What is good PowerPoint design?

Occasionally, I'm asked by colleagues or clients to send samples of "great slides" or "good PowerPoint." I usually hesitate to send examples of slides since my answer to the question, "what does a great PowerPoint slide look like?" is "...it depends." In a world which often thinks in terms of absolutes — "this is good, that is bad" — "it depends" is not the most popular answer.

Context matters
However, as far as design is concerned, it is useful not to think (judge) in terms of "right or wrong," but rather in terms of what is "appropriate or inappropriate." That is, is it appropriate or inappropriate for a particular context? "Good" and "bad" are indeed terms we use when talking about design — including  PowerPoint slides — but I'm personally cautious of this dualistic thinking, especially when judging a design without its full context available. So much depends on how the visual is placed within the context of the presentation, and the content and objectives of that particular presentation are of paramount concern. Without a good knowledge of the place and circumstance, and the content and context of a presentation, it is impossible to say this is "appropriate" and that is "inappropriate."

Simple but not simplistic
If there is one important precept worth following, it is the idea of simplicity. The best visuals are often ones designed with an eye toward simplicity. Yet, this says nothing about the specifics of a visual presentation. That will depend on the content and context. For example, even the best visuals used in support of a presentation for one audience on, say, quantum mechanics, may appear complicated and confusing to a different audience.

Simplicity is often used as a means to greater clarity. However, simplicity can also be viewed as a consequence. A consequence, that is, of our careful efforts to craft a story and create supporting visuals that focus on our audience's needs in a clear and meaningful way. Ok, simplicity is great you say, but how simple? What is the formula for simplicity? If you can't give me concrete examples, you might say, at least give me a formula for making powerful, simple visuals. But do static formulas for achieving simplicity exist?

In Living Zen, author Robert Linsen (in speaking on the simplification of needs in everyday life) says that a "simplification of existence" is a consequence of an "effective experience of Zen." In other words, as one discovers their true nature, "needs" such as possessions or status are reduced or seen for what they are: superfluous. This begs the question then: "What are the minimum or maximum needs for an individual?" To this the author responds

"No one can define them or draw up a system around them. That is where we should exercise our judgment....Use depends for each one of us on the place and circumstances. If we were to codify the laws concerning it they might soon become a great bondage for us."

Here the author is not necessarily speaking of design and presentation visuals, of course, but we can see how we can apply Zen principles to everyday life including design, even the design of slides and other visuals. Simplicity is an important design principle. But simplicity in design is as much art (small "a") as science. It is, therefore, quite difficult to offer up prescriptions or "rules" for appropriate design. Without full knowledge of the context and circumstances, such rules could become "a great bondage," so to speak, leading to inappropriate design choices or recommendations.

Visual makeover
Having said all of that, below are a few slides demonstrating different visual treatments in support of a single message. The context is a presentation on gender and labor issues in Japan. The purpose of the slide is to visually support the claim that "72% of the part-time workers in Japan are women." This statistic is from the Japanese Ministry of Labor. The figure "72%" is something the presenter said she wanted the audience to remember as it is discussed again as the presentation progresses. So how to design a slide that is subtle, simple, memorable, and fits into a theme that is appealing and attractive?

     

BEFORE. Above (left) is the original slide. The problem with the slide on the left is that the clip-art used does not reinforce the statistic, nor does it even fit the theme of women in the Japanese labor market. The background is a tired, overused PowerPoint template. The text is difficult to read. And as one trainee commented: "it's ugly."

The slide on the right (above) was an effort to display the same information in a pie chart. Besides using an overused template, the visual displays the pie chart in a distorted and inelegant fashion. For the sake of clarity, it is usually best to avoid 3-D effects. Also, rather than giving the slide a title, a declarative sentence that states the point directly may be more appropriate.

     

AFTER: All the slides were redesigned to match the theme above. The slide on the left was the one used for the presentations. But the one on the right could also be used effectively. Notice that either slide (especially the slide without any text) would be virtually meaningless without the presenter's narration. The handout that followed the presentation expanded on the relevance of the statistic and gave it context. The five-page handout proved to be a good reference for those who attended the presentation and for those who did not.

                           

Using a pie chart is also a good way to represent this simple statistic. Here (left) the large text at the top can be easily seen. The text reads more like a headline — a declarative sentence — rather than just a title or category. The slide on the right is another possible way to support the message. In this case a completely different template was used.

Should you design your slides to look like this?
The design choices are many. The examples above are just a few attempts at improving the look & feel, impact, and effectiveness of the original slides. Should you design your slides to look like this? That's your call and depends on your specific circumstance. Also, this particular example does not deal with a technical presentation. If your presentation is on a less technical topic such as leadership, HRM, marketing, etc. then simple slides like these may be very effective. If you are giving a very technical presentation to a technical audience hungry for data, then your slides may look quite different. But even for a very technical presentation, embracing simplicity of design and striving for the greatest clarity possible should still be the objective. How you do that will depend on a great many things.

In future I will show a design makeover featuring more technical content. In the meantime, if you have good examples of visual support for very technical presentation content, please feel free to share it with me. I'd love to see your examples.

Comments

[Roli Singh]

According to me "I feel making beautiful clothes is an art and it requires creativity and time, to make somebody look beautiful".

Roli Singh
info@rolisingh.com
http://www.rolisingh.com

[kla]

Why is everyone talking about keynote when the topic is how to improve POWERPOINT presentations? Some people just like to always have an opposing view if they have nothing else to say. You should be reading an article about Keynote!
Well for what it is, great job! I use POWERPOINT on a regular basis at work and I like to see other's opinions on what defines a good POWERPOINT presentation. I agree with the main idea but sorry to say,I also do think buying additional templates, icons and graphics adds to making a much better presentation.

[Pierluigi Rotundo]

Thank you! A really useful post!

Pierluigi Rotundo

[ronald]

Great post! i was shocked upon reading your article, its nice to have a better understanding and application regarding this software...it seems that among users of this program doesn't really know it essence that's why some use it as a messy props and not a TOOL...

[ronald]

so lets use a software that is suited to its usage and do not abuse...

[Mark S]

Excellent information, and a great illustration of how "less is more" when it comes to presentations. Not to rock the boat, but I do think it's possible to be "too lean". For instance, the slide above that simply states "72%" conveys no information whatsoever. I understand it's the speaker's job to explain and clarify the statistic but the slide should have some context and convey at least a minimum amount of information. I shouldn't be left wondering "72% [of] what?". Even Steve Jobs gives his slides a title.

Also, I think your comments layout is non-intuitive. I realize it's convention to show "Posted by ... " below the actual post, but the dashed lines separating the comments make it appear otherwise. The viewer shouldn't have to think about whether the current comment came from the name above or below the comment. I fail to understand why sites use the line separator in this fashion (especially one devoted to design issues). Use some additional whitespace or contrasting colors and it would be much easier to parse.

[jim smith]

this site was so amazing that it seems like the author would be of homosexual nature....

[mohamed]

i wont powrpoint slide ror olive oil

[thenonhacker]

This article is very important in for the corporate world, where cliche bullet presentations abound!

In fairness, writers at Microsoft also are aware of this issue, and they posted this very useful article similar to yours:

PowerPoint without bullets
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA102403491033.aspx

[Mathew H]

For quality PowerPoint Templates: http://www.digitalofficepro.com

[LestatMM]

Wow Eugene F...
What about starting to blame your own limitations? PowerPoint is nothing but a vehicle you can use, well... you have to know how to drive it... and it will give you almost everything
Just take a look at some PLAIN Powerpoint
presentations at:
www.youtube.com/user/lestatmm

[Donna Bencel]

In my years of design training and application, one message was always, the KISS method, design is good, but over use can lose your audience. Balance of design and message, need to be kept in mind. Low energy background, high energy message. It's built many years of confidence and quality of product. Web site wise; keep it easy to navigate,the message clear and uncluttered.

[Heather]

What a great informative article. I can relate to this topic for advice. Trying to appeal to your audience and making a slide that sticks in one's memory is tough to achieve. After viewing this article I have gained more knowledge and can put it to use in my next presentation.

[nelson]

I think these hints are pretty good. I believe the audience is the most important thing. Is not the same doing a presentation for an elementary school class or doing one for the CEO of a major corporation.

[PiticStyle]

Thanks, great tips and example!

[JungHwan Lee]

This is really helpful info.

[Carole Malvern]

I've come way too late to this discussion, but the point the last commenter ("Tonio") makes is at the heart of my criticicsm of PP.

If you bypass the standard templates, you must struggle (and I really like that word here) against the UI to make something appealing.

If you adopt a standard template, you wind up--despite your best efforts--with utterly unappealing output.

[tim]

great article. a must-see for anyone using PowerPoint...

[beachgirl]

Great information or PPT, I am taking classes
now of PPT 2007, for work and college and I
found that is the best! Keep it simple, one image says more than thousand of words !!

[John]

I have seen way to many PP presentations that are over stimulating. The data being presented is lost due to all of the different thing going on. Sometimes simple is better. I think a big key is to know your audience. I watched a show on the travel channel with Anthony Bordain and he visited Japan. They showed the art of Japanese flower arrangements. They were simple but yet very beautiful in a plain sort of way. Thanks for the article, great post.

[Kelsey Bratcher]

Honestly this information has helped me see what a good PowerPoint looks like. I just started using some of the techniques, hopefully my boss catches on because his ppts are the worst. I just wrote a post on my blog about using PowerPoint as a marketing piece in Webinars and YouTube videos.

[fear public speaking]

Now,we have a greate idea about a good presentation design thanks to your well-written article.

[Nat]

For great cross platform results on Mac, PC and Linux I recommend SlideRocket. It will help you make visually compelling presentations as well as manage, publish, share, collaborate on and measure your presentation stories.

[Jeff Dickey]

@Tony: The point isn't to say "don't use PowerPoint" (though why you would after you'd used *anything* else is beyond me); it's a question of "what is the most effective use of your time to make the most effective presentation possible?" Doing presentations over the last three decades has taught me to award PowerPoint for Windows permanent eighth place on my Top Five list. You can write a novel by clipping individual letters out of your newspaper and gluing them to a piece of blank paper, but who would really do that? PP:Win, for me, involves roughly that level of pain. I've got too many other demands on my time - especially including making a positive impression on my audience.

[Manuel]

Who needs PowerPoint? OpenOffice.org Impress is much better and it is free!