Design Requirements

AP/CUIMC Style Guide for Digital Signage

Font size

For the headline, use 44 point or larger; for the body, use 30 point or larger.

Graphics

Avoid thin or diagonal lines which will appear pixelated.

Content

Clear, simple designs and text; do not use large/dense blocks of text.

Title of talk or lecture

Lecture title must be in quotations marks.  It can also be italicized. Capitalize the principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters. Capitalize an article — the, a, an — or words of fewer than four letters if it is the first or last word in a title.

Listing of degrees

Do not include periods for abbreviations in degrees (preferred)

Examples: M.D. or Ph.D. should be listed as MD and PhD

Academic titles

Verify academic titles by checking institutional websites and other sources.  People often provide incorrect title information. Professor titles should be listed before administrative titles. Multiple academic titles listed on their own lines do not need “and” or commas.

Event date, time and location

List the date first, then the time, and then the location.

Date

The date does not need to include the day of the week or the year. If the day of the week is included, do not abbreviate it.

Time

The time should be listed using the least digits possible and in lowercase letters with punctuation marks.

Location

Include the venue name and street address as follows:

  1. List the internal venue name, if it is a named space, or the building name List the street address beginning with the number followed by the compass directions, if applicable. Compass directions should always be abbreviated (W. for West or E. for East).
  2. Next, include the street name or number. If it is a number street, 9 and below spell it out. If it is 10 and above, use the number. (167 W. Seventh St. or 630 W. 168th St.)
  3. Next, include the abbreviated street name. (Ave. for Avenue, St. for Street, Blvd. for Boulevard). Always spell out Alley, Drive, Road, Circle, Terrace, etc. 
  4. Last, include the building initials, floor, room name and/or number. 

For more information on AP Style Guidelines, please see the Office of Communications Writing Guidelines

Logos and other branding guidelines: 

CUIMC Branding Identity or

Columbia University Visual Identity

File specifications: The information below provides technical requirements for the creation of files that will be accepted for posting. JPEG and PowerPoint files that do not meet the required specifications will not be accepted