2. What is a theme?
• The background
• The type font, colour, size, placement
(titles and other)
• Animation (if any)
• Any other stylistic choice that
runs through the file (e.g.
slide numbering)
3. What themes are there?
• Built-in choices (in Design tab)
• Downloadable files made by Microsoft
and fellow users (e.g. on
Microsoft Office website)
• Your own!
4. Why make a theme?
• Customize for your presentation
• Show your creativity
• Share with others
• Practice graphic design
5. Some simple guidelines
1. Match design to purpose
2. Keep it simple
3. Be consistent
http://desktoppub.about.com/od/microsoft/bb/powerpointrules.htm
6. Match design to purpose
• Whether to inform, entertain, or
something else, make the tone and
appearance match
E.g. To persuade people to
recycle more (a serious issue),
use more formal colours, fonts,
and images than in a presentation
to make people laugh
7. Keep it simple
• Limit to two fonts
• Choose a colour scheme of only a few
colours or a range within the
same family of colours
• One image/graphic per slide
is enough
8. Be consistent
• Keep the fonts the same throughout
• Use the same font sizes for all headings, all
lists, etc.
• Align titles and other text boxes
(e.g. will everything be aligned
to the left, centre, or right?
Top, middle, or bottom?)
• Use similar graphics (e.g. all
cartoons or all photos)
9. Example
From http://presentationzen.blogs.com/presentationzen/2005/09/whats_good_powe.html
Above (left) is the original slide. The clip-art used does not
reinforce the statistic, nor does it fit the theme of women in
the Japanese labour market. The background is an overused
template. The text is difficult to read. And it's ugly.
Above (right), the large text at the top can be easily seen. The
text reads more like a headline, rather than just a title or
category.
10. And keep in mind…
• How will colour blind people perceive it?
• Can everyone read the font? Change size
and style for clarity
• What mood does the theme
set?
11. And also consider…
• How will it project? LCD projectors
generally have less contrast and darker
colours than seen on screen
• Is anything important close
to the edge? It could be lost!
12. How to design a theme
1. ViewSlide Master
2. Make changes to the top slide
3. To see how it looks, go to
ViewNormal
13. Assignment: Step 1
Design a PowerPoint theme. You must start
from scratch. Use your own images or
images that are guaranteed to be
copyright-free.
Use the program’s Help area
for step-by-step
directions, if needed.
14. Assignment: Step 2
Make a presentation of at least three slides
with your theme. On each slide, discuss one
element of your design, including:
Its name (e.g. Colour)
Why you used it
How you made it
The effect it has
Your evaluation of its
effectiveness
15. Assignment: Step 3
Upload your file to the wiki page “Design”
before class starts on Friday.
During class, you will be
presenting your theme. Be
prepared to answer questions!
