Did Widescreen kill the podium sign?
We think it is fair to say that the widescreen format has become the industry norm in video playback and IMAG. Every now and then the standard 4:3 ratio gets used, and still works for basic Powerpoint presentations.
As any event producer knows, the podium/lectern sign is an easy way to brand an event. With the 4:3 IMAG shot, camera operators could easily fit both the speaker and the entire podium sign in the shot. After switching to widescreen, we have noticed that podium sign rarely makes it into the shot..especially with a tall speaker.
While it would be easy to dispense with the podium sign altogether…and take that worry away as to whether we used enough gaffe tape so that the sign stays up for the duration of the event; it still looks great in still photographs.
We are working on hybrid design that will keep a large logo in the center of the sign, but also will include smaller graphics at the very top of the sign for the video footage of the event.