Visual Design Tips for PowerPoint Presentations TSC Technology Department Curriculum Integrators

Color Has Impact!!!! l Accelerates learning and recall by 55 to 78% l Improves comprehension up to 73% l Increases willingness to read up to 80% l Sells ideas more effectively by 50 to 85% Source: Graphics and Visuals for Trainers Based on research at the University of Minnesota.

Background Design l Are the colors soothing or jarring? l Will people who are color blind be able to see the design? l Does the design detract from the text/message?

Slide Design l Too much text? l Too many pictures or graphics? l Do the graphics serve a purpose? l Is the layout balanced? l Remember the eye moves from top left to bottom right

Slide Show Design l Are transitions smooth? l Too many or too few slides? l Are the transitions jarring? l Did you leave a blank slide at the end?

Other Hints l Use a single font l Six lines of text or less per slide l Use key phrases l Use build sequences l Use initial capitals

More Hints l Break up complex slides l Focus on one point l Minimize special effects l Use traditional orientation l Keep text format consistent

Even More Hints l Keep graphs simple l Round off numbers on graphs l Start graph axis with zero

Design your Visual Presentation for Impact !