Some useful design tips to keep in mind when designing your PowerPoint
presentation:
Font
·
Use a standard font such as Arial, Times New Roman,
Trebuchet MS, or Verdana with a minimum font size of 20 pt
·
DO NOT USE ALL BLOCK CAPITALS (It’s shouting in
online parlance)
·
Avoid using red or green fonts (colour blindness)
·
Limit
boldface,italics and
underlining.
In fact avoid underlining—it’s too
close to hyperlinks.
Images
Use graphics appropriately to illustrate key
items
Ensure that diagrams are clear and easily
read. You may have to re-format or re-draw
Use cartoons, animations, sound or transitions
sparingly, where you are comfortable with them, and sparingly
Ensure that you have proper permissions for
the images that you use (patient consent, copyright, etc)
Slide Design
Ensure that the text is in contrast to the
background
Use maximum of 3 colours
Avoid vivid patterns in background and use a
solid background if possible
Do not place text or images up against each
other or against the edge of the slide - use spacing instead
White space is always good
Contrast text strongly with background
colour.
NOTE:
innovations in projection no
longer require dark backgrounds with light text; however using PowerPoint
slides in teleconferencing may require this convention.
Slide Layout
Focus on one main idea per slide
Plan for 2 minutes of talk per slide, if
possible
Use point form, where possible
Select approximately 3-6 lines per slide and
leave room for white space
Always have a slide title
Use organizers such as titles, sub-titles or
key questions to signal your audience where you are in your outline.
Be consistent with terminology from slide to slide
