Choosing Screen Size for Lobbies, Hallways and Amenity Rooms

Bigger isn't always better. A screen that's too large for a narrow corridor feels overbearing, and one that's too small for a lobby is unreadable from the door. The right size depends on how far away people stand and what you want them to read.

Start with viewing distance

A practical rule for text-heavy content: the farther people stand from the screen, the larger the text needs to be, and therefore the larger the screen. Measure where people actually are when they look at it:

• Elevator landing: a metre or two away while waiting
• Corridor: walking past at close range
• Lobby: anywhere from the entrance to the concierge desk
• Amenity room: across the room

Typical sizes by location

These are starting points. The survey refines them for each wall.

Portrait or landscape?

• Portrait reads like a poster. It fits narrow walls between elevator doors and suits notices, directories and single messages.
• Landscape suits wider walls, multi-zone layouts (a main notice plus a sidebar of events), and video.

Pick one orientation per location type and design templates for it, so content looks consistent across the building.

Brightness

Lobbies with large windows need brighter displays to remain readable in daylight. Interior corridors and elevator landings don't. Commercial displays are available in different brightness levels; over-specifying brightness for a dim corridor wastes money and energy. See commercial vs consumer TVs.

Wall space and clearance

The screen has to fit the wall with clearance from door frames, light switches, fire alarm devices, sprinkler heads, and required signage. Recessed screens also need cavity depth and ventilation space. See flush mount vs surface mount.

Design for the smallest screen

If one template will run on several screen sizes, design it so the most important line is readable on the smallest one. Large text, short messages and high contrast work everywhere.