Spitz is a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant that serves both food and beverages in an authentic styled casual environment. They are known for their doner kebabs, street cart fries, and fresh, made-to-order Mediterranean fare in a casual, counter-service setting. The digital menu boards reviewed here are located in the Desert Ridge Marketplace in Phoenix, Arizona.

Creative Design (Score: 3/10)

Branding – This digital menu board is presented as a clear example of what not to do. Unfortunately the operator of this establishment has made the all too common error of placing landscape content on a portrait screen. What this means is that the content is sitting in the middle of the screen with large black areas on top and bottom. The content and presentation for this screen should be portrait content that spans the entirety of the screen. I wish I had a dollar for every time I have seen this done. Fixing this issue is simple and would make a huge difference.

The content that is on the screen is so small that it is hard to evaluate from a branding point of view. In the “After” state, which is a proposed use for this screen my team created, you can see a well branded presentation that maximizes the use of the display area. It is pretty clear when looking at the current and proposed states how much better this sign can be used.

Visual Appeal – The visual appeal of the screen is ruined by the improper use of the screen orientation. As you can see in the proposed approach, the display offers so much more opportunity for creating a high impact impression.

Organization (Score: 3/10)

Information Layout – As mentioned above, the improper orientation of content on this screen is a gigantic fail. It isn’t even worth evaluating the information layout as nothing about the layout is appropriate for the screen orientation. Instead of evaluating what is actually presented I will talk about “what could be” with the proposed state my design team created.

What could be! – The proposed approach my team has come up with maximizes the use of the screen by creating a very simple organization of information and a large impressive picture of food offerings. The screen could be divided into a large photographic area that could present high quality imagery or video, and a vibrant branded area that presents the name and description of the item. In addition this approach gives a large amount of space for any promotional content or specials. Of course the content could be rotated on the screen as well as animated. This would make this screen stand out and create an impactful impression on customers.

Physical Setup (Score 5/10)

Displays – The one highlight of this implementation is the screen selection and installation. The digital screen is a nice quality display and well installed. I am a particular fan of portrait orientation (vertical) for digital menu boards as it differentiates the screen from a typical television and presents more like a traditional poster. The display looks nice on this wall and is in a location that is highly visible to customers who are deciding on their food selection. There are no visible wires and the screens are mounted at an appropriate height.

This implementation could turn from a real problem to a highly successful digital menu board by one simple change. Orienting the content to fit on the screen would change this from a big waste of space and money to a high value marketing tool. Unfortunately we see this simple but significant error all too often. Fixing this issue can be done quickly and easily and would make a huge difference in the presentation and experience for customers.