# Digital menu boards: screens that sell in cafes and bars

[Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/menu-board-design)

A menu screen is read from the back of a queue, in a few seconds, by someone deciding what to spend. That changes almost every design choice. Here is how to build one that reads, sells and still looks like your place.

## The short version

- Most digital menu boards are ordinary TVs, so design at 1920×1080 for a landscape screen or 1080×1920 for one mounted on its side.
- Menu board text should be judged from where customers actually stand, usually the back of the queue, not from the screen editor.
- Dark backgrounds with light text suit menu screens because they cut glare and make the words the brightest thing in view.
- Motion on a menu board should stay in the background; prices and item names should hold still.
- Splitting a long menu across several screens, or rotating it slowly, reads better than shrinking everything onto one.

A **digital menu board** is a menu designed for a screen, usually a standard TV at 1920×1080, and read from several metres away by people deciding quickly. Design it like a sign rather than a printed menu: fewer items per screen, bigger type, a dark calm background, prices aligned in one column, and motion only behind the words. The screen sells best when a customer can find their drink and its price before they reach the till.

A landscape cafe menu screen headed Coffee with a short list of drinks and prices

One category per screen at 1920×1080. The heading is the biggest thing; the prices line up.

## Digital menu board sizes

Almost every menu screen is a TV or a commercial display with the same 16:9 panel. Design at the screen's native resolution so nothing is scaled, which keeps small text sharp. A 4K screen will show a 1920×1080 design cleanly at double size, though designing at 3840×2160 gives finer type if your screen and player support it.

- Landscape screen 1920×1080: 1920 × 1080
- Portrait screen 1080×1920: 1080 × 1920
- Three screens in a row 5760×1080: 5760 × 1080

Landscape suits the wall above a counter; portrait suits a pillar or a window. A row of three is designed as one wide canvas and split into three files.

If you mount a screen on its side, check the screen or player can rotate its output. If it cannot, export the portrait design and rotate the file a quarter turn before loading it.

## Making a menu screen readable from the queue

There is no universal minimum, because it depends on screen size and distance. The reliable test is physical: put the design on the actual screen, walk to the back of the queue and read it. If you squint, it is too small or too crowded. As a starting point for a 1920×1080 design on a typical counter screen:

| Element | Starting size on 1080 px tall | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Category heading | 96 to 140 px | One per screen, or two at most |
| Item name | 56 to 72 px | Sentence case reads faster than capitals |
| Price | Same as item name | Right aligned in one column, no currency symbol needed if obvious |
| Description | 32 to 40 px | One short line or none at all |
| Allergen or diet tags | 28 to 32 px | Use letters like V or GF, explained once on screen |

Starting points to test on your own screen, not rules. Bigger screens and shorter queues can go smaller.

- **Eight to twelve items a screen** is plenty. More than that and nobody finds anything.
- **Pick one typeface with clear numerals.** Prices are read more than names. [Fonts for social media](https://gradiently.design/guide/fonts-for-social-media) lists faces that stay clear at a distance.
- **Leave a wide margin.** Some TVs crop the edges slightly; keep text at least 60 px in from every side.
- **Group, don't box.** Space between categories does more than lines and frames.

## Colours and backgrounds for menu screens

A screen is a light source. A white background at full brightness glows across the room, washes out the words and tires the eye. A deep, low background with light text makes the menu the brightest thing on the wall, which is where you want attention. [Dark mode design](https://gradiently.design/guide/dark-mode-design) covers the same principle for apps.

- Roastery: espresso brown, warm corner: `radial-gradient(circle at 85% 15%, #7a3b1d 0%, #2a140b 45%, #120906 85%)`
- Bar: bottle green, low light: `radial-gradient(circle at 15% 85%, #1f5f55 0%, #0e2b27 45%, #071311 85%)`
- Late night: ink to plum: `linear-gradient(160deg, #1b1830 0%, #2d2350 55%, #4a2a52 100%)`

Dark grounds with one warm area kept away from the prices. Each can be copied into a screen design or a web menu.

- Espresso ground: #120906
- Roast: #7a3b1d
- Milk text: #f3e7d8
- Crema accent: #e9a23b
- Sage tag: #a7b8a0

A full menu board palette: ground, one mid tone, warm off white for text, one accent for specials and a quiet colour for diet tags.

Use the accent for one thing only, usually the special or the item you most want to sell. If everything is highlighted, nothing is. Check contrast against the darkest and lightest parts of the background, not just the middle; [colour contrast and accessibility](https://gradiently.design/guide/color-contrast-accessibility) explains how.

## Motion on a digital menu board

Motion is what screens can do that print cannot, and it catches people looking up from their phones. Keep it in the background: a slow drift of colour, light moving across the surface, a special that rises in once per loop. Item names and prices should never move, because people read them over several seconds.

### Avoid

- Scrolling or sliding prices
- Fast cuts between screens every few seconds
- Flashing "Special" badges
- A video so busy the text has to sit in a box

### Do

- A slow background loop under still words
- Screens that hold for 15 seconds or more if they rotate
- One special that animates in, then rests
- A loop that joins without a visible jump

A gently moving background has a practical benefit too: a completely static image left on for twelve hours a day can leave a faint ghost on some screens, OLED panels especially. Export the loop as MP4, which nearly every TV and signage player accepts from a USB stick or app. [Seamless loop video](https://gradiently.design/guide/seamless-loop-video) shows how to make the join invisible and [animated gradient backgrounds](https://gradiently.design/guide/animated-gradient-background) has ideas for the motion itself.

## How to set up a menu board from start to screen

1. **Write the menu first** Cut it to what sells. Group it into categories of eight to twelve items, one category per screen.
2. **Choose the layout once** Heading top left, items in a column, prices aligned right. Use the same layout on every screen so people learn it.
3. **Design at the screen's size** 1920×1080 or 1080×1920, with a 60 px margin and a dark background.
4. **Test from the queue** Put it on the real screen at the real brightness and read it from where customers stand.
5. **Export and load** PNG for still screens, MP4 for moving ones. Name files by screen and date so the right one goes up.

## Keeping prices and specials up to date

The point of a screen is that it can change. Keep a master design per screen and change only the words, so a price rise or a new seasonal drink takes minutes and the look never drifts. Breakfast and evening menus can be two versions of one design, swapped on a timer if your player supports scheduling. Printed menus, table cards and the window should use the same fonts and background; [restaurant menu design](https://gradiently.design/guide/restaurant-menu-design) covers the printed side.

A landscape menu screen headed Breakfast, served until 11.30, with two dishes and prices

The morning version of the board.

A landscape menu screen headed Spritz hour from 5pm with three drinks and prices

The same layout in the evening, with a different background.

Gradiently's Studio has menu templates that wear your own Mark, so the background is unique to your place and makes room for the words by itself. With Pro you can export moving boards as MP4 up to 4K, and keep prices in a spreadsheet: [bulk create](https://gradiently.design/guide/bulk-create-from-spreadsheet) fills each screen's text and tables from it, which suits a group running the same menu in several sites.

## FAQ

### What size should a digital menu board be?

Design at 1920×1080 for a landscape TV, or 1080×1920 for a screen mounted on its side. Use 3840×2160 only if your screen and player handle 4K files.

### How big should text be on a menu screen?

It depends on screen size and distance, so test from the back of the queue. On a 1080 pixel tall design, item names around 56 to 72 pixels are a sensible starting point.

### Should a digital menu board have a dark or light background?

Dark usually works better. It cuts glare in the room and makes light text the brightest thing on the screen.

### What file format do menu screens use?

PNG or JPG for still boards and MP4 for moving ones. Nearly every smart TV and signage player plays MP4 from a USB stick or app.

### Should a menu board be animated?

Gentle background motion helps it catch the eye, but keep item names and prices still so people can read them.