Our analog school signage is the perfect centerpiece for student centers, alumni appreciation, school branding, and much more. The soft sound of the flaps naturally draws attention and engages students, staff, and faculty. Designed to serve as anything from a dynamic school message board to an image-driven symbol of school pride, our analog school signage is sustainable, brand-friendly, and built to last. In addition, our standard ADA-compliant font ensures clear readability from up to 100 feet away.
Exploring Our Analog Signage
Oat Foundry currently offers two analog signage displays, Split Flap and Picture Flap. Each display brings unique advantages to schools and universities. Learn more about the displays in use below.
Send Timely School Updates with Split Flap
Split Flap helps schools like Walden University and University of Kansas share consistent brand messaging, creating a seamless student experience. School admins can securely send on-brand messages with our free cloud-based Portal app. In practice, the tactile movement and soft sound attracts attention to the board, even in high-traffic areas.
EXPLORE SPLIT FLAP
Create a Signature Focal Point with Picture Flap
For schools, a Picture Flap display transforms ordinary signage into a dynamic, intentional design feature. The display cascades with high-resolution images of school logos, mascots, student achievements, and local scenery, enhancing school identity and branding. See why schools such as Reedy Laurel Elementary and the University of Arizona chose Picture Flap.
Explore Picture Flap
A Screen-Free School Experience
Our analog school signage offers the charm of mechanical magic on the front end, providing an opportunity to engage with students without using another screen. On the back end, updates are made digitally, managed through our free web app, Portal. In addition to school events and announcements, our analog school signage can also be used for schedules, learning tools and visual aids, daily cafeteria specials, campus wayfinding, and interactive student moments that spark social sharing.
Other uses include:
- Modern School Branding
- Meeting Sustainable Design Goals
- Immersive School Storytelling
- Building for Longevity
In our experience, here are the best uses for analog school signage in K-12, as well as in schools and universities.
Bring School Events to the Forefront
A Split Flap can serve as a central communication tool in schools, announcing upcoming events and keeping students in the loop. Place strategically in key student gathering areas, such as the school theatre, the gym, or the student center. The motion and sound of the Split Flap (which can be slowed to soften the sound or sped up to make the rotation more pronounced) ensure these messages stand out.
Practice Sustainable Design
A Split Flap or Picture Flap can drastically cut down on energy use, using a fraction of the power needed for LED walls or video displays. An Oat Foundry study found that alternative digital solutions like Samsung’s The Wall emits ~30x more heat at maximum output, and LED walls consume ~9x to 26x more max power (when compared to Picture Flap). Learn why analog technology is quickly becoming a go-to solution for school sustainability.
Why Analog
Attract Prospective Students and Staff at Conferences and Events
Schools can choose to invest in our analog technology or explore a Split Flap or Picture Flap rental for admission events and conferences. Brands such as the Palm Beach International Airport, Delta, and Walden University have relied on our tech to draw attention and focus at high-traffic events.
See Rental Options
Rotate Through Menu Items at Student Center Cafés
We work with food and beverage clients frequently to create unique, interactive split-flap menus. With experience working with top brands like Nespresso and Starbucks, our analog signage is a great fit for dynamic student center café menus and message boards.
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Show School Pride at School Stadiums and Alumni Centers
We work with sports franchises and stadium clients to build one-of-a-kind split-flap displays. Our displays, both Picture Flap and Split Flap, have been used at the University of Kansas, the Rogers Centre in Toronto, and Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, to express team and school identity.
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School & University Use Cases
Who It’s For
We’ve worked with designers and architects curating one-of-a-kind student experiences for schools such as the University of Arizona and Reedy Laurel Elementary. Our signs, starting at $15k for Split Flap and $20k for Picture Flap, scale up based on size and additional customizations. We find that our displays are a great fit for schools undergoing a redesign or new build that require signature features that prioritize presence and place. Oat Foundry’s dedicated sales team and engineers work with you from the beginning to create school signage tailored to your school, with each display handcrafted and built to order.
The University of Arizona
5 Rows x 7 Columns Picture Flap Display in Classic Black
The University of Arizona sought out branded school signage and displays for its brand-new student center in Scottsdale. With custom brand images that rotate through the university logo, school achievements, and local scenery, the gorgeous 5-row by 7-column Picture Flap infuses kinetic energy into the space.
Read more about the role of the custom-branded Picture Flap display in this modern and exciting space.
Reedy Laurel Elementary
4 Rows x 7 Column Picture Flap Display in Classic Black
Reedy Laurel Elementary, located in Greenville, SC, welcomes young students to immerse themselves in the wonder and curiosity of learning. The environmentally forward school chose a branded Picture Flap, featuring illustrations of their friendly Otter mascot, to reinforce their values of sustainability.
Read how the classic black Picture Flap display serves as low-tech, eco-friendly signage that draws a fraction of the power of an LED wall or video display.
Sustainable Design for Schools
Commercial buildings and educational institutions are rapidly finding a smarter, more strategic balance for digital and analog elements in high-traffic spaces. Our Split Flap and Picture Flap displays are becoming a staple in lobbies, student centers, residential spaces, and much more, thanks to the low power and low heat it requires for our signage to operate.
Our Split Flap and Picture Flap displays have impressive stats in terms of sustainable design. Here’s an overview of how our displays perform when compared to digital alternatives.
- Picture Flap uses dramatically less power and heat than LED walls at comparable sizes
(Samsung’s The Wall emits ~30x more heat at maximum output.) - LED walls consume ~9x to 26x more max power than Picture Flap, depending on model.
- Even large Split Flap installs at peak motion stay well under LED wall heat output
(~24% less max power and ~82% less power at rest, when compared to a similarly sized Samsung display.)
Read more about how sustainable designers are incorporating classic analog displays and how analog measures up against digital solutions.
Tell Your School Story
And See Your Name on a Sign!
We partner with schools and universities to engage students through analog technology. From the very first conversation, our team works with you to uncover your unique school story and design a display that seamlessly integrates into (and elevates) the student experience. Book a live demo to see our Split Flap in action!
School Design & Decor Resources
Inspiring Campus Design: How Top Schools Are Creating Legacy Spaces
In a hybrid, sustainability-focused world, campus design must shift to accommodate more versatile student spaces. In this post, Oat Foundry’s engineers discuss how schools balance a range of competing priorities during the creation of a new school or a redesign.
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Thoughtful and Strategic Student Center Design: The Analog Advantage
Classrooms are one of the most influential spaces in a child’s life. With the never-ending need for digital fluency, how are educators also taking tactile engagement into account? Learn how schools are approaching the need for digital detox in school walls, reintroducing key moments of offline focus into the school day.
Learn More
Engineering for Interaction with Split Flap in School Design
Most know Oat Foundry’s “retro-departures board” for it’s historic role in airports and train stations. But how can analog technology, specifically a Split Flap board, become the brand centerpiece of a school or university? Learn how schools are moving beyond digital signage and static décor into immersive storytelling.
Learn More
School Design FAQ
What are some of the school design examples in modern architecture?
We’re seeing exciting and interesting designs from a range of schools, everywhere from the Yale Science Building to the University of Arizona to Temple University’s new library right here in Philly. These designs incorporate smart, sustainable elements while considering longevity, contributing to lasting, classic layouts and fresh aesthetics.
Where do most designers come up with school design ideas?
According to our brand research, designers and architects looking to update and refresh legacy school spaces often pull school design ideas and inspiration from Education Snapshots, publications like Design Milk, Dezeen, and ArchDaily, as well as leading architecture firms such as Gensler. In our experience, some of the best and most innovative school architecture ideas come from local culture and neighborhood history, as well as studies regarding student wellness and learning outcomes.
How can school architecture and design balance sustainability, style, and function?
Student preferences and behavior can influence school campus design heavily, inspiring architects and interior designers to come up with more impactful ways for spaces to flow and function. By focusing on the student experience and desired outcomes, in short, what school decor and design should accomplish, educational spaces can incorporate elements that visually compelling and serve a key purpose.
How can schools increase student engagement using design?
In our experience, intentional campus design can improve the flow of students, reduce wait times in high-traffic areas, and prevent bottlenecks. Spaces that implement both digital and analog elements in thoughtful, strategic ways can ensure that students feel relaxed and balanced, especially in areas they visit frequently.
What design elements can truly enhance the campus experience?
Many of our clients have used signature focal points, unique art installations, and custom lighting to create a modern, student-friendly brand identity. Blending in flexible seating, adjustable lighting/color, and equipment that supports UDL (universal design for learning) into clearly defined spaces can also help schools create better campus experiences.
What roles should digital vs. analog design play into educational spaces?
We always recommend a balance of digital elements with analog features. We position our analog technology as a complement (not always a replacement) for digital screens, allowing brands to incorporate both technologies in a way that improves how a space truly operates. The focus and outcome of design should always be tailored to the student, using digital in areas where it benefits the student, and using analog in areas where it benefits the student.