This document provides graphic design tips for PowerPoint presentations and online courses. It discusses using meaningful titles, legible text through proper formatting and color contrast, relevant and labeled images and charts, limited special effects, and a consistent overall format. Key tips include limiting text per slide, aligning bulleted lists, avoiding awkward line breaks, proper font styles and sizes, high contrast background and text colors, and thoroughly proofreading the presentation.

1. Graphic Design Tips
for PowerPoints and Online Courses
South Carolina State Firefighters’ Association
Developed by Margi Stone Cooper
Oklahoma State University
Revised May 1, 2012

2. Presentation Topics
This presentation discusses:
• Titles for opening screens
• Text and typography
• Colors and fonts
• Charts, graphics, and special effects
• Overall format

3. Title Slides and Opening Screens
•
•
•
Reveal the main idea of the presentation.
Be brief, but accurate.
Include the name of the presenter and/or
the organization.

4. Fire Hydrants
•
This title is vague and does not tell what the
presentation is about.
•
What is going to be said about fire hydrants?

5. How to Flow Test
a Fire Hydrant
•
This title is more specific.
•
The audience knows exactly what the
presentation is about.

6. Text and Typography
Think about the…
• Amount of text on each slide
• Placement of text
• Font size
• Font style
• Letter and word arrangement
• Wording and spelling

7. In a PowerPoint Presentation…
Each screen should:
• Not distract from the message
• Be easy to read
• Be limited to about 6 lines of 6 to 8 words
Compare this PowerPoint screen with the
multimedia course screen on the next page.

8. In an Online Course…
Screens for online multimedia courses can, of course, be much more
text-heavy than PowerPoint slides. When developing content for a
multimedia course, limit the number of words to 150 per screen.
Whether for multimedia courses or PowerPoints, each screen
should focus on your message and be easy to read. Your audience
should not have to use a dictionary to understand your message—
use simple language. Also, list your main ideas with bullets or
numbers.
In most cases, text should be set flush left with a “ragged” right
margin. Forced justification (where both outer margins of the text
are straight) causes irregular word spacing, which makes text
difficult to read. Adding more than one space after the punctuation
at the end of a sentence also can cause spacing irregularities. In any
media (including a printed document), limit line length to no more
than about 125 characters, and keep headlines, subheads, and body
fonts consistent throughout the course or presentation.

9. Placement of Bulleted Statements
•
Align bulleted statements on the left
margin, like this.
• Never center bullets; it makes them
hard to read.
• Avoid setting text flush right, because
this forces the reader to have to hunt
for the beginning of the next line.

10. Avoid Awkward Line Breaks
•
•
•
•
Prepositional phrases should remain
on one line.
Avoid breaking hyphenated words.
Avoid “dangling” words (or “widows”).
Keep thoughts and subjects together
on one line.

11. Good Examples of Bad Line Breaks
•
•
•
Proofread your message before sending
it.
Wait until late in the day to check email.
Never forward rumors or old wives’
tales – these cause harm and waste
time.

12. Wording and Spelling
•
•
•
Avoid unintentional meaning:
Spiders hide under leaves and bark.
Watch out for typos, especially those that
are proper words:
The Precedent spoke before Congress.
Use simple language:
Try the word “use” instead of “utilize.”

13. Avoid Huge Fonts
•
Fonts that are too large make the line
length too short and hurt legibility:
A pitot tube
measures flow
pressure.

14. Choosing Font Styles
•
•
Limit the use of italics to individual words or
short phrases.
Statements in all italics can be difficult to
read.
• Likewise, it is often hard to read artistic
fonts; use them sparingly.

15. Typeface Selection
•
•
•
Avoid mixing typefaces within a word,
phrase, sentence, or paragraph.
Thin-stroke, serif letters often don’t show
up as well as thick-stroke gothic letters.
Use typefaces consistently.

16. Letter Case
•
•
•
SENTENCES IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS LACK
SHAPE AND CAN SLOW A READER.
DON’T use capital letters for emphasis.
Use both upper- and lowercase letters.

17. Avoid Stacking Letters and Words
Fire
Hydrants
Must
Be
Opened
Slowly
O
P
E
N
H
Y
D
R
S
L
O
W
A
N
T
S
L
Y

18. General Guidelines for Using Color
•
Use no more than 5 colors per slide.
– Too many colors makes reading difficult and
distracts the from your message.
•
•
•
Keep the color scheme consistent.
Do not vary colors within a word.
Background and foreground colors should
contrast well.

19. Poor Color Choices
The audience will have
The audience will have
This slide shows a difficult time trying to
This slide shows a difficult time trying to
a very bad use of read the screen of your
a very bad use of read the screen of your
course or presentation.
color.
course or presentation.
color.
Alternating color
Alternating color
combinations will
combinations will
make your audience
make your audience
search for your main
search for your main
points.
points.
Only use different
Only use different
colors to highlight
colors to highlight
key points when
key points when
necessary.
necessary.

20. Color in Sentences and Phrases
•
•
•
•
Some colors stand out against a background;
some don’t.
Don’t alternate colors within a word.
Avoid alternating text colors within a phrase.
But, subtly changing the color of a keyword
or phrase can help draw attention.

21. Background vs. Text Colors
•
•
•
“Value” is the relative lightness or darkness
of a color.
Colors may be different, but they can have
similar values.
Choose background and text colors that
contrast in value.

22. Examples of Poor Contrast
Red and royal blue do not contrast well
because they are similar in value.
Red and green do not contrast well; these
colors tend to “reverberate.”
Dark colors such as black against dark blue
also do not produce good contrast.

23. Good Color Contrast
Red and White
Black and White
White and Blue
Yellow and Blue
Black and Yellow
Green and White
Periodically step back from the computer to ensure you
can read your screens without straining. Remember, if
you’re creating slides that will be projected, overhead
lights are usually dimmed, but meeting rooms are seldom
very dark, which makes good contrast especially
important.

24. Dark on Light? Or Vice Versa?
There are no hard and fast rules for designing the overall look and
feel of an online module or course. A couple of decades ago when
multimedia courses were first developed, designers overwhelmingly
chose light-colored fonts on dark backgrounds. Back then, it was
thought was that light backgrounds and dark type would cause eye
strain, much like trying to read the printing on a lit light bulb for hours
on end. But years of experience has told us that is not the case.
Nowadays, many designers choose dark backgrounds to increase the
energy efficiency of the computer display, since in requires more
power to project a white screen and it produces more heat. While
energy-conscious designers may advocate that “black is the new
green,” the fact is that it depends on the device your using. For
example, with new liquid-crystal displays, white screens tend to
consume less energy than black screens.
The Bottom line? Make sure there’s plenty of contrast between your
background and text and you’ll be fine.

25. Avoid “Busy” Backgrounds
•
•
•
•
Heavily textured and geometric
backgrounds can obscure the text.
Use minimal textures and
background designs.
Photos may be used with care.
Use plain backgrounds when careful
reading is required.

26. Some photo backgrounds
can obscure text.
Consider placing text in a color box if you
must use a photograph as a background.

27. Using Charts and Graphics
•
•
•
•
Include enough information so your audience
understands the chart.
Avoid overloading a chart with information.
Use graphics that are relevant to the topic
being presented.
Avoid using poor quality graphics or filler art.

28. Adequately Label Graphics
This graph is clean and
simple. But is it
adequately labeled to
convey the meaning?
(No, of course.)

29. Avoid “Information Overload”
The bars on this graph
are impossible to
distinguish.
Again, this graph is
not clearly labeled.

30. Use Relevant Graphics
Annual Report
to the Executive Board
January 2013
The above graphic does not tie in with
the subject.

31. Overall Format
•
•
•
•
Limit the use of special effects.
Format the presentation with the
audience and the subject in mind.
Be consistent with the design.
Learn how to take advantage of the
powerful graphic design capabilities of
PowerPoint!

32. •
•
Use special effects only
when appropriate.
Special effects can be
distracting.
Do not use a special effect that
serves no purpose.

33. Keep the Design Consistent
Use a template with...
• The same color palette.
• The same typefaces.
• Similar slide layouts.
Think of “white space” as a design
element and use it to your advantage.

34. Check Your Text!
Type symbols correctly. Use a degree
symbol instead of a superscript lowercase
“o.” Double-check symbols after the
multimedia developer finishes your
project, because symbols have a habit of
reverting when text is copied from one
software program to another. Also, be sure
check weblinks because URLs sometimes
change.

35. Quick Summary
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•
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Use meaningful titles.
Make sure your text is legible.
Text color should contrast with the
background.
Use appropriate images and label charts
and graphics.
Limit the use of special effects.
Be consistent with the overall format.
Proofread!