Abstract: A two-dimensional visual display comprises one or more groups of one dimensional display components 12 (FIG. 2), each component being formed by spaced individually energizable display elements 11, conveniently l.e.d. groups, attached to a multiconductor cable 13. Each display component has serial input shift register means formed by separate m-stage shift registers 17 disposed along the cable each feeding display energizing signals from stage outputs to m adjacent display elements enabling the same m conductors of the cable to be isolated (at 17') and used to connect each shift register to its associated display elements irrespective of the number along the component.The, or each, group comprises 8 components and the shift registers of the group are addressed in parallel by single bits of a stream of words produced by an 8-bit microprocessor and representing the message to be displayed by the display elements.