1. Tips for Designing Effective
Presentation Visuals
1

2. Design each visual to make one major
point or theme.
 Dominant idea should jump out
 Should be followed by bulleted summary
2

3. Keep your visual simple, neat and
uncluttered.
 Make sure it isn’t complex or busy.
 Don’t squeeze all the text or graphics into a
small area.
 Make everything as large as possible for
quick, easy viewing.
3

4. Limit the number of words and use large,
bold letters.
 Use fewer than 45 words on each visual.
 A good guideline for text-based visuals is six
to eight words per line
 No more than five to seven lines per visual.
 Use only one font.
 Edit out words you don’t need until each
statement is as concise.
4

5. Diligently copyedit and proofread.
 Be consistent when it comes to noun phrases or verb
phrases, and tense for text lines and title.
 Check spelling and use consistent punctuation.
 Verify accuracy of people an organizations and data.
 Double-check your data. Typos, misspellings and
 Factual errors destroy your credibility as an expert in
the minds of the audience.
5

6. Write titles that read like headlines
Each visual title should shout out a specific
idea or point, grab attention and titillate
interest.
6

7. Highlight key words and graphics.
 Use a different color, size or text effect (bold, italics) to
draw attention. But use them only for special emphasis.
 Mixing too many type faces, such as italic and bold and
various fonts, creates excessive contrast and slows
reading.
 Other techniques for drawing attention to key ideas
include using arrows, asterisks or enclosing words or
graphics in geometric shapes.
7

8. Use colors sparingly.
 Don’t overdo it.
 Never use more than three colors on one
visual and use them consistently.
 In general, light-colored text against a dark
background is easier to read from a distance.
8

9. Don’t “overdesign.”
 Today’s presentation software programs
provide you with an endless array of design
options.
 Avoid radically changing backgrounds,
colors, fonts and borders .
 When you’re designing your visuals,
remember that elegant, simple design is
always more effective.
9

10. Don’t “overdesign.”
 Today’s presentation software programs
provide you with an endless array of design
options.
 Avoid radically changing backgrounds,
colors, fonts and borders .
 When you’re designing your visuals,
remember that elegant, simple design is
always more effective.
9