The flat screens located throughout campus serve as a useful tool for disseminating information about news and events of interest to students, faculty and staff. Consistency and continuity of presentation helps improve the effectiveness of that communication. To that end, UCAM has assembled a list of best practices for slide creating and distribution. Please also see the Current Info page to view the complete list of slides currently available for the monitor slideshow.

Content and Usage

  • Please submit slides to webmaster@msubillings.edu at least two weeks before an event
  • Slides should only be for MSUB events hosted by the university
  • Slides must be pertinent to students and visitors on campus. Messages directed only at faculty and staff may be submitted to @the Hive or Intranet Announcements.
  • Advertise work study, on-campus employment, internships, and external job opportunities on CareerLink, not the monitors
    • The exception to this is that positions for student leaders may be posted on monitors, i.e. ASMSUB, SAB, and RAs

Formatting and Layout

  • Create slide in PowerPoint wide format (16:9) or JPEG in 1920 x 1080 resolution (*PNGs do not display on monitors)
  • Keep backgrounds clean and not distracting
  • If available, include a complementary image
    • Consider audience and purpose – avoid provocative or sensitive imagery & content
  • Limit slide content to 175 characters (including spaces). Logos do not count toward character count.
  • Slide information should include
    • Name of event, occurrence, activity or happening
    • Date
    • Time—use figures and lowercase letters (e.g. 9 a.m., 6 p.m.)
    • Location
    • Additional details (typically related to “who” or “why” and kept brief)
    • Choose one call to action 
    • Include just one point of contact (e.g. contact name, phone number, visit website, etc.)
  • Use of ALL CAPS and fonts that resemble caps should be limited to slide titles
  • Refrain from including QR codes which are specifically designed for print to direct users to a digital source
  • Refer to Editorial Style Guidelines for consistency of faculty and staff titles, locations,
    departments, etc.

NOTE: If a slide submission does not fit within these best practices, UCAM may make adjustments.

Updated 2/6/24