According to experts at Harvard Design Magazine, Dezeen, and others, digital screens may be ubiquitous, but struggle to capture people’s attention as they once did. With digital screens and signage peaking in the ’90s and ’00s, in today’s spaces, digital fails to differentiate, creating an opportunity for handcrafted, mechanical signage to return.
Oat Foundry analog signage is one such example of a bespoke display that cuts through digital noise, infusing environments with sound, motion, and endless analog charm. Split Flap (text-based kinetic message boards) and Picture Flap (image-based kinetic signage) both operate using the same core mechanic: a coordinated series of flaps, often thousands at once, rotating into position to display a unique image or message. The effect is mesmerizing to watch and listen to, even in a crowded transit hall or commercial space.
Every Oat Foundry display is built to order, assembled by our team in our Philadelphia workshop.
Our bespoke process ensures the highest levels of quality for our mechanical displays.
What is a Flip Board Display? How do they work?
A flip board display is another term to describe a Split Flap, inspired by the original Solari departure boards in train stations and airports. Rather than drawing heat and operating on high power, a Split Flap uses kinetic energy to rotate the signature “flaps”, which have alphanumerical characters printed on them. These flaps rotate to display messages, in an Oat Foundry display, even pixelated art.
Despite their mechanical “face,” we update our displays digitally and securely through our web-based app, Portal (you update it online from your tablet, phone, or laptop). At Oat Foundry, we also use “flip board display” to describe our Picture Flap displays. Instead of alphanumeric characters on a plain background, Picture Flap modules and flaps have parts of a larger image printed on them. The Picture Flap then works like a large puzzle, rotating to form larger, high-resolution images.
Integrating an Oat Foundry Flip Board Display
In our experience, Oat Foundry’s reimagined analog technology makes excellent wayfinding signs, office communication systems, trade show and conference signage, experiential activations, interactive menus, 3D portfolios, and more.
As shown in the .gif here, the University of Arizona and architects Ayer Saint Gross fully integrated their Picture Flap into the student experience, creating several artboards on their flip board display. The modern university signage rotates through a logo wall, photos of the campus, university stats, and much more.
With so many ways to use a Split Flap or Picture Flap, it can be overwhelming to get started. Here’s what we recommend in terms of planning and process when partnering with our team.
Step One: Identify where custom signage fits into the experience.
Flip board displays make fantastic design centerpieces, but at their core, they’re communication tools. So, what is it your brand is trying to say?
It varies by industry. In retail, for instance, many brands use their boards for lighthearted communication with visitors or customers. The Titleist Shop at Pinehurst Resort uses its board to deliver old-fashioned Southern hospitality, welcoming golfers to the historic course with refined elegance and timeless class. In contrast, Visit Austin uses its cobalt-blue flip-board display to rotate fun facts and trivia in its gift shop.
For bars and restaurants, the best part of a Split Flap is the utility. Messages can be changed on the fly, making them great tools for keeping customers in the loop on fast-changing information. Crust and Crumb in Louisville uses its flip board display as a menu, updating it with daily specials. Julith Coffee features a dazzling cobalt blue display above its espresso bar and uses it to express brand identity and values, along with menu items.
In hospitality and offices, personalized messages on our analog signage also create authentic, memorable impressions, especially for VIPs and special guests. Inversely, custom signs used as 3D portfolios, like at FCA Architects, ensure your brand is seen and appreciated with an attention-grabbing display that highlights key projects, achievements, and values.
The Titleist flip board display at Pinehurst Resort fits the brand and aesthetic of the space and has our Modern White finish.
An up-close look at a Modern White Split Flap.
Step Two: Consult with the Oat Foundry team
Beyond function, practical considerations like size, location, and customization are key to bringing a flip board display to life in your next design. Will your display be mounted front-of-house as a welcoming centerpiece? In an employee conference room or co-working space? What customizations can bring that extra layer of brand identity? You can bring your brand guidelines to life with signature colors, specialized logos, and custom fonts on Oat Foundry flip board displays.
That’s why every Oat Foundry flip board display begins with a conversation with sales to discuss these specs. In the initial consultation with Oat Foundry’s sales team, we’ll show you a flip board display so you can experience how it looks and feels, and how it’s operated. During the consultation, the Oat Foundry team covers everything: practical details like sizing, budget, and installation styles, as well as the fun stuff, custom colors, logos, and animation styles.
The Crust and Crumb flip board display, in Classic Black, has additional custom color flaps to create fun frames and pixel designs.
A customer at Crust and Crumb watches as the board flips a message into place.
The Crust and Crumb flip board display is a 10 Row x 40 Column Split Flap.
The Crust and Crumb logo is also printed on a flap in every module, adding more design possibilities to the board.
Step Three: Project finalized, display ordered
After the initial conversation, we’ll work together to finalize those key details. Once we’ve decided on size, color, customizations, and budget, we move on to our favorite part of the process: production. We build every Oat Foundry analog display to order in our Philadelphia shop. Each board contains tens of thousands of individual parts, many of which our technicians have to assemble by hand one at a time (and here’s how).
Before shipping, every board is tested, ensuring every display functions properly. Then, we carefully pack before shipping — we’ve shipped displays as far as the Hong Kong International Airport!
Step Four: Installation and daily use
Displays are simple to install on-site and only require a few simple tools (we also offer installation services for an additional fee). Once installed, we recommend choosing authorized users who will “own” the board. These users will decide what content gets displayed and when. This is especially useful when you change content frequently, such as displaying unique messages for one-time events or guests.
There is also the option for “set it and forget it” daily use. Using our content library in our web-app, Portal, owners can schedule and plan messages on an ongoing basis, deciding how often the board changes in our proprietary content management system. It is intuitive and easy to use, similar to Google Calendar, where you can assign specific time increments to different messages.
Altering the schedule is easy, so you can keep your board up to date with tailored messages for product launches, special accomplishments or occasions, announcements, holidays, or even a simple weekly “TGIF”.
Beyond pre-planned messages, Oat Foundry boards offer a variety of integrations that let owners pull in even more content. Integrations allow boards to track events in real time, like sports scores, weather updates, or transit information. Some of our favorite integrations include The Irish Exit in New York City’s Moynihan Train Hall, which tracks MTA and LIRR arrivals and departures in real time.
Going Analog with Oat Foundry
A handful of companies sell analog consumer signage, but Oat Foundry is the only US-based producer of fully customizable Split Flap displays. Our boards can scale to fit any unique space, with fully customizable rows and columns. We’ve created everything from long single lines of text to entire kinetic wallscapes. Oat Foundry Split Flap displays can be customized from frame to flap, with enterprise color matching, unique fonts, custom symbols, logos, and colored flaps.
Let’s Put Your Wall in Motion
Split Flap transforms ordinary spaces into unforgettable experiences.
Book a demo today to learn how to build a display as unique as your brand.