How Footscray West Primary School Improved Communication with Outdoor Digital Signage

Project Details

Project Overview

Every school has moments when getting the right message in front of the right people makes all the difference.

Located in Melbourne’s inner west, Footscray West Primary School has been serving its local community for more than 110 years, providing a rich and balanced education while fostering strong connections between students, staff and families. As parents, students and visitors move through the school grounds each morning and afternoon, important reminders, upcoming events and key school dates can easily be overlooked if they’re only shared through emails or newsletters. The school wanted a simple, highly visible way to communicate with its community where people would naturally see important announcements during drop-off, pick-up and other school activities.

Having partnered with the school since 2009 across a range of audio visual projects, D.I.B Audio Visual was engaged to design and install two outdoor digital signage displays on the exterior of the Administration Building and the Platypus Building. Positioned in high-traffic locations, the displays provide an effective communication point for parents and visitors moving through the campus.

By integrating the displays with the school’s existing Vivi platform, staff can publish announcements, event information and school news from a familiar system without introducing another platform to manage. Content can be updated throughout the day, allowing the displays to remain current as school priorities change.

Unlike standard televisions, the 55-inch Samsung commercial outdoor displays are purpose-built for external environments. Their high-brightness panels produce clear, readable images even in direct sunlight, helping ensure important messages remain visible throughout the day rather than becoming washed out in bright conditions. The displays are also weatherproof, allowing them to operate reliably outdoors throughout the year.

Long-term durability was another important consideration. Each display was installed inside a custom lockable enclosure to help protect the equipment from theft, vandalism and accidental damage, while power, Cat6 data and the Vivi receiver were discreetly housed behind the display to create a clean, secure installation.

The system has also been designed to minimise day-to-day management. Commercial scheduling allows the displays to automatically power on before the school day begins and switch off after hours, while Vivi automatically wakes the display whenever new content is published. Staff simply update their digital signage as usual, with no need to manually operate the displays.

For Footscray West Primary School, the result is more than two outdoor displays. It is a reliable communication tool that helps important information reach parents, students and visitors where they naturally gather, making everyday school communication more visible, timely and effective.