Before&After ®

Continued

XiBAmagazine.com U

Design simple presentations 0631

www.VinewoodParkProject.com

Shopping Preference

Outside 85%

Inside 15%

Design simple

Continued Visual brevity will help a great talk.

presentations

2 of 9

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Design simple presentations 0631

Before&After ®

Design simple presentationsYou, not your PowerPoint slides, are the key to a great presentation

Do you have a speech to give? Slide-making software like PowerPoint or Keynote makes it easy to add visual information to accompany your verbal presentation. Your slides can include the company logo and colors, headlines, bullet points, photos, video clips, charts and more. Transi-tions can be made with cinematic dissolves, wipes and other effects.

All of this is helpful. But the most important thing to remember is that you, not your slides, are the show. The purpose of having slides is not to make a documentary but to supple-ment your story with easy-to-remem-ber points. Here are four basics.

A slide is a way for the audience to learn—and remember—a point that you’ve made. Memory is key, so keep each slide very simple.

www.VinewoodParkProject.com

Shopping Preference

Outside 85%

Inside 15%

3 of 9

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Design simple presentations 0631

Before&After ®

Use a plain backgroundA plain background will show your information best. Soft, neutral colors are easiest on the eyes. Avoid bright, busy, complicated backgrounds.

Use a plain background They look good on a page of templates, but add your words, and the gratuitous graphics impair readability and send goofy messages. As a rule, use plain dark or soft neutral backgrounds, and avoid pure white (left), which on a slide is blinding.

Use a dark background Use a soft gradient

Use a neutral background Use a faintly textured background

$4.8BSpent on consumer goods in 2005

$4.8BSpent on consumer goods in 2005

$4.8B$4.8BSpent on consumer goods in 2005 Spent on consumer goods in 2005

$4.8BSpent on consumer goods in 2005

Spent on consumer goods in 2005

$4.8B$4.8BSpent on consumer goods in 2005

$4.8BSpent on consumer goods in 2005

Spent on consumer goods in 2005

$4.8B

Design simple presentations 3 of 9

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Before&After ® Design simple presentations 4 of 9

Embellishments Outlines, shadows and other details reduce readability while adding a lot of visual noise.

Condensed and bold faces Clarity requires difference; condensed letters are too much alike. Bold letters have too-small openings for good legibility.

Extreme weight variations Large differences in stroke weight dazzle the eye. Superthin lines can disappear.

AWhat to avoid

A A Type

Use a clear typefaceUse a simple typeface that can be read easily from across the room. It should have clear, basic shapes and little or no detail. Think plain. Avoid all embellishments.

TypeaeAed

Little or no weight variation

What to look for

Large counters

Wide openings (apertures)

Simple lines

Shapes too much alike

Tiny openings

5 of 9

XiBAmagazine.com U

Design simple presentations 0631

Before&After ®

Too much information Look at this slide for 30 sec-onds, then cover it and see what you remember. It’s too much, isn’t it? Your audience won’t remember it, either, and they especially won’t remember a dozen of these. Divide your information into brief memory “hooks.”

Before AfterThe Rogers Community

is a magnet for shoppers! This can be seen in its

consistently high traffic volume. More than 22,000 vehicles use Howard Street,

and more than 27,000 vehicles use Clark Street every day!

Just enough Put only the memory “hook” on the slide, and speak everything else (right). This keeps the audience attentive to you and the slide show moving. Choose your hooks carefully, but use as many as you need. Lots of simple slides are preferable to a few complicated ones.

Make one point per slideRemember, you are the show, and your slides are memory prompts. Highlight one point that sums up each part of your outline, put it on the slide, and speak everything else.

High Traffic Volume

Key Market Facts

High Traffic Volume: - Over 22,000 vehicles on Howard Street and

over 27,000 vehicles on Clark Street daily

Easily Accessible: - 4 CTA stations, 1 Metro station, 8 bus routes

Rogers Community has Value: - Lower commercial rents, increasing property

value, homeowners with expendable cash

Design simple presentations 5 of 9

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Before&After ®

Key Market Facts

High Traffic Volume

Easily Accessible

Key Market Facts

High Traffic Volume

Key Market Facts

High Traffic Volume

Easily Accessible

Rogers Community has Value

Add points one . . . at . . . a . . . timeAlternatively, when you have many points to make under a common heading, keep your audience on track by cycling in successive points one at a time on a single slide.

On a single slide, successive points appear as you get to them in your speech. The stand-ing head (“Key Market Facts”) helps your audience remember what your points relate to. This should be unnecessary for a short list, but it’s helpful for a long list. Note that as each new point cycles in, the previous point fades back. All are brief.

Design simple presentations 6 of 9

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Before&After ®

Marketing

Unify with layoutContent—especially graphical content—can vary a lot. Hold it together with repetitive color, typestyle and layout. Divide the slide into zones, and stay within those zones.

Align the photo to the top left grid corner (yel-low), and extend it to the bottom if you can. Note the left margin aligns with the header above it.

Align the chart in the same way. Rectangular objects such as charts and photos are best at holding together a rectangular space.

Align the type Unlike the rectangles, funny shaped objects with indefinite edges need your good eye. In this case, the center-weighted logo looks correct only in the center of the slide; the head (“Our new look”) remains aligned to the left.

One point per slide, even if it has graphics.

Demographic

Uniform colors and headers

Our new look

Busiest month

May70%Female

vinewood park

Uniform alignmentSame typeface throughout; headers always white, body type always black.

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Before&After ®

Type aeAed

Typefaces

1 Myriad Pro Bold

2 Myriad Pro Regular

3 Futura Condensed Bold

4 Helvetica Rounded Bold Condensed

5 Zebrawood Regular

6 Linotype Didot Headline

7 Runic MT Condensed

8 Helvetica Neue Std Black

Images

9 (a–c) iStockphoto.com | a b c

Article resources

Colors

C15 M25 Y100 K80

C0 M90 Y100 K60

C20 M50 Y100 K40

C0 M35 Y100 K15

C0 M5 Y15 K0

C35 M30 Y55 K0

C0 M0 Y0 K100

C0 M0 Y0 K35

C80 M20 Y0 K70

C55 M15 Y0 K50

14

13

17

16

12

11

10

15

AAA

16 17 18 19

3

9a

18

19

10 11 12 13 14

$4.8BAmount spent on consumer goods in 2005

$4.8BAmount spent on consumer goods in 2005

$4.8BAmount spent on consumer goods in 2005

$4.8BAmount spent on consumer goods in 2005

www.VinewoodParkProject.com

Shopping Preference

Outside 85%

Inside 15%

15 14

Demographic

70%Female

15

1 (All typefaces above are set in Myriad Pro Bold)

4 5 6 7 8 9c

9b

2

Design simple presentations 8 of 9

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Before&After ® Design simple presentations 9 of 9

Before & After magazine Before & After has been sharing its practical approach to graphic design since 1990. Because our modern world has made designers of us all (ready or not), Before & After is dedicated to making graphic design understand-able, useful and even fun for everyone.

John McWade Publisher and creative directorGaye McWade Associate publisherVincent Pascual Staff designerDexter Mark Abellera Staff designer

Design advisor Gwen Amos Before & After magazine323 Lincoln Street, Roseville, CA 95678 Telephone 916-784-3880 Fax 916-784-3995E-mail mailbox@bamagazine.com www http://www.bamagazine.com

Copyright ©2006 Before & After magazine, ISSN 1049-0035. All rights reserved

You may pass this article around, but you may not alter it, and you may not charge for it. You may quote brief sections for review. If you do this, please credit Before & After magazine, and let us know. To feature free Before & After articles on your Web site, please contact us. For permission to include all or part of this article in another work, please contact us.

Subscribe to Before & After

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Design sim

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presentationsV

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Do

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have a sp

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give? Slide-

makin

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int o

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visual

info

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accom

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head

lines, b

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oto

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ith cin

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disso

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ll of th

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po

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at you

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Use

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Use

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They look good on a page of tem

plates, but add your w

ords, and the gratuitous graphics im

pair readability and send goofy m

essages. A

s a rule, use plain dark or soft neutral backgrounds, and avoid pure w

hite (left), w

hich on a slide is blinding.

Use a dark background

Use a soft gradient

Use a neutral background

Use a faintly textured background

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hile adding a lot of visual noise.

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nd

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old

face

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uch alike. Bold letters have too-sm

all openings for good legibility.

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trem

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AW

ha

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Use a sim

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Be

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De

sign

simp

le p

rese

nta

tion

s

Too

mu

ch in

form

atio

n Look at this slide for 30 sec-

onds, then cover it and see what you rem

ember. It’s too

much, isn’t it? Your audience w

on’t remem

ber it, either, and they especially w

on’t remem

ber a dozen of these. D

ivide your information into brief m

emory “hooks.”

Be

fore

Afte

rTh

e Ro

gers C

om

mu

nity

is a mag

net fo

r sho

pp

ers! Th

is can b

e seen in

its co

nsisten

tly hig

h traffi

c vo

lum

e. Mo

re than

22,000 veh

icles use H

ow

ard Street,

and

mo

re than

27,000 vehicles

use C

lark Street every day!

Just e

no

ug

h P

ut only the mem

ory “hook” on the slide, and speak everything else (right). This keeps the audience attentive to you and the slide show

moving. C

hoose your hooks carefully, but use as m

any as you need. Lots of sim

ple slides are preferable to a few com

plicated ones.

Mak

e o

ne

po

int p

er slid

eR

emem

ber, yo

u are th

e show

, and

you

r slides are m

emo

ry pro

mp

ts. High

light o

ne p

oin

t th

at sum

s up

each p

art of yo

ur o

utlin

e, pu

t it on

the slid

e, and

speak everyth

ing else.

Hig

h Traffi

c Vo

lum

e

Key M

arket Facts

Hig

h Traffi

c Vo

lum

e:

- Over 22,000 veh

icles on

Ho

ward

Street and

o

ver 27,000 vehicles o

n C

lark Street daily

Easily Accessib

le:

- 4 CTA

station

s, 1 Metro

station

, 8 bu

s rou

tes

R

og

ers Co

mm

un

ity has V

alue:

- Lo

wer co

mm

ercial rents, in

creasing

pro

perty

valu

e, ho

meo

wn

ers with

expen

dab

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Key M

arket Facts

Hig

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Easily Accessib

le

Key M

arket Facts

Hig

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Key M

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Hig

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Easily Accessib

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as Valu

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d p

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e . . . at . . . a . . . tim

eA

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ake un

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on

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r au

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ce on

track by cyclin

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ne at a tim

e on

a single slid

e.

On

a sin

gle

slide, successive points appear as you get to them

in your speech. The stand-ing head (“Key M

arket Facts”) helps your audience remem

ber what your points relate to. This

should be unnecessary for a short list, but it’s helpful for a long list. Note that as each new

point cycles in, the previous point fades back. A

ll are brief.

Be

fore

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fter | w

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Marketin

g

Un

ify with

layou

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on

tent—

especially grap

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vary a lot. H

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tho

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Alig

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low), and extend it to the bottom

if you can. Note

the left margin aligns w

ith the header above it.

Alig

n th

e ch

art in the sam

e way. R

ectangular objects such as charts and photos are best at holding together a rectangular space.

Alig

n th

e typ

e U

nlike the rectangles, funny shaped objects w

ith indefinite edges need your good eye. In this case, the center-w

eighted logo looks correct only in the center of the slide; the head (“O

ur new look”) rem

ains aligned to the left.

One point per slide, even if it has graphics.

Dem

og

raph

ic

Uniform

colors and headers

Ou

r new

loo

k

Bu

siest mo

nth

May

70%

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vin

ewo

od

par

k

Uniform

alignment

Same typeface throughout; headers alw

ays white, body type alw

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ae

Aed

Type

face

s

1 Myriad P

ro Bold

2 Myriad P

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3 Futura Condensed B

old

4 Helvetica R

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ondensed

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eadline

7 Runic M

T Condensed

8 Helvetica N

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Ima

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9 (a–c) iStockphoto.com

| a b c

Article

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Be

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