Designing Powerful Presentations
Keep it relevant
If you are re-purposing graphics from another format like a website or brochure, make sure you adapt for the dimensions and orientation of PowerPoint. One of my (many) pet peeves is when people paste in images or photos and cover up the slide template elements like the title, logo, page number, footer, etc. Your graphics should fit into the body of each slide versus violating the frame. The viewer needs to have the template elements repeat with each transition so they can focus on the core visuals and not have to reorient each time. It's like tuning out the background noise.
In addition, make sure you take the horizontal layout into account. This graphic was in a brochure and we needed to make changes to simplify and make it fill up the space better. With the previous version, it was a challenge to move the viewers' eyes from left to right and bottom to top (because an upward trend gives a more positive impression). We also experimented with color versus black and white arrows and icons to see which worked best. Mel did a great job and I love the end product.
The power of good design was evident at a recent conference Ken Swanson attended. Afterward, he sent me a PDF of what he said was a great presentation. The content had nothing to do with our business but the document was filled with infographics. Although I hadn't attended the event, the message of each slide jumped right out at me.
There are many elements to making strong PowerPoint presentations but design is critical part of creating a positive impression, getting an important message across and building a relationship with the people you meet and want to convince. Try one or more of these ideas and let me know how they work for you.
