Don’t Use Your Logo on Every Slide

This may seem like a simple thing, but I find the overuse of fonts in a presentation distracting. I love discovering different fonts because of my graphics background (ancient though it may be). But if the font used overtakes the message, the message can appear forced, as if the presenter is "trying" too hard. Stick to one (or two at most) font and its variations (bold, italic) and keep it simple.

This may seem like a simple thing, but I find the overuse of fonts in a presentation distracting. I love discovering different fonts because of my graphics background (ancient though it may be). But if the font used overtakes the message, the message can appear forced, as if the presenter is “trying” too hard. Stick to one (or two at most) font and its variations (bold, italic) and keep it simple.

Mike,
Sadly, some people not only put their logo on every slide, but they also animate the darn thing so it moves or rotates, or, even worse, “bounces” on every page.

Great point on logos, they are too busy 98% of the time.

One of my additional presentation annoyances is when you look at the properties of a presentation, and you can tell that it has been copied from another company.

Jerell Klaver

"Eye chart" slides. Slides with too many words and too small a font. If you have to say that much on a slide it would be better off on a handout.

Great point about the company logos.

However, I do prefer photos to tell the story. Fantastic photography, much as you often use on your own blog, can be much more enlightening than just slide after slide of words… words… words…

You know that quote about a picture being worth 1000 something or other?

Great point about the company logos.

However, I do prefer photos to tell the story. Fantastic photography, much as you often use on your own blog, can be much more enlightening than just slide after slide of words… words… words…

You know that quote about a picture being worth 1000 something or other?

Good points, Mike. We've been guilty of the logo-banner thing ourselves.

Other annoyances:

- Dramatic/busy color schemes
- Over-animation
- Too wordy, too much detail
- Use of the same old biz buzzwords and platitudes

PP has gotten so overused and abused I rarely use it. When I do, I keep it simple.

@Iris: I totally agree about photos. I have many presentations where most of the slides are photos with often just a headline. This is where Nancy Duarte's book, Slide:ology, is must reading.

@Iris: I totally agree about photos. I have many presentations where most of the slides are photos with often just a headline. This is where Nancy Duarte’s book, Slide:ology, is must reading.

This is great Michael.
And so true.

I’m annoyed by different color fonts used in the body of copy – headlines and pull quotes notwithstanding.

I’m annoyed by different color fonts used in the body of copy – headlines and pull quotes notwithstanding.

I’ll take the contrarian view. Often, people print a slide deck and keep only one or two pages. Small, elegant reminders on each page can be a handy reference in this common scenario.

@Paul: The best solution for this, in my view, is produce the slides for display and a “slideument” for handouts. The latter can have more detail and be used as a reference document.

This may be more of a presentation pet peeve, but…

I can read! If you are going to spend the time to put together a presentation, don’t read it word for word! One of you becomes unnecessary!

This may be more of a presentation pet peeve, but…

I can read! If you are going to spend the time to put together a presentation, don’t read it word for word! One of you becomes unnecessary!

There’s nothing quite like the “presentation” where the presenter simply reads, more or less verbatim, the contents of the slides.

@Brian: I totally agree. Presenters too often make their slides their talking points. These go in the “presenter notes” section. It's much more effective to put one word, a short headline, or a stand-alone graphic on the slide and then deliver your talking points while the side is displayed. This is where Steve Jobs is such a good role model.

This is timely and helpful advice as we refine our webinar and workshop presentations. We’re incorporating many of the design techniques and information processing strategies developed by Duarte Design. It’s important, though, to not forget that subtle tweaks (like removing a superfluous and visually annoying logo) can impact a presentation dramatically Thanks for the tip, Michael.

People who let the slides do the presentation instead of using the slides as part of their presentation.

Last minute changes to the presentation. Imagine being the one who has to print 30 copies of a presentation. Half an hour before the meeting, the presenter sends an updated version … Yes, computers make it easy to make updates, but that doesn't mean that it should be updated at the last minute! Especially if it's a small wording change. If a number changed, the presenter can certainly say, "I just received an update, and this number is now this."

Sound. Okay, sound's cute the first time, but after the second and third time, it gets really old.

Silly clipart. I don't know why, but people gravitate straight to the most tacky clipart there is and put it in a blank space on the slide. Resist the urge. Use a photo instead!

People who let the slides do the presentation instead of using the slides as part of their presentation.

Last minute changes to the presentation. Imagine being the one who has to print 30 copies of a presentation. Half an hour before the meeting, the presenter sends an updated version … Yes, computers make it easy to make updates, but that doesn’t mean that it should be updated at the last minute! Especially if it’s a small wording change. If a number changed, the presenter can certainly say, “I just received an update, and this number is now this.”

Sound. Okay, sound’s cute the first time, but after the second and third time, it gets really old.

Silly clipart. I don’t know why, but people gravitate straight to the most tacky clipart there is and put it in a blank space on the slide. Resist the urge. Use a photo instead!

I would ask myself why are you so fixated on the logo instead of focusing on the message you are investing your time to review? When we see the symbol of the Cross what are we looking at? The logo or what the message is in front of us?

Being a creative soul, I love the artistic potential of PowerPoint. However, I became frustrated with PowerPoint distractions and began keeping track of things that bugged me, then blogged about it.

Creating a PowerPoint: The ABC's

“If anything can go wrong, it will.”—Murphy's Law

Want to use PowerPoint when you speak? Keep in mind that any mechanical device has the potential to go haywire—distracting you and your audience. Avoid planning your talk around your PowerPoint presentation. When creating your PowerPoint, use the following tips to add value to your speech.

* Anecdotes/Acronyms: Don’t overload your audience with data dump—facts, bullets or information. Tell engaging, relevant stories to support each point. List and spell out all acronyms on the last slide.

* Bullets: Use no more than four or five bullets per slide.

* Contrast: Use high contrast text and graphics. The more contrast between the background and type, the more your words pop, for example dark or black lettering stands out against a light background. Cool colors work best for backgrounds. Warm colors are best for text.

* Design: Avoid clutter. Leave white space around text and graphics.

* Editing: Check grammar and spelling.

* Font: The room and size of the audience may vary. Legibility is important. Use Arial, Gill Sans, Universal, or Times New Roman. Use 32-50 points for title slides, 24-32 points for the title, 20-32 points for the heading and bulleted lists, and 18-point for the text. No one past the first few rows can read type smaller than 18 points. Avoid capitalizing words, it reduces readability and comprehension.

* Graphs/Graphics: Complex graphs or graphics are difficult to see in the back row. Divide information over several slides. Limit pie charts to 4-6 slices. Limit vertical bar charts to 4-8 contrasting bars. Limit horizontal bar charts to four bars.

* Handout: Create a takeaway handout providing detailed facts, graphs and acronyms. For note taking, print out your PowerPoint presentation.

* Italicized Fonts: Don’t use. They are hard to read.

* Join: Connect the PowerPoint with your talk. However, make sure your talk can stand alone without the PowerPoint.

* Kiss: Keep it simple stupid does not mean stupid. Nothing is as easy as it looks. Constructing a well-presented talk and PowerPoint requires planning and work.

* Lines: Limit text to six lines or less.

* Metaphors: Use a powerful word picture that your audience will remember.

* Needs: What are your audience’s felt needs? What three points do you want your audience to remember? Keep main points logical, simple and clear.

* Organization: Begin with a summary slide stating your three main points.

* Pictures: Use pictures to illustrate your point. The best slides have no text. Include high-resolution stock photos or your own digital pictures to help the audience emotionally connect to your story. Don’t use cartoonish clip art.

* Quotations: Keep quotes short.

* Red Type: Never use it. Red type is illegible when projected.

* Simplicity: Eliminate every nonessential phrase, word or element.

* Text: Not artistic? Use one number, percentage or memorable, key word that is ten characters or less. Make it large—as in HUGE text that takes up the entire slide.

* Verify: Check your facts to make sure they are accurate. Include the source.

* Wordiness: Use key words and phrases only. Limit words to six to eight words per line.

* X: Cross out or delete extraneous or detailed information. Use key ideas on each slide. Be clear and concise. Too much text lessens legibility.

* Yadda-Yadda: PowerPoint is not a teleprompter. Don’t read the PowerPoint slide word for word. Spend 45 seconds to 5 minutes per slide to reinforce your points. Plan your talk to correspond with—not repeat—the information on the slides.

* Zombie Proofing: The mind only tolerates what the derrière can bear.

Being a creative soul, I love the artistic potential of PowerPoint. However, I became frustrated with PowerPoint distractions and began keeping track of things that bugged me, then blogged about it.

Creating a PowerPoint: The ABC’s

“If anything can go wrong, it will.”—Murphy’s Law

Want to use PowerPoint when you speak? Keep in mind that any mechanical device has the potential to go haywire—distracting you and your audience. Avoid planning your talk around your PowerPoint presentation. When creating your PowerPoint, use the following tips to add value to your speech.

* Anecdotes/Acronyms: Don’t overload your audience with data dump—facts, bullets or information. Tell engaging, relevant stories to support each point. List and spell out all acronyms on the last slide.

* Bullets: Use no more than four or five bullets per slide.

* Contrast: Use high contrast text and graphics. The more contrast between the background and type, the more your words pop, for example dark or black lettering stands out against a light background. Cool colors work best for backgrounds. Warm colors are best for text.

* Design: Avoid clutter. Leave white space around text and graphics.

* Editing: Check grammar and spelling.

* Font: The room and size of the audience may vary. Legibility is important. Use Arial, Gill Sans, Universal, or Times New Roman. Use 32-50 points for title slides, 24-32 points for the title, 20-32 points for the heading and bulleted lists, and 18-point for the text. No one past the first few rows can read type smaller than 18 points. Avoid capitalizing words, it reduces readability and comprehension.

* Graphs/Graphics: Complex graphs or graphics are difficult to see in the back row. Divide information over several slides. Limit pie charts to 4-6 slices. Limit vertical bar charts to 4-8 contrasting bars. Limit horizontal bar charts to four bars.

* Handout: Create a takeaway handout providing detailed facts, graphs and acronyms. For note taking, print out your PowerPoint presentation.

* Italicized Fonts: Don’t use. They are hard to read.

* Join: Connect the PowerPoint with your talk. However, make sure your talk can stand alone without the PowerPoint.

* Kiss: Keep it simple stupid does not mean stupid. Nothing is as easy as it looks. Constructing a well-presented talk and PowerPoint requires planning and work.

* Lines: Limit text to six lines or less.

* Metaphors: Use a powerful word picture that your audience will remember.

* Needs: What are your audience’s felt needs? What three points do you want your audience to remember? Keep main points logical, simple and clear.

* Organization: Begin with a summary slide stating your three main points.

* Pictures: Use pictures to illustrate your point. The best slides have no text. Include high-resolution stock photos or your own digital pictures to help the audience emotionally connect to your story. Don’t use cartoonish clip art.

* Quotations: Keep quotes short.

* Red Type: Never use it. Red type is illegible when projected.

* Simplicity: Eliminate every nonessential phrase, word or element.

* Text: Not artistic? Use one number, percentage or memorable, key word that is ten characters or less. Make it large—as in HUGE text that takes up the entire slide.

* Verify: Check your facts to make sure they are accurate. Include the source.

* Wordiness: Use key words and phrases only. Limit words to six to eight words per line.

* X: Cross out or delete extraneous or detailed information. Use key ideas on each slide. Be clear and concise. Too much text lessens legibility.

* Yadda-Yadda: PowerPoint is not a teleprompter. Don’t read the PowerPoint slide word for word. Spend 45 seconds to 5 minutes per slide to reinforce your points. Plan your talk to correspond with—not repeat—the information on the slides.

* Zombie Proofing: The mind only tolerates what the derrière can bear.