Contrast is everywhere—from the rhythm of a song to the white lines on a highway. It’s what helps your eyes distinguish between light and dark, movement and stillness, or signal and noise. The same rule applies when you’re creating digital signage content. Whether you’re working on LED sign content for an outdoor display or animated signage content for an indoor board, visual contrast makes or breaks your message. If your audience can’t easily read it, they won’t absorb it—no matter how great the message is.

One powerful form of contrast in digital signage design is the relationship between simplicity and complexity. Imagine a clean, blank screen. Now place text on it. The message instantly pops. But if that same text were placed on a cluttered or detailed background, the clarity would be lost. Group photos are a common example—they’re rich with detail and emotion, but also with visual chaos. Overlaying text onto that kind of background without contrast adjustments often results in something that’s hard to read and easy to ignore.

Presto, our intuitive content scheduling software and design tool, gives you multiple ways to improve visibility using contrast enhancers built right into your digital signage templates. Below are a few ways to use them effectively.

Simple and Complex 

Take a moment and think about text. It’s a jumble of lines and shapes that we parse for meaning. The easier we can see the shapes the easier it is to read. This means if you put a dense, complex pattern behind what is already dense, text will be difficult to distinguish. So busy backgrounds with text can get messy. This group photo is a fun example and relates to the message, but once text is put on top, neither is effective. 

Group photos demonstrate this concept well. They are often busy with detail, and varying brightness levels. About as complex as it gets. Now let’s add a simple “Fall Fest” message for this event. Even with the brightest and darkest text options there’s too much going on in the background to easily read the text. 

Not much contrast. A shadow or stroke can help, but the busy background photo is the main problem.

Let’s move on how you can use to increase contrast between text and the background using Presto. 

Contrast Enhancing Tools 

Drop Shadow
A drop shadow can help your text lift off the background, creating a sense of dimension. In Presto, just select your text layer, expand the “Drop Shadow” section, and choose a shadow color that’s darker than your text. Adjust the distance and blur values to create just enough separation without overwhelming the design.

1. Add or select a text layer. 
2. Expand the “Drop Shadow” section. 
3. Choose a color darker than your text. 
4. Use the 2 values to increase the distance of the shadow

Stroke

Strokes create a visible border around your text—ideal for LED display content on low-resolution signs. Select your text, open the “Stroke” settings, and pick a darker outline color. Increase the stroke width until your message stands out.

1. Add or select a text layer 
2. Expand the “Stroke” Section 
3. Choose a color darker than your text 
4. Increase the “Stroke Width” value 

This effect creates a border around text. This is especially helpful if you have a sign with a low resolution (80 high pixels or lower).

Color Overlay

When your background image is just too busy, color overlays can save the day. Add a rectangle shape, stretch it to fit the screen, and move it just above your background layer. Pick a color that fits your brand or tone, then adjust the opacity or blend mode for a subtle darkening or color wash effect. “Multiply” is a popular blend mode that preserves background texture while calming contrast.

1. Add a shape layer: “+” > Shape > Rectangle. 
2. Expand layer to cover the project: Positioning > Size > Fit to Full Screen. 
3. Move the layer down in the stack to be just above the background. 
4. Select a color 
5. Optional: Adjust the opacity of the shape color to change the intensity of the effect. 
6. Optional: Adjust the blend mode under the effects section. This example used “Multiply.’

    
Things To Keep In Mind: 

• You can always layer another image or shape behind your text to tone down distracting visuals. Just remember: the goal isn’t to cover up your background entirely, but to make your message easier to read without losing the visual appeal of your signage content.
• Whether you’re working with real-time content updates or designing for a future promotion using Project Content’s integrated content planning tools, keeping contrast in mind will make your designs cleaner and your message clearer. Drop shadows, strokes, and overlays aren’t just stylistic choices—they’re readability tools that help your audience focus on what matters most.