Tips and tricks #57: How to design visually appealing presentations

Tips and tricks #57: How to design visually appealing presentations




The first step to a successful presentation is a well-designed slide deck. While Zoho Show makes designing a presentation easy, knowing certain basics will help you create more captivating slideshows.

 

Here are some design tips to create visually appealing slide shows:

 

Ensure the readability of your slides:

Start by selecting an appropriate font. You can use different fonts to highlight specific content in your slide—but make sure to choose fonts that fit your presentation's tone. To keep your slides looking clean and uniform, use a maximum of three fonts in your deck. Try to refrain from putting a lot of text in your slides. Each slide should contain a maximum of six lines. Information that doesn't fit in the allotted space can be discussed during the presentation.




Choose the right colors:

 

When choosing colors for your deck, be sure stick to your brand's style guidelines. If you don't have any guidelines to follow, try to opt for colors that complement each other. For instance, pair a light colored text with a dark colored background for a slide that's visually appealing and easy to read. Also note, colors may vary depending on the size of your screen, because of the difference in resolution or pixels.


Add appealing visuals:

 

Videos and images can make your slides more engaging. Consider adding high-quality visuals to your deck in the form of illustrations, vectors, or stock photos. To ensure consistency, decide on an image type and adhere to it throughout your presentation. You don't want to crowd your slides, so make sure you stick to a maximum of two images per slide. You may also consider using infographics and flowcharts to help effectively explain your content.



 

Use relevant charts:

 

Data can help elevate your presentation by lending credibility to your content. Charts and graphs make it easy for the audience to read and understand your data. Remember, if your audience doesn't understand your data, it's pointless to include it in your slide. Be sure to use appropriate charts for your data type. For example, if your data has to be explained part-to-whole, you can select a pie chart. When you are looking to show a timeline change, you can opt for a line chart.




Customize elements appropriately:

 

It's best to keep it simple. Keep the formatting and editing choices for the various elements of each slide (such as text, images, charts, or graphs) to a minimum. Adding too many effects to your presentation will make it look amateurish, and it may be distracting to the audience. If you're adding a stroke, reflection, or shadow to an element, make sure it's uniform and applied to all of your slides.




We hope you found this article helpful.

 

For more design tips, read: 5 design tips for creating beautiful presentations  .


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