in LCD or LED-based digital menu boards.

8. Optimize Font Size for Different Sections

Optimize font size for different sections to let the customers prioritize. Create dominating titles and follow suit in a smaller and subtler typeface for descriptions. Use legible prices with never overpower the item name in your digital menu board design.

Use the following exemplary strategy:

• Items – 28 – 32pt
• Section headings – 42pt
• Descriptions – 22pt
• Prices – 26pt bold

After optimizing the font size of digital menu boards for different sections of your restaurant menu, you should place the menu items strategically to highlight high-margin and best-selling options, learning how to improve menu item placement helps ensure the most important items stand out and drive faster decisions.

9. Ensure Adequate Spacing for Clarity

Ensure adequate spacing for clarity by carefully managing whitespace between digital signage items, icons, and blocks. If you use the cluttered layouts, they will reduce the performance of your menu boards significantly, as emphasized by The Nielsen Norman Group.

• 1.5x line height is perfect to use for text.
• Restaurant menu sections should surround the padding of 20-30px.
• Individual items should be spaced at least 15 – 20px apart.

Use clear layouts for faster service and clear decisions.

10. Test Color and Typography for Different Screen Sizes

Test color and typography for different screen sizes to ensure accessibility and scalability by the target audience. Readability should not be compromised, whether your menu displays on a 50-inch screen or a 22-inch vertical kiosk.

Inconsistent formatting of digital menus disturbs businesses using screens in their restaurants, as revealed by Digital Signage Foundation. Responsive design is always operational and maintains consistent branding.

• Preview content on all screen types before finalizing your digital menu design.
• Maintain clarity and engagement by adjusting font weight and color saturation.

11. Adjust for Lighting Conditions

Adjust for lighting conditions to legibly display the digital menu to the customers throughout the day. Display Daily’s report suggests that human eyes get affected by 60% due to the contrast, screen brightness, and color settings of the surrounding light.

Set indoor settings as:

• For darker text, use medium brightness settings.

Set window-facing or outdoor boards as:

• (1,500 + nits), or use high-brightness screens.
• Choose highly contrasting and vibrant colors and bold fonts.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid for Digital Menu Typography and Colors

Common pitfalls to avoid for digital menu typography and colors ensure effective digital menu boards and restaurant menu designing. This is the way you can enhance revenues and boost sales. Here follows some common color and typography mistakes to avoid losing your digital signage content:

• Inconsistent size of fonts.
• Poor contrast between the background and its text.
• Overuse of bright and bold colors.
• Use of more than two font families.
• Usage of too much text.

Here are some remedial tips to follow:

• Use contrast ratio in compliance with WCAG.
• Stick to regular, bold, italics – 3-font weight maximum.
• Maintain alignment gridlines and visual spacing for menu design.

Every content should aim to be accessible, readable, and conversion-driven. Hence, avoid mistakes to present a better output.

Use Effective Colors and Typography with AIScreen’s Pre-Designed Templates

Use effective colors and typography with AIScreen’s pre-designed templates for a perfect digital menu board design.

You don’t need to update multiple screens manually. AIScreen’s pre-designed templates are built using proven design principles to ensure visual appeal, and therefore, they optimize readability and enhance user experience.

AIScreen’s AI-powered digital signage software solutions include:

• Auto-adaptability to ambient lighting captivates customers.
• Application of responsive typography across diverse screen formats.
• Highlighting highly converting items involves the smart placement of fonts and colors.

Fully customizable digital signage templates, high-quality images, and exceptional digital displays help in maintaining control while saving 70% of time and budget on designing menu boards and content deployment. It also offers a lasting impression on the target audience.

Schedule a free demo or start now to explore how visual communication becomes effortless using pre-optimized designs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I select the best color palette for my digital menu boards?

To select the best color palette for your digital menu boards, choose a color palette that best fits your brand motto and logo and maintains high contrast with readability. Stick to 2-3 base colors and 1-2 accents for best results.

How can I use color to highlight specials on digital menu boards?

You can use red or orange color to highlight specials on digital menu boards. They are vibrant accent colors to get the attention of the customers towards special offers and combos. Be consistence with your colors, designs, and offers to let the users recognize these callouts.

What font size should I use on a digital menu board?

On a digital menu board, you can use 28 – 32pt for menu items and 40+pt for section headers for optimal readability. Adjust these sizes according to the screen size and the distance from the viewers.

Should I use multiple fonts on my digital menu board?

Yes, you can use multiple fonts on your digital menu board. Limit the usage of fonts on your digital menu board to one or two complementary colors and fonts. Avoid mixing too many font choices that hinder legibility and professionalism.

How do I ensure my digital menu board is easy to read in low light?

You can ensure your digital menu board is easy to read in low light by using larger and appropriate fonts, high-contrast colors, high-quality images, and digital signage screens with adjustable brightness to have an easy-to-read menu board in low light. Never create dark backgrounds using dark text to retain a satisfactory customer experience.