The Gray Area of Slide Design - How much is too much?

I love it when content falls into my lap via conversations and debates over presentation related topics.

I checked my LinkedIn network activity today and saw that my presentation colleague Rick Altman had commented on a discussion around slide design - How much is too much?  I was intrigued to also see that fellow presentation trainer (and frequent commenter on this blog) Adam St. John Lawrence had also joined the discussion.  I had to see what this was all about.

You can read the discussion here, so I won't even try to paraphrase the arguments of Adam or Rick, but I wanted to elaborate on my perspective. 

Like all "art", it's difficult to define what "good art" is.  I can't tell you exactly what design elements you should or shouldn't have because slides are not designed in a vacuum.  For example, I tend to recommend staying away from in-slide animations (think boomerang, bounce, spinner and stretch), but there are many times I use animation to reveal certain slide elements in a specific order.  I would suggest only using the Fade transition between slides, but you can use Push or Cover to create the illusion of extended space.  The difference has to do with application, quality, and sensibility of the elements you use.

For example, can you really define the value that drop shadows or gradients provide? I can't, but I use them and do believe they add value within the design.

There is obviously a gray area where we can't pinpoint the exact moment that a specific design element becomes a distraction. Just as we can't say when life actually begins or what "porn" actually "is". It's more of a "you know it when you see it" feeling.

However, we're not born with this ability to recognize good from bad PowerPoint design. The only reason I consider myself someone with the ability to tell the difference (to an extent) is because I spend a lot of time designing and even more time researching and exposing myself to effective design (not just slide design either).  I also spend time learning about the brain and how people learn.

I'm not saying if you don't do everything I do then you're destined to design bad slides.  Though I do believe that if you put in the effort to learn a little bit every day about effective presentation design then you will definitely see an improvement in your design skills and an improving ability to recognize when other presentations are designed poorly.  

How much is too much?  I'm not sure I could ever give you an answer.  But if I could leave you with some advice to help you avoid going over the edge, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.  Keeping your design simple will go a long way.

Image courtesy of shioshvilli on Flickr

Comments

[Magda Maslowska]

I think your thoughts are very much what I said in response to this topic but via another group on linkedIn.

There is no formula someone can follow when it comes to design. I know bad design when I see it, because through study and practice I am tuned to seeing certain details. When I look through slides other people create I can always spot when they were not created by someone who is a designer or is practiced in design. There are just some little things that most people don't pay attention to that are obvious to me. I can also explain why I think something is designed poorly and how it could be improved.

Designers are accustomed to critiques because that's part of the learning process for us, we look at other peoples work all the time. We also know how to solicit feedback to improve our own work.

The best way for someone to learn, is to recruit a designer or art director to look over their presentation and get feedback. Good designers are skilled in providing constructive criticism because they go through that process themselves.

[Phil Waknell]

I also commented on the same post as Magda on the Presentation Gurus group - you can find it here:

http://bit.ly/dtvwxI

Which LinkedIn group was the other post on? It tells me I'm not a member but doesn't tell me which group it is!

[Jonathan Thomas]

Magda & Phil,

Thanks for pointing out the parallel discussion going on in Presentation Gurus (as opposed to the Presentation Designers group). There are some great responses there. And as always, I appreciate the comments and ReTweets.

Jon

[Fred E. Miller]

Excellent post, Jon.

We're always learning, aren't we?

A smart person know what they don't know. I get smarter every day!

Simple and clean is the way to go, with very, very little text. YOU, as the presenter should provide the text. This is a great place to start for developing slides and presentations that help the audience immediately 'GET IT!'