Hawki Monitors & Policies

Overview

Our office manages the Hawki Screens across campus. If you have an event you’d like to publicize or an announcement for the campus audience, we can help spread that message.

University-wide information is pushed to each Hawki monitor. Departments can also add information specific to their department in addition to the university-wide information.

Much of the information that appears on Hawki will be pulled from other sources such as featured news stories and 25Live, the university's space reservation system. Please make sure that your event is listed in 25Live and the university calendar before asking for it to be publicized.

In case of emergency, the screens will have the latest closing or emergency information.

Create a Hawki Message

To create a Hawki message, you can: 

• Use the PPT Template, or
• Create a jpg, png or PDF that is 16:9 proportion (for example, 1920 x 1080 px or multiples)  

Overlay on All Hawki Messages

Hawki automatically applies an overlay to all messages, which displays the UML logo in the upper left corner and the date/time/weather in the lower left corner.

The PPT Template is designed to work with the overlay.

If you are designing a 16:9 proportion slide, please leave room for the logo and date/time/weather.

Best Practices bestp

Content 

• Be sure to include: 
  • Title for the event or announcement  
  • Location 
  • Date and time 
  • Brief description 
  • Department name 
  • URL (or use the existing uml.edu) 
  • Image 
• Be concise. Communicate only 1-2 key points of information. Readers can get more detailed information from other sources (website, posters, email, etc.).  
• Use bullets, which are easier to scan than blocks of paragraph text. 
• Call to action. Do you want your slide to get the viewer to do something? Make sure you’ve communicated how they can do so in clear instructions or steps. 
• Proofread. Always proofread and double check your text for accuracy! 

Limit text 

• Keep it short. Text should be under 40 words.
• Read it out loud. If you can't read your message in 10 seconds, it's too much text.  
• Read it backward. This gives you an idea of how long it will take someone seeing it for the first time to read it in its entirety.  

Dates and Times 

• Format dates like this: Tuesday, June 9 or Sept. 10
• Format times like this: noon, 1 p.m., 10-11 a.m., 5-6 p.m., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 

Fonts 

• For PPT Template: Do not adjust font type, size or style. Fonts have been predetermined by the template and created to best fit the monitors across campus. 
• For custom-designed 16:9 messages:
  • Use large, easily readable fonts that are legible from a distance 
  • Avoid italics as they are harder to read. 

QR Codes 

• Use QR codes to direct visitors to more information.
• To create QR codes, use the UML QR Code Generator.
• Add a call-to-action next to the QR code, such as "Scan to register" or "Scan to learn more"
• Add a custom/short URL near the QR code, so people have an alternate way to access the site.
• Note: If the QR code takes people to a form that collects information, be sure you use a secure form such as Eventbrite, Form Assembly or Qualtrics. Request a secure form.

Custom or Short URLs 

• Use a custom URL, such as uml.edu/example, that is easy to remember. 
• To request a custom URL, please file a web ticket and select:
  • Category: Tridion Support
  • Subcategory: Alias/Custom URL

Color

• Test color contrast. Use color as needed to support your message, but make sure that you’ve tested the contrast between elements. You’ll want a high color contrast to ensure that the two colors aren’t blending together and hiding the message. Test color contrast with this free tool. 

Images  

• One image often delivers the most impact. Using multiple images and graphics on one slide can cloud your message.  
• Use copyrighted images ONLY WITH consent.  
• Obtain consent from individuals featured in any images/videos that are displayed in public.
• You can create images with free tools such as Canva.

Videos 

• Limit videos to 20-30 seconds. Shorter videos have been shown to keep viewers’ attention and have more impact.  
• Campus screens cannot play audio. Consider adding text to video to convey key messages.  

File formats 

• Submit messages in these formats: PPT, PNG, JPG, mp4 

Dimensions 

• Hawki displays horizontal 16:9 (1920 x 1080). Vertical flyers should be recreated to this format. 
• For PPT Template, the dimensions are already set for optimal display.
• For custom-designed messages, use 16:9 ratio (1920 pixels wide x 1080 pixels high) 

Overlay 

• Hawki automatically applies an overlay to all messages that shows the UML logo in the upper left corner and the time/date/weather in the lower left corner.  
• The PPT Template is designed to work with an overlay and has room for the UML logo and the time/date/weather. 
• For custom-designed messages, use 16:9 ratio and leave room for the UML logo in the upper left corner and date/time/weather in the lower left corner.  

Scheduling Messages 

• Submit completed files via web tickets and select:
  • Subject: "Your project name" Hawki Slide
  • Category: Web Content
  • Subcategory: Hawki
• Please submit slides one week before the first day you’d like the slide to be scheduled to allow time for posting.  
• Events and announcements will be publicized on Hawki for up to two weeks prior to the event or event registration/RSVP, unless otherwise indicated (for a maximum two-week span). 
• For announcements that are not deadline-driven, please indicate in your web ticket which two week-period you would like the announcement to run.