Slides should provide a visual aid supporting the discussion,
hold the audience's attention,
and make it easier for them to understand the topic.
Use slides to summarize and emphasize information,
clarify examples, visualize data, plus much more.
Let's find out how.
There are 2 golden rules.
First, slides should supplement rather than repeat.
Second, slides should not detract from you, the presenter.
You want them to be simple, concise, and impactful.
The 10-20-30 rule helps achieve that.
Coined by Guy Kawasaki, it's a straightforward concept stating:
no presentation should be more than 10 slides, longer than 20 minutes,
and used fonts smaller than 30 point size.
People can't comprehend more than 10 concepts in one meeting.
Give 10 slides in 20 minutes even if you have an hour.
This leaves time for late arrivals, tech issues, questions and discussion.
Remember, audience engagement is highest
when they have a chance to participate.
The 30-point font forces you to find the most salient points
which makes presentations more concise.
Who's your audience?
Where will they be viewing your presentation?
How will they do it?
Consider this before beginning the design.
The slides should represent you, your company, and brand.
But they should also be visually appealing to your audience
so they can relate to the information or message
and stay engaged throughout.
Creating slide templates creates consistency
and makes the design process quicker and easier.
Plus, it's straightforward for the audience to follow from slide to slide.
Key template elements include color, typeface, background, and layout.
It might also include icon, style, and photo effects
to ensure imagery is consistent too.
Three colors is sufficient for a presentation.
And using another rule 60-30-10 is an easy way to apply them effectively.
Devote 60% of the slide to the primary color,
30% to the secondary, and 10% to an accent.
Templates should establish typeface and hierarchy.
Choose one or two typefaces, easy to read from a distance.
Sans Serif typefaces are best practice for presentations.
Modern and minimalist.
They have a clean, uncluttered style.
Use the same typeface for headline, subhead, and body copy.
Or choose a complementary typeface for the subhead.
Establish visual hierarchy with the 10-20-30 rule
where no font is smaller than 30 points.
This means body copy is this size.
Subheads and headlines even bigger.
So fewer words, the better.
The template background also needs to be easy to read
with the text and visuals on top.
It should complement, not distract.
Light-colored backgrounds work great for dark colored text.
Or vice versa, dark colored backgrounds will accentuate light colored text.
You can use patterns or images.
However, ensure this doesn't make the content hard to read.
Finally, set a layout framework so all elements
have similar alignment and positioning.
For example, headlines, logos, footers, etc
should be consistent on every slide.
Emphasis makes one important element stand out.
Bigger, bolder, or brighter.
It will be seen first.
Contrast is the difference between red and blue.
Patterned and plain, big and small.
Contrasting elements make designs interesting and adds extra emphasis.
White space applies to areas without elements.
It helps add emphasis, improve legibility,
and prevent slides becoming overcrowded.
Remember, it doesn't need to be white.
Movement is the way we scan a slide,
moving from one element to another.
Use text, color, and layout to move your audience's eyes
drawing attention to information you want emphasized.
Repetition of design across slides will create a rhythm for your audience
so they recognize individual pages belonging together.
Proportion is size and quantity of elements.
More importantly, how they relate to each other.
Balance is how elements are positioned so the slide feels right.
Think of each element having a weight
and make sure the top overall weight equals the bottom
or the left equals the right.
Do this by balancing elements symmetrically or asymmetrically.
Alignment is the final design principle.
It gives structure and order to slide layout.
Elements are related to the left, right, top, or bottom.
For center alignment, they're positioned to the middle
either horizontally, vertically, or both.
Different elements may have different alignment on a slide,
but each element should have the same alignment across slides
for consistency and rhythm.
By creating a template and applying design principles,
you'll develop a foundation for the overall design of your slides.
You then just design the content for each slide
so it conveys information that's easy to understand.
Simple, right?