How to make Awesome Diagrams for your slides

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How To Make

Awesome
Diagrams
u r
F o r yo
slides

Me
Enrique García Cota
I do software at Splendeo

@otikik

© http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrimperial/121370739/
Disclaimer
● I'm not a designer.
● I've just done...

1. Lines

© http://www.flickr.com/photos/twinysam/4988273864/

Never use 0pt line width
Wrong

Right

Visible from the far end of the room

Have consistent line width
Wrong
0.06'' 0.32''
0.10''

Rig...

Use only one line ending
Wrong

Right

People at the far end won't see the difference

Use one dashed style
Wrong

Right

Guess

Arrows instead of lines

vs.

When? See example on next slide

Use connectors, not straight lines
With lines

With connectors

Shapes instead of lines (sometimes)

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3

vs.

Phase 1 P...

Colors instead of outlines (sometimes)

vs.

Useful to reduce the number of colors

2. Shapes

© http://www.flickr.com/photos/alessandropinna/1423128740/

Use a grid
Wrong

Right

Align when possible
Wrong

Right

Size means Importance

Wrong Right

Not Very Not Very
Importan...

Size means Hierarchy

Wrong Right

Face
Face

Eyes Nos...

Size means Relative Size

Wrong Right

Elephant Duck Elephant
Duck

Size doesn't mean “long name”
Wrong

A Long Name

...

Different Shape = Different Type

OK Better

? ?
Yes No Y...

Maximum number types: 4

If you need more, use images

OK Better

A B C

Warning! Finding app...

Transparencies, Shadows & Gradients

Don't

They take a lot of time to get right, and
most proje...

© http://www.flickr.com/photos/24241587@N05/5184820807/

3. Nesting

One nesting level per slide
Wrong

Unique slide

One nesting level per slide
Right

Slide 1

One nesting level per slide
Right

Slide 2

One nesting level per slide
Right

Slide 3

One nesting level per slide
Right

Slide 4?

Is this level really needed?

But, won't adding slides
increase the presentation
complexity?

Yes, it will.
But less than nested shapes.

Complexity →

→
ting
...

If you need everything in one place

You are not making a
presentation
Consider other formats

© http://www.flickr.com/photos/yetti/8743214/

4. Color

Color count

Fill + Text + Lines - Background

Fill = Green + Red = 2
Hi Text = White = 1
...

Color count should be ≤ 3

The magic of combinatory

I'm only using three

still but here colors

combi-
ca...

When in doubt, use Primary colors

Red Yellow Green Blue
#c5000b #ffd32...

Color is great for Stress or Status

Wrong Right

OK OK Alert OK OK ...

Color is not great for lines

Wrong Right

More easily seen from far away

Use bright background colors

Wrong Right

Some projectors don't handle dark slides well

Don't use pale colors in foreground

Wrong Right

Gray 10% Gray >20%

...

Printing: Black and White

OK OK Alert OK OK Alert

Alert OK OK ...

Printing: Graceful Degradation

OK OK Alert
Alert OK OK Alert
...

5. ext

© http://www.flickr.com/photos/rahulchhiber/5177233766/

First and foremost:

Are you an

optometrist?

us feel like this.
Then don't make

©http://www.flickr.com/photos/sveinhal/2182773789/

Smallest font size:

20px
Otherwise it's impossibly difficult to read from far away

Only one font
Wrong

a a a a
Right

a a a a

Exception: Typographic diagrams

Nice Yuck

Bigger shape ⇒ Bigger or equal text

Wrong Right

Letters Lette...

Italics: Don't bother

Wrong Right

a a

No one will notice the difference

Bold: Don't mix it
Wrong Right

a a
a a
...

a hard to re
d, n
...

That was it!
© Enrique García Cota

Go
Now And

Make
Some

Awesome

Diagrams!

Now Go

Make

Some Awesome

Diagrams!

© Enrique García Cota
Thank you!

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