This is part four of a 150+ slide presentation on Presentation Design that I use in the classroom and at seminars.

1. Principles of
Presentation Design
Tips on how to think like a designer
Designing in PowerPoint
John Consultant
Fallon
Presentation Skills

2. Designing in PowerPoint

3. Signal vs Noise Ratio (SNR)

4. Ratio of relevant to irrelevant
information on slide

5. Goal is to have high SNR

6. High SNR causes less
deterioration of the message

7. Deterioration… can be caused by
inappropriate charts, ambiguous labels
unnecessary emphasis of lines, shapes,
symbols or logos that don’t support the
message

8. Deterioration could be…
lines in tables and charts or
footers and logos

9. If a message could be designed with
fewer elements, then there is no point
in using more

10. Clarity should be your guiding
principle

11. 3d charts appear less accurate and can
be difficult to comprehend
5
4.5
4
3.5
3
Winter
2.5
Summer
2
Fall
1.5
1
Fall
0.5
Summer
0
Winter
America Asia
Africa
Australia

12. Put a logo on the first and last slide

13. If you want people to hear and
understand your visual
message, the answer is not to
add more clutter but to remove
it all

14. Bullet points are
not usually effective
in a live talk

15. Use bullet points rarely or after
considering other options for
displaying information

16. Picture Superiority Effect…

17. Pictures are remembered more than
words

18. Use the Picture Superiority Effect to
improve the recognition and recall of
information

19. Use pictures and words together
to reinforce information for
optimal effect

20. The effect is
strongest when
pictures
represent
common, concr
ete things

21. Visual imagery is a
powerful mnemonic
device which helps
learning and increases
retention and is
memorable

22. Use Quotes…
“To be
or not to be,
that is the question”

23. Use quotes for
support

24. Make them short and legible

25. Quotes add
credibility

26. Use an image and a quote
“You must be
the change you
wish to see in
the world”
- Ghandi

27. “We have
nothing to
fear, but fear
itself”
– Franklin
Delano
Roosevelt
Pick an image related to the
quote and the size of the slide

28. Empty Space…

29. Empty space
implies
elegance and
clarity

30. Empty space
conveys a
feeling of high
quality, sophisti
cation and
importance

31. Keeping Your Eye on the Clock
By combining words and images, the
eye will be drawn to the image first

32. Images guide
the viewers
eye

33. Balance in design is important

34. The way to achieve balance is to
use empty space

35. The viewer should
never have to
“wonder”
where to look

36. A well designed slide has a
clean starting point and guide
the viewer through the
design

37. Empty space
can be dynamic
and active

38. Conscious use of
empty space can
bring motion into
your design

39. Try using
asymmetrical
designs

40. Asymmetrical designs activate empty
space, make the design more
interesting, are more informal and are

41. Symmetrical
designs are
more static
and create
feelings of
formality
or stability

42. Good presentations incorporate
presentation visuals that mix
symmetrical and asymmetrical

43. Use large images that “bleed”
off the slide

44. Use grids and the rule of thirds

45. Where lines cross are
“Power Points”

46. Place your subject on a power point

48. Big 4:
Contrast, repetition, alignment

49. Contrast…

50. Contrast gives
design energy

51. Contrast can be
created…
by manipulation of
space

52. Contrast can be
created…
through color choices

53. Contrast can be created…
through text selection

54. Contrast
can be created…
by positioning of
elements

55. Every good design has a
strong and clear focal point
with clear contrast among
elements

56. Designs with strong
contrast attract interest

57. Weak contrast is boring and can be
confusing

58. Every single element of a design can
be manipulated to create contrast

59. Repetition…

60. Repetition will bring a clear
sense of unity, consistency and
cohesiveness

61. Repetition is using elements to make
the design viewed as part of a whole

62. Examples are
background and
type

63. Do not overuse repetition…
built in templates and
templates that have background elements
that will become boring

64. Alignment…

65. Never allow your design to look like
something was placed randomly

66. Alignment is about obtaining unity
among elements on a single slide

67. Try to align
elements on a
slide

68. Unaligned slides look
less sophisticated and
unprofessional

69. Proximity…

70. Proximity is about moving
elements closer or farther apart
to achieve a more organized
look

71. Related items should
be grouped together

72. Audience will assume items not near
each other are not closely related

73. Audiences will tend to group similar
items near to each other into a single
unit

74. Don’t make the audience “think”
about the wrong stuff like slide
organization or design priority

75. Design matters

76. Design isn’t or
about ornamentation
decoration

77. Design is about making
communication as easy and clear for
the viewer is possible