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Creating a Menu Design Template via Signage Studio

Kevin U
  • Updated

About the Signage Studio

The Signage Studio is a built-in design tool that allows you to create and apply visually appealing and restaurant-style templates to your printed Daily Display and Week-at-a-Glance (WaaG) menus.  

With the Signage Studio, a wide array of design tools are offered that allow the user to explore their creativity when designing a menu. The template can also include item descriptions, calories, allergens, diet order tags, recipe images, and even QR codes that link to other digital content. 

Design templates created at the corporate parent account flow down to child accounts for them to use as needed, or to copy and customize the design template specific to the needs of their facility. 

Accessing the Signage Studio

From the left navigation sidebar, select Menus & Recipes > Signage Studio. The Signage Studio screen appears. 

signage_studio.png

Creating a Design Template: First Steps

  1. Access the Signage Studio.
     
  2. If wanting to create a design template for your daily menu, then click Daily Menu. If wanting to create a design template for your weekly menu, then click Weekly Menu. The Choose a Template screen appears. 

    choose_template.png
     
  3. From the left side, select Blank/Custom Design. The Design screen appears.

    design_screen.png
     
  4. From the Menu & Data column on the left, you select the menu and other settings that determine the data to be shown in the template as you design the template. As you make your selections, the template preview in the middle of the screen updates accordingly to reflect the selected settings. The settings are as follows: 
  • Report Type:
    • Daily Menu
    • Weekly Menu
  • Paper Size:
    • Letter (8.5 x 11)
    • Legal (8.5 x 14)
  • Orientation (for Daily Menu only):
    • Portrait
    • Landscape
    • Bifold Right. 
  • Menu - select the menu whose data you want to show in the template as you design it. 
    • My Menus - menus owned by your account.
    • Other Menus - menus owned by parent accounts and any child accounts.
  • Diet & Texture - select the diet type and texture type to determine what recipes show in the template as you design it. 
  • Service Period - you can set up the template to print for the following:
    • Today's Date
    • Date Range
    • Menu Week Cycle - select the desired menu week.
  • Meal Periods and Categories - select the meal periods to display in the template (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner), and select the categories to be displayed in each meal period.  Note that you can also sort categories on the template to a desired order; to do so, click and hold the drag handle of a category and move it to the desired spot. 

    sort_categories.png

    Note: Sorting the categories on the template is only for design purposes on the template and do not affect the sort order of categories in the system. To sort categories in the system, see Changing Sort Order of Menu Categories.

Once the template settings are selected, then you can use the various design tools to design your template. See Using the Design Tools: Second Steps below. 

Using the Design Tools: Second Steps

Once the template settings are selected, then you can use the various design tools on the right side to design your template. As you design with the tools, the template preview in the middle of the screen updates accordingly to reflect the selected settings. 

It is recommended to experiment and play with the different design tools to see the immediate results and gain an understanding of how the tools can be used. Each design tool is explained as follows, organized by its section on the right side.  

Page Section

  • Background colour - select a background colour for the page. 
  • Background image - upload a background image for the page. 
  • Page margin (in pixels) - the space between the page edge and where the container block on the page begins. 

    page_section.png

Report Elements Section

  • Branding - the logo that is uploaded in your account branding settings is displayed at the top of the menu.
  • Facility Name - the name of your facility is displayed at the top of the menu. 
  • Menu Name - the menu name is displayed at the top of the menu. 
  • Menu Category Header - each menu category name is displayed as a separate header. Without this option selected, the menu category names do not display. 
  • Daily Service Date - displays the service date at the top of each menu for the day. 
  • Calories - displays the calories beside each menu item
  • Item Descriptions - displays the recipe description beside each item. 
  • Federally Mandated Allergen - if an item contains federally-mandated allergens, then those allergens are displayed below the item. 
  • Custom Tags - if an item is assigned any tags, then those tags are displayed below the item (and before any federally-mandated allergens). With this option selected, a Dietary Tag Legend section is displayed at the end of the report that explains each tag. 
  • Special Events - the template will print a Special Event menu if a special event menu is scheduled for a date that the report is run. 
  • Include Also Available - the template will include items from a scheduled Also Available menu. Select Within meal if the AA items are to be listed within their respective meal periods (breakfast, lunch, dinner). Select Separately if the AA items are to be listed separately.
  • Include Snacks - the template will include items from a scheduled Snack menu. Select Within meal if the AA items are to be listed within their respective meal periods (breakfast, lunch, dinner). The snack times (snack am, snack pm, snack hs) are displayed between the respective meal periods on the template. 

    report_elements.png

Sort and Layout Section

  • Sort by > Menu Category - the template will list the menu items by the sort order of the menu categories. When Menu Category is selected, the Display settings appear with the options of Choice Of and All Menu Items (both explained below)
    • Display > Choice Of - The text "Choice of" appears above the items in a menu category. 
    • Display > All menu items - The text "Choice of" does not appear above the items in a menu category.
    • Bold Choice 1 - any item in the choice 1 selection is bolded.  
  • Sort by > Choice - lists the menu items by the sort order of the choices with corresponding "Choice X" headers (i.e., Choice 1 items are listed, followed by Choice 2 items, etc.). Items that belong to both choices are listed in an "Available with Any Choice" section. 
  • One meal per page - each meal period (breakfast, lunch, dinner) begins on a new page. 

    sort_layout.png

Menu Content Section

For the Menu Content section, click its pencil icon (first screenshot below) to display the Edit Menu Content section (second screenshot below) with its available sub-sections. 

edit_menu_content.png

The following sub-sections each with their design tools are available in the Edit Menu Content section to configure how menu content is displayed:

edit_menu_content_collapsed.png

Layout Sub-Section

  • 1 column or 2 columns
  • Column gap - the space in pixels between columns
  • Item gap - the space in pixels between items. 
  • Category gap - the space in pixels between menu categories.
  • Meal gap - the space in pixels between meal periods (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and snack times (snack am, snack pm, snack hs). 

    layout.png

Block Container Sub-Section

Menu item content is displayed inside a "block" (i.e., text block). The design options for the block container are as follows:

  • Background - select if the fill color of the block is Solid or Gradient. 
  • Border (this is misnamed; it is the fill colour; not the border color)- select the fill color of the block container. Note that when you fill a container block with a color, then it will obscure any text blocks or shapes that you have manually added. 
  • Border radius - determine the roundness of the corners (the higher the number the "more rounded" the corners)
  • Padding - the amount of space in pixels between the block edge and the text inside the block. 

    block_container.png

Meal Header Sub-Section

You can apply design elements to a meal period (breakfast, lunch, dinner) header and snack time (snack am, snack pm, snack hs) header. The design options are as follows:

  • Show meal headers - select this option to display meal headers.
  • Header style:
    • Simple - only displays the meal period/snack time name. 
    • Bordered - displays a border around the meal period/snack time name.  You can choose a border color by clicking into the color swatch for the Header border colour field (click here for more info).
    • Underline - displays an underline below the meal period/snack time name. You can choose an underline color by clicking into the color swatch for the Header border colour field (click here for more info).
    • Filled - the meal period/snack time name is displayed inside a text box. You can choose a fill color by clicking into the color swatch for the Header background colour field (click here for more info).

      meal_header.png
       
    • Text - determine the text style, formatting and color of a meal header using the following design options:
      • Font
      • Size
      • Bold, Italic, Underline
      • Alignment
      • Color - You can choose a text color by clicking into the color swatch for the Text color field (click here for more info).

Menu Category Sub-Section

Determine the text style, formatting and color of a menu category using the following design options:

  • Font
  • Size
  • Bold, Italic, Underline
  • Alignment
  • Color - You can choose a text color by clicking into the color swatch for the Text color field (click here for more info).

    menu_category.png

Menu Item Sub-Section

Determine the text style, formatting and color of menu items using the following design options:

  • Font
  • Size
  • Bold, Italic, Underline
  • Alignment
  • Color - You can choose a text color by clicking into the color swatch for the Text color field (click here for more info).

    menu_item.png

Exiting the Menu Content Section

To exit the Menu Content section scroll up and then click the left arrow beside Edit Menu Content. 

exit_menu_content.png

Adding Additional Text Blocks

From the Text section, you have the option of adding the following types of text blocks to the template:

  • Heading
  • Subheading
  • Body Text

To add a text block to the template, click its + sign. The text block appears in the template for you to edit, and also appears in the Layers section for you to edit and determine its layer positioning among other text blocks and shapes. 

additional_text_block_bubbles.png

By double-clicking into the text block on the template, or by clicking the pencil icon of the text block in the Layers section, the Edit Text fields become available (screenshot below). You have the following design options:

  • Text - enter the text that displays in the text block. 
  • Width - enter the width of the text block in pixels 
  • Font
  • Size
  • Bold, Italic, Underline
  • Alignment
  • Color - You can choose a text color by clicking into the color swatch for the Text color field (click here for more info).

    edit_text_fields.png

Adding Shapes

From the Shapes section, you have the option of adding the following types of shapes to the template:

  • Square
  • Circle
  • Line

To add a shape to the template, click the shape. The shape appears in the template for you to edit, and also appears in the Layers section for you to edit and determine its layer positioning among other shapes and text blocks.

adding_shapes.png

By double-clicking into the shape on the template, or by clicking the pencil icon of the shape in the Layers section, the Edit Shape fields become available (screenshot below). You have the following design options:

  • Width 
  • Height
  • Fill - you can choose a fill color by clicking into the color swatch for the Fill field (click here for more info).
  • Stroke (border) - you can choose a border color by clicking into the color swatch for the Stroke field (click here for more info).
  • Stroke width - determine the width of the border.
  • Opacity - determine the opacity of the border (the lower the number the less opaque)
  • Corner radius (for square shape) - determine the roundness of the corners (the higher the number the "more rounded" the corners)

    edit_shape.png

Layering the Text Block and Shape Objects

When you add text block and shape objects, these objects are placed in a designated "layer" in a layer stack of the other objects. An object in a layer below another layer will be obscured by the object in that top layer when both objects are in same position together on the template. The layer stack is shown in the Layers section on the right side (screenshot below). 

objects_layering.png

You can move an object to a different placement in the stack by clicking and holding the drag handle of the object and moving it to its desired placement (screenshot below). 

drag_object.png

Color Values

For a design tool that offers color choices, click into the color swatch and a pop-up appears for you to select a color or enter the color values from one of the following color pickers:

  • HSL - hue, saturation, lightness
  • RGB - red, green, blue
  • HEX - hexadecimal

select_color.png

 

Saving and Publishing the Template: Third Steps

After completing the template design, click the Continue button to move to the third phase: Save & Publish/Print (screenshot below). 

save_publish_print.png

To save the template:

  1. Click the Save button. The Save Template pop-up appears.

    save_template.png
     
  2. In the Template Name field, enter a name for the template. 
     
  3. You have the option of storing the template in a folder. If there is an existing folder that you want to store the template in, select it from the Folder drop-down. If you need to create a new folder, then click the New Folder link to create and save the folder.
     
  4.  In the Description field, you can enter a description about the template that helps describe the template.
     
  5. Click the Save & Publish button.  The template is saved and published. The next time you access the Signage Studio, the template is available onscreen. 

Adding QR Code(s) to the Template

Via the QR Code section, the template can include one or more QR codes that links users to additional digital content (i.e., website).  

qr_code.png

To add a QR code to the template:

  1. In the QR Code section, paste in the URL that you want to be a QR code.
  2. Click the Generate QR code button. The QR code is generated and appears on the template.
  3. Size and position the QR code on the template as needed. 

    qr_code_placed.png

Adding Recipe Images to the Template

Via the Images section, the template can include one or more recipe images. 

images.png

To add a recipe image to the template:

  1. In the Images section, you have two options: 
    • Upload Image - click to upload an image from your computer or local network.
    • Add Recipe Image - click to upload an existing recipe image in your account.  

  2. Size and position the image on the template as needed. 

    recipe_image.png

Unpublishing/Republishing a Design Template

When you unpublish a design template, it will not be available to apply to a report, and it not be available for use by any child facilities in your account hierarchy. To unpublish a design template;

  1. Access the Signage Studio. 
     
  2. For the template to be unpublished, hover over it and click its Unpublish button. The template is unpublished. 

    unpublish.png
     
  3. To republish a design template, hover over it and click its Publish button. The template is published. 

    publish.png

Editing an Existing Design Template

If the design template is owned by your account, then it can be edited. To edit an existing design template, complete the following steps:

  1. Access the Signage Studio. 
     
  2. Hover over the design template that you want to edit, and without clicking the Delete or Unpublish button, click the template. 

    select_template.png
     
  3. You are brought to the design screen, from which to make your edits (described above in this article). 

FAQs

I added a text block, but I don't see the text block on the template?

This most likely means the container block has a fill color, which in turn is obscuring the text block. 

I added a shape, but I don't see the text block on the template?

This most likely means the container block has a fill color, which in turn is obscuring the shape.