Category: Insight

The Perks of Having the Right PowerPoint Background

Powerpoint

powerpoint background

May 30, 2014

The ideal PowerPoint background is something that looks simple and clear. This helps your audience focus on key points on the slide rather than get distracted by an over-embellished deck. An effective background often utilizes design principles like white space to avoid drawing attention to itself and instead highlight the real objective of your presentation.Ill-designed backgrounds are often those that have too much clutter on it. These present elements on the deck that aren’t necessary to your core message. While an occasional frame or color might actually boost he audience’s interest in your slides, reserve the design for the points that matter.To help give you an idea, the right PowerPoint background has these two qualities:

1. Right Contrast

Your audience should be able to read your text clearly. This is why you should use colors that provide a nice contrast between the slide’s background and foreground. By using dark text against a lightly colored background, you would be able to enhance your presentation’s readability.Just a word of caution: If you are presenting in a room that is not well lit, do the opposite of the advice above. Choose a dark background and make your texts light-colored.It would help to run through a test of the presentation in the designated venue beforehand. Apart from gauging the venue’s lighting, you will also be able to also check the projector’s settings. If you fail to make the necessary adjustments, the impact of the colors may be diminished by the projector.

2. Consistent Look

Consistency is important as it tells the audience that they are still viewing the same presentation during your entire talk. Being consistent with the design of your slides, however, doesn’t have to limit your creativity. It is just that you are eliminating unnecessary details or distractions from the slides.One cause of inconsistency is the use of multiple colored slides. A presentation with multiple colored slides would be an assault to anyone’s retina. According to Creative Content Expert‘s Tara Hornor, poor color choices are among the things that hamper a design. Make sure to limit the number of colors to just two or three. This way, your PowerPoint presentation would look more professional and a lot less ridiculous.A corporate logo on each slide can also contribute to your slide’s consistency. If you don’t feel like adding a logo on every slide as it could look obtrusive, you may choose to place it on first and last slides instead.

Conclusion

Ultimately, as you work on your PowerPoint presentation, your choice of background is always an important consideration. It may seem like a minor detail but the right background can make a whole lot of difference between an impressive, professional-looking presentation and a mediocre one.It may seem like a minor detail but the right background can make a whole lot of difference between an impressive, professional-looking presentation and an ill-designed one. 

Reference

“10 Troublesome Colors to Avoid In Your Advertising.” Site Point. May 08, 2013. Accessed May 30, 2014.

The First Slide: What It Needs to Be and What It Has to Do

first slide

PowerPoint slide

presentation

May 28, 2014

If you want to maximize your slide presentation to establish better brand recall, start at the very beginning – the first slide. Naturally, it is the first thing that your audience will see even before you say a word. So design it in a way that stands out from the rest of your slides. It will help your logo and company name make an impression on your audience, and retain your brand in their memory long after your presentation ends.It will help your logo and company name make an impression on your audience, and retain your brand in their memory long after your presentation ends.

What your First Slide Needs to BE

As you prepare you presentation, it’s important that you develop a first slide that will generate interest in support of everything you are about to say. It should have a visual element that features key aspects of your organization that is consistent with the key concept of your presentation.It could be a photo or graphic image that stimulates people’s curiosity. As this is an excellent opportunity to draw attention to your business, make sure to make the most of it. When people come in the room and see your first slide, they should be compelled to want to be interested in you what you have to say.However, it doesn’t always have to be flashy to pique the audience’s interests while informing them of your brand. According to business guru Guy Kawasaki, in his famous 10-20-30 rule, your first slide should often be the Title Slide, which contains your company name, address, your name and position in the company, your email, and work cell number.Details like these may be straight to the point, but if you’re presenting to a crowd of busy VCs and investors, this is enough visual stimulus to let them in on your brand.

What your First Slide Needs to DO

With the right amount of texts and graphics, your first slide can communicate much more than what it appears to relate to the audience. Your audience should be able to digest the information you are sharing quickly and precisely. They should get an idea about your business even before you start to talk about what you have to offer.It is important that each slide in your presentation be well-designed and engaging. The first slide, however, is crucial in igniting the spark that will make people want to hear what you have to say and get to know more about your business. Design it right and it can help you set the stage for an awesome and successful presentation.

The Final Word

Ultimately, while the first slide isn’t the entire presentation itself, it’s still an introduction to the rest of your pitch. In the same way that you need to make a good first impression through your physical appearance and speech, you’ll need a deck to match.Start your pitch right with a winning opening slide. Impress people from the get-go. Don’t let any opportunity pass. 

Reference

“The Only 10 Slides You Need in Your Pitch.” Guy Kawasaki. Accessed May 28, 2014.