Design Principles for PowerPoint
What is Multimedia? Text Graphics Sounds Animations Video
Effective Visual Aids Help audience Help speaker Add clarity
Four Design Principles Proximity Group related items Alignment Every element should have a visual connection Repetition Repeat color, shape, texture, space Contrast If not the same, make them very different
Proximity The principle of proximity states that you group related items together. Purpose To organize information To lead visual appeal To lead your eyes
Hsin-Te Yeh No Proximity ABC Company (970) 123-4567 111 Happy Road Greeley, CO
Proximity Hsin-Te Yeh ABC Company 111 Happy Road (970) 123-4567 Greeley, CO
What to Avoid? (proximity) Avoid too many separate elements on one page. Don’t create relationships with elements that don’t belong together.
Alignment The principle of alignment states that nothing should be placed on the page arbitrarily. Every item should have a visual connection with something else on the page.
Alignment Styles
Hsin-Te Yeh No Alignment ABC Company (970) 123-4567 111 Happy Road Greeley, CO
Alignment Hsin-Te Yeh ABC Company 111 Happy Road (970) 123-4567 Greeley, CO
What to Avoid? (Alignment) Avoid using more than one text alignment on the page. Don’t center some text and right/left-align other text Try to break away from center alignment if there is a paragraph.
Repetition The principle of repetition states that you repeat some aspect of the design throughout the entire piece. The repeated item could be a bullet, font, line, color, design element, format, etc.
Hsin-Te Yeh Hsin-Te Yeh (970) 123-4567 Little Repetition More Repetition Hsin-Te Yeh ABC Company 111 Happy Road Greeley, CO (970) 123-4567 Hsin-Te Yeh ABC Company 111 Happy Road Greeley, CO (970) 123-4567
What to Avoid? (Repetition) Avoid repeating the same element so much on the page that it becomes annoying or over-whelming.
Contrast The principle of contrast states that if two items are not exactly the same, then make them different. Be BOLD about it!
How Can You Create Contrast? Large type and small type (size) A thin line with a thick line (weight) Combination of fonts With color – cool vs warm color
Contrast Examples
What to Avoid? (Contrast) Low level of contrast Black & brown, red and pink Slightly different weights Similar typefaces
Typography Two categories of typeface Serif Sans Serif
Serif Serifs are the little “feet” or brushstrokes that we see on each letter Assist the reader’s eye movement Good for body text Most textbooks use a Serif typeface Palatino, Times, Garamond, etc.
Sans Serif Without Serifs Monoweight Good for headings Same weight for each letter. Antique Olive, Franklin, Gothic, Arial, etc. Good for headings
What to Avoid? (Typography) More than 2 fonts on a page ALL CAPS (except for emphasis)
What Type of Font? 2001 PT3 Summer Institute
What Design Techniques?
Level of Font Usage
Rule 166 (177) 1 main idea or concept 6 (7) points 6 (7) words
Content is Key! Content Organization Visual design
Organizing Content Highlight key facts Determine main message Heading Select supporting facts Main points and sub-points Describe needed graphics
Hope you know how to design your PowerPoint Slides Now! Can’t make your own anthologies or collections of articles, etc. Consumables are workbooks, exercises, standardized tests, test booklets, answer sheets, etc.