At every school, there are a number of “meeting” spots for students, faculty, and alumni alike. Football players may huddle together near the scoreboard while study groups request to meet near the library doors. Friends have a designated table in the cafeteria, and teachers meet each other in front of the school sign to carpool home. These meeting spots serve more than points of wayfinding – they’re visual markers that make up the interpersonal educational experience.
While these spaces are often organic and unplanned, there are a number of ways schools can facilitate engaging and interactive points of interest. In our experience, this can be accomplished with analog technology such as a Split Flap or Picture Flap display.
Engineering for Interaction at Schools
Split flap displays first emerged in the 1950s during World War II by the Italian company Solari di Udine. The first version, made in collaboration with designer Gino Valle, was installed at Belgium’s Liege railway station to display time. The boards quickly gained popularity, appearing in train stations and airports to rotate through arrivals and departures. The visual aesthetic of the flipping, along with the subtle sound of the displays, brings many back to that point in time. See a Split Flap display now, and one is reminded of the romantic era of travel by train and Pan Am airlines.
A desire to return to Mid-Century design and a more responsible balance of digital and analog technology has brought Split Flap displays back in vogue. In 2015, Oat Foundry created our first Split Flap display, and we’ve been building them ever since. Experiential design and a desire for tactile tools have shown us the potential of these displays in a number of industries. To date, we’ve seen Split Flaps (and their Oat Foundry sister product, Picture Flap) go up in restaurants, in retail environments, at stadiums, and even made for marriage proposals.
But one of the best and most surprising uses we’ve seen so far is for K-12 and universities. We’ve worked with colleges and schools all over the country on analog signage that carries through brand identity, rotates through upcoming school events, recognizes top donors, gamifies the school day, welcomes students at the beginning and end of the day, and much more. We’re proud to know that somewhere, there’s a student asking another to “meet them near the Split Flap sign.”
How Split Flaps Balance Longevity and Value in School Design
We’re also very proud of how our analog technology helps solve practical problems for schools, both K-12 and universities. We usually meet our customers during the design or renovation of a new school. At this stage, they may be working with a budget that ranges from $230 to $750 per square foot, depending on the location, school level, site conditions, and any special facilities needed, such as science labs, theaters, etc.
By this point, the hard costs, such as lumber, concrete, and structural materials, are mostly defined. What remains are the soft costs, which include the fixtures, furniture, and details that shape how a school feels and functions on a day-to-day basis. These decisions can spark debate: what truly matters to the students, teachers, and community?
When Tech Becomes “Too Much”
Ten years ago, many schools were racing to add more screens. Now, educators are pausing and asking how that constant stream of information affects focus, connection, and wellbeing. Concerns over AI, privacy, and mental health have also made districts more intentional about the tech they choose. Decision-makers are under pressure to balance security, funding, and public expectation, sometimes without clear consensus on what will truly serve their students.
That’s where analog can make a huge difference. Our displays, bring motion and presence into a space. This invites curiosity without distraction, giving students and visitors a moment to look up and connect.
This shift back to tactile, real-world interaction can support both learning and wellbeing. For students, it encourages independence from digital devices. For educators, it provides a reliable tool that communicates information simply and beautifully. For administrators, it’s a technology they can trust to work for years without much maintenance or reprogramming. In our experience, here are some other key areas where our analog technology excels at schools.
1. Telling the School Story and Legacy
92% of high school principals feel that visible school spirit is directly tied to increased student achievement, according to a report from Varsity Brands. However, some schools can find themselves struggling with how special academic and athletic achievements are highlighted and displayed.
A Picture Flap display at the University of Arizona, which rotates through school statistics, branding, and highlights. Images courtesy of the University of Arizona.
We recommend prioritizing areas of high engagement in schools, such as hallways, auditoriums, gymnasiums, and cafeterias, for lasting focal points like banners, trophy cases, and displays. These elements can reinforce a shared sense of pride and belonging. Placement in these areas can also be highly beneficial for recruitment and student retention, making a school more appealing to prospective families and donors.
2. The Key to Facilitating the Student Experience
It’s tempting to look at other schools and want to copy their approach when it comes to the student experience. However, we’re seeing that more and more students, especially Gen-Z, just place a high value on having communal spaces at colleges. As long as those spaces exist, most students are happy.
The library at Redbud Elementary School uses design to create a mostly offline space, fostering opportunities for children to learn and socialize. (Left: PBK Architects, Right: Tsen Engineering.)
As it stands, nearly every school design includes some kind of student gathering area, whether it’s a formal student center or a student lounge. From there, components within these areas should be engaging, interactive, and visually distinctive without feeling intrusive. While TVs can attract attention, for instance, most students have their own laptops and screens to engage with. Elements that work in the background (this is where our Split Flaps often come in) are great, providing information to students without distracting them.
3. Ongoing Durability & Longevity
During any school design, durability and longevity are valid concerns. And it’s easy to see why. In a 2021-2022 report, it was found that only 10% of total school spending was dedicated to facility expenses – meaning that schools literally don’t have the time or resources to invest in ineffective assets.
In our conversations with schools, we have found this to be true. Administrators often avoid short-term, high-maintenance solutions that detract from their day-to-day operations, preferring components that are low-maintenance, durable, and secure against wear, damage, or tampering by students.
4. Budget & Resource Efficiency
Every school design comes to us with a budget. While determining how that budget is spent, decision makers need to prioritize cost-effectiveness, transparency with pricing, and a clear ROI from their investments. Collateral and resources that are “future proof,” meeting the mark for sustainability and durability, often win.
Grande Prairie Composite High School’s layout in the central student center and library. (Left Image: 104.7 2day FM, Right Images: CDI Spaces.)
We’ve found that modular furniture (similar to the items selected for Grande Prairie Composite High School), scalable tech that integrates the entire school ecosystem (parents and the local community as well), and sustainable materials (like this example at Oaxaca School of Plastic Arts) are popular with educators. After a district has placed a significant investment in a new school or a renovation, the last thing they want to do is replace assets only a few years later.
5. Customization & Flexibility
During a school design or renovation, schools typically seek visually distinctive solutions that maximize the use of resources. Physical classroom features that positively impact “Light, Temperature, Air Quality, Ownership, Flexibility, Complexity and Colour,” according to a study from the School of the Built Environment, can boost student learning output by 16%. Usually, administrators don’t even need a statistic to agree that it’s true.
Analog technology, such as our Split Flap, is a visually interesting and innovative way to bring an unexpected element into the day-to-day student experience. Using Portal, our web-based app, content sequences can be mixed to tell multiple stories throughout the day. For students who grew up in front of screens and are accustomed to seeing the new and novel, something like a Split Flap or a Picture Flap is different enough to get their attention but subtle enough not to detract from the intended use of the space.
Connection Through Design: The Analog Advantage in Education
Above all things, schools strive to provide the best possible student experience, especially when designing new spaces. When educators and administrators can integrate engaging, offline areas of interest and focal points, they can be confident that they’ve done their job well. With analog design elements like Split Flap and Picture Flap displays, schools can create elements that not only guide students through their day but also connect generations to come.