1. Design Tips for Effective PowerPoint Use Presented by: Susan Dobbs Krissy Malone Sue Sikora CAT 520 Fall 2005

2. FONTS (TYPEFACES)  Legibility and Clarity — Use Sans Serif fonts for titles or headings  Readability — May use Serif or San Serif fonts for text Examples of each on next slide

4. Font Size & 7 Rule  Titles – at least 36 pt  Text – at least 24 pt  No more than 7 lines on a slide (including the title) Examples of each on next slide

5. 7 Lines Max

6. Shape  Simple Shapes – effective, functional, and versatile  Common Shapes – provide direction, organize and unify, and make connections  Complex Shapes – realistic images Examples of each on next slide

7. Simple Shapes - Circles, rectangles, etc. Common Shapes – Arrows, triangles, stars, etc. Complex Shapes – Clip Art and digital images

8. Color Used for separating information, showing quantity, representing reality, decorating Edit color schemes & font colors for effective use of color

9. Depth Used to show size, dimension, texture; important to good figure/ground Use tabs under “Fill Effects” to create various backgrounds for slides

10. Space Usually ignored; the element between the visual elements; creates balance & symmetry Use “Slide Layout” to design balanced slides in presentations

12. Alignment Lining things up along an imaginary path Left, right, top, bottom, centered, & shape are kinds Each can convey a different message

13. Repetition, Repetition, Repetition Using an element of a visual over again to create sense of harmony & unity Colors, shape, fonts, & patterns can be repeated to effectively convey information Consistent Font Consistent Color Consistent Layout

14. P R O X I M I T Y How close elements are to each other Shows relationships between elements Closer together = closely related info. Farther apart = unrelated info.

15. Figure/Ground Enhance figure/ ground distinctions using contrast. This slide looks washed out. Important data is not emphasized. Increasing contrast made the important information in this slide easier to distinguish.

16. Tables What do I want emphasized? In this table, data is distracted by the “data container” of the chart. Make the data stand out.

17. Hierarchy Deals with communicating relative importance between elements in a display Cluster information into related groups (chunking)

18. Hierarchy Use tools to create levels of importance A navigational structure can help learners keep track of where they are at in the total presentation.

19. Bottom Line Combining all of these elements Equals Good Gestalt

20. References Lohr, L.L., (2003). Creating Graphics for Learning and Performance: Lessons in Visual Literacy. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.