Graphic Design and Presentation Design are Not the Same

Graphic designers are pretty amazing.  I, for one, could never be a graphic designer in its truest form.  I have a pretty good handle on the Adobe suite of products and know a thing or two about design, but that's like saying I can write like Shakespeare because I know how to use Microsoft Word.  While I could use the tools, it takes a firm grasp of art and an artistic ability that you have to be born with (usually).

I was born with no such talent.  I've always been an average artist when you take the entire population into consideration (all ages included!).  But that doesn't mean I can't design a mean PowerPoint presentation!  I've said before, if you can draw a stick figure, you can create an effective presentation.  If you understand just a few effective presentation design principles and spend a few minutes learning how to use PowerPoint, you most certainly have the skills to physically create one.  There's obviously a mental part to visual presentation design and digital storytelling that only grows stronger as you spend more time studying, but the basics can be learned quite quickly.

Many people assume that since graphic designers are so artistically talented that designing slides for a PowerPoint presentation comes naturally.  Granted, it helps.  You certainly need an eye for great design, colors, contrast, perspective, typography, and more in order to design well, and those skills will help you in presentation design.  But to say that they can naturally/inherently/automatically design an EFFECTIVE slide is simply not true.

One reason is because there's a lot more to effective presentation design than just the graphics.  You have to know the main point of each slide, how to complement the presenter's information, the presenter's style, how much of that information needs to be or should be on the slide, what tone the audience is looking for, and more.

PowerPoint slides don't have to bear the weight and responsibility of doing all the presenting.  Instead they can be as simple as a full bleed image while the presenter makes the connection between the design and the core idea for the audience.  

Another reason is that most of us have only been exposed to the current state of presentations, which is really bad - the worst offense being the abundance of text-based information on a slide.  Designing a beautiful slide that uses lots of text is actually counterproductive in a presentation setting.  The audience is there to learn, and in order to do that their attention must always be receiving the most important information.  When there's an abundance of text on the screen, the audience's will read those words instead of paying attention to the presenter. 

I'm not claiming that all graphic designers who take a stab at presentation design will use an abundance of text, but its an easy pitfall because 99.9% of presentations do.  It's all we know as a society, which is why myself and a number of other presentation designers write blogs and speak to educate the world on more effective presentation design techniques. 

The problem doesn't lie with the designers (so I don't want to be flamed by designers in the comments!).  The problem is that there is little-to-no effective presentation skills taught to our emerging college students or corporate professionals.  Our professors are teaching us with ugly, text filled slides.  I've even seen people speak at conferences, getting paid LOTS of money to speak, come armed with a horrendously designed PowerPoint presentation.  If I could just get everyone in the world to read my blog - problem solved!

What are your thoughts?  How do you think presentation design differs from other types of design?

Comments

[Ana]

Another great post Jon! :) Presentation design is one type of graphic design, but it involves a lot more than just being able to put slides together.
I find that presentation designers can become great graphic designers if they want and have the time to do the training. You have to have that keen eye for visuals if you design presentations, right!?

I've been training Illustrator and Photoshop for a long time (it's a never ending process), but that's because I have a passion for digital art. I also design logos and icons. Knowing graphic design comes in handy when designing presentations because I can make my own graphics, icons, and photo editing in an instant, just the way I want for "that" specific slide. Having video editing skills is also great, since media-rich presentations are my favorites... some say 'my specialty'. :)

It all depends of what you are passionate about. I've been involved in traditional art my whole life. My mom, a well-rounded artist, put me in art school when I was very young. When I got my first computer, a passion for digital art was simply inevitable.

On the other hand, I am not a good presenter. I can help my clients deliver their presentations in an effective way, but I don't think I would be able to coach them other than for that specific deck of slides that *I* designed and envisioned being delivered in a certain way. I am just great with visuals and translating messages into graphics. :)

[Fabgeekling]

I'm a graphic designer who works in presentation development for litigation. (Which again, is very different, from what most think of presentation design, this field is information design heavy, and presentations serve as teaching tools).

I think so far I have been successful (I hope) in this career because my strength is information design and because my skills are versatile.

Graphic Design spreads out to many different professions where the end products look completely different. There are graphic designers who work in package design, advertising, marketing, some design web pages or magazine layouts and some focus strictly on illustration.
Someone who only creates logos for a living, might have a hard time thinking in terms of story, or continuity.
Just like someone who only designs websites, might have a hard time coming up with a good logo design.

A graphic designer with animation/storybooarding skills will be most natural at presentation design. Followed by those who develop marketing pitchbooks and those who work in advertising, especially in billboards or large scale ads.

Web graphic designers would probably struggle the most, as websites are inherently text heavy. And what you see on the screen while designing is what you see on the final product.

[Fabgeekling]

And I just would like to add that I really enjoy your blog. I'm a new subscriber (from the presentation group on linkedin). I'm not new to presentation development, but there is certainly always room for improvement and to read about other peoples point of view. Especially when it's well written =)

[Kristian Salvesen]

Great post Jon! Personally I think that Presentation Design is a fairly new field. This is what you are referring to in your post when you say that students aren't thought about presentation design because it is a field that is not well know.

It is very exciting to see how this is slowly changing with lots of great blogs (such as this one) and great books such as Presentation Zen and Slideology.

I think that presentation design is unique in that it works in an area that combines the spoken word and visuals. That is why there is lots that can be learned about presentation design from other sources than graphic design such as movies or comics.

Presentation design to me is not just about the slides themselves, it is about the integration of message/story, slides and presentation/speaking. The balance between these 3 elements must be understood and taken into consideration in order to design an excellent presentation.

[Jonathan Thomas]

Magda,

Thanks so much for the thoughtful comment. You're absolutely right that the scope of designers is quite broad. All types require different skill sets, and presentation design is no different.

Glad you're a subscriber!

- Jon

[Jonathan Thomas]

Ana,

Hi! Great to hear from you again. Bridging the gap between designing presentations and actually presenting them isn't easy. I started with nothing but my raw talent in both areas, but I've worked hard to become better educated and more skilled in both in order to help my clients and readers as best as I can.

The introverted nature of many designers (when I'm designing I'm closed in my office with the headphones on!) doesn't bode well when you have to present in front of an audience. But as you practiced to become a better designer, only practice will help you become a better presenter. I know everyone has it in them.

Thanks for the comment!

- Jon

[Jonathan Thomas]

Kristian,

To tweak your statement just a bit, I think EFFECTIVE presentation design is a fairly new field. There have been many educators and researchers like Edward Tufte who started making waves in the arena, but it has only become more main-stream in the last 5-10 years or so.

I sincerely wish more schools would embrace the art of effective presenting and how important it is and ultimately start TEACHING it. If they want their students to succeed, how can you ignore presenting?

Your note on the uniqueness of presentation design is right on point. It's really the only design that includes the idea of the spoken word, where information can be excluded because it will be provided audibly.

Presentation design absolutely is more than just the literal design of the slides. I often suggest starting the creative phase by getting off the grid, away from the computer and office, and start designing with a pencil and post-it notes. Throw down ideas - as many as you can - and sort it all out later.

Thanks so much for your input.

- Jon