Principles of
Presentation Design
Tips on how to think like a designer
Designing in PowerPoint
John Consultant
Fallon
Presentation Skills

Designing in PowerPoint

Signal vs Noise Ratio (SNR)

Ratio of relevant to irrelevant
information on slide

Goal is to have high SNR

High SNR causes less
deterioration of the message

Deterioration… can be caused by
inappropriate charts, ambiguous labels
unnecessary emphasis of lines, shapes,
symbols or logos that don’t support the
message

Deterioration could be…
lines in tables and charts or
footers and logos

If a message could be designed with
fewer elements, then there is no point
in using more

Clarity should be your guiding
principle

3d charts appear less accurate and can
be difficult to comprehend
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Put a logo on the first and last slide

If you want people to hear and
understand your visual
message, the answer is not to
add more clutter but to remove
it all

Bullet points are
not usually effective
in a live talk

Use bullet points rarely or after
considering other options for
displaying information

Picture Superiority Effect…

Pictures are remembered more than
words

Use the Picture Superiority Effect to
improve the recognition and recall of
information

Use pictures and words together
to reinforce information for
optimal effect

The effect is
strongest when
pictures
represent
common, concr
ete things

Visual imagery is a
powerful mnemonic
device which helps
learning and increases
retention and is
memorable

Use Quotes…
“To be
or not to be,
that is the question”

Use quotes for
support

Make them short and legible

Quotes add
credibility

Use an image and a quote
“You must be
the change you
wish to see in
the world”
- Ghandi

“We have
nothing to
fear, but fear
itself”
– Franklin
Delano
Roosevelt
Pick an image related to the
quote and the size of the slide

Empty Space…

Empty space
implies
elegance and
clarity

Empty space
conveys a
feeling of high
quality, sophisti
cation and
importance

Keeping Your Eye on the Clock
By combining words and images, the
eye will be drawn to the image first

Images guide
the viewers
eye

Balance in design is important

The way to achieve balance is to
use empty space

The viewer should
never have to
“wonder”
where to look

A well designed slide has a
clean starting point and guide
the viewer through the
design

Empty space
can be dynamic
and active

Conscious use of
empty space can
bring motion into
your design

Try using
asymmetrical
designs

Asymmetrical designs activate empty
space, make the design more
interesting, are more informal and are

Symmetrical
designs are
more static
and create
feelings of
formality
or stability

Good presentations incorporate
presentation visuals that mix
symmetrical and asymmetrical

Use large images that “bleed”
off the slide

Use grids and the rule of thirds

Where lines cross are
“Power Points”

Place your subject on a power point

Big 4:
Contrast, repetition, alignment

Contrast…

Contrast gives
design energy

Contrast can be
created…
by manipulation of
space

Contrast can be
created…
through color choices

Contrast can be created…
through text selection

Contrast
can be created…
by positioning of
elements

Every good design has a
strong and clear focal point
with clear contrast among
elements

Designs with strong
contrast attract interest

Weak contrast is boring and can be
confusing

Every single element of a design can
be manipulated to create contrast

Repetition…

Repetition will bring a clear
sense of unity, consistency and
cohesiveness

Repetition is using elements to make
the design viewed as part of a whole

Examples are
background and
type

Do not overuse repetition…
built in templates and
templates that have background elements
that will become boring

Alignment…

Never allow your design to look like
something was placed randomly

Alignment is about obtaining unity
among elements on a single slide

Try to align
elements on a
slide

Unaligned slides look
less sophisticated and
unprofessional

Proximity…

Proximity is about moving
elements closer or farther apart
to achieve a more organized
look

Related items should
be grouped together

Audience will assume items not near
each other are not closely related

Audiences will tend to group similar
items near to each other into a single
unit

Don’t make the audience “think”
about the wrong stuff like slide
organization or design priority

Design matters

Design isn’t or
about ornamentation
decoration

Design is about making
communication as easy and clear for
the viewer is possible