Creating Effective Visual

Aids

Visual Aids Should

Outline,

explain, support main

points
Serve

audiences needs, not

speakers

Be

simple and clear

Supplement

and support
NOT DOMINATE!...
the presentation

Be Visible
Use

Sans Serif fonts (fonts without feet)

e.g.

Titles
Text

Arial, Tahoma, Trebuchet, Verdana, etc.

should be 32-44 pt. font size, BOLD

should be as large as possible

First

level 24-32 pt font size

Second

level 20-28 pt font size

Etc.

Use

color wisely

Contrasting

colors

Red/Blue Conflict

Red letters on blue background

creates flicker effect

Blue letters on red background

just as bad

Low Contrast

White on yellow

Yellow on white

Black on blue

Blue on black

Avoid These Combinations

Examples:

Green

on Blue
Dark Yellow on
Green
Purple on Blue
Orange on Green
Red on Green

Dont !

Colors
White

on dark background should not

be used if audience is more than 20 ft
away.
This
You

set of slides is a good example.

can read the slides up close.

The

further away you get, the harder it is

to read.

This

is a good color combination if viewed

on a computer.

dark background on a computer screen

reduces glare.

Colorss
Large

Dont !

Hall Events

Avoid

White Backgrounds
The white screen can be
blinding in a dark room
Dark Slides with Light
Colored Text Work Best

The Color Wheel

Colors separated by
another color are
contrasting colors
(complementary)
Adjacent colors
harmonize with one
another (Green and
Yellow)
Colors directly opposite
one another are said to
CLASH
Clashing colors provide
Do !
readability
Orange on Blue

Colour - Good

Use a colour of font that contrasts sharply with

the background

Use colour to reinforce the logic of your structure

Ex: blue font on white background

Ex: light blue title and dark blue text

Use colour to emphasize a point

But only use this occasionally

Colour - Bad

Using a font colour that does not contrast with the

background colour is hard to read

Using colour for decoration is distracting and

annoying.

Using a different colour for each point is

unnecessary

Using a different colour for secondary points is also

unnecessary

Trying to be creative can also be bad

Background Colors
Remember: Readability! Readability! Readability!

This is a good mix of

colors. Readable!

This is a good mix of

colors. Readable!

This is a bad mix of

colors. Low contrast.
Unreadable!
This is a bad mix of
colors. Avoid bright
colors on white.
Unreadable!

Background - Good

Use backgrounds such as this one that are

attractive but simple

Use backgrounds which are light

Use the same background consistently throughout

your presentation

Background Bad

Avoid backgrounds that are distracting or difficult

to read from

Always be consistent with the background that

you use

Graphs and Charts

Make sure the audience
can read them!

Graphics and Charts

Avoid using graphics that are difficult to read. In this example,
the bright colors on a white background and the small font
make the graph hard to read. It would be very difficult to see,
especially in the back of a room.

Dont !
8

This graph contains too much information in an

unreadable format.

Dont !

10

Good Graph
These are examples
of
good graphs, with
nice
line widths and good
colors.
Do !

Charts and Graphs

Don
t

Charts and Graphs

80
70
60
50
40

Mode A
Mode B
Mode C

30
20
10

North
America

Europe

Australia

Do !

This is a good, readable table. Tables, especially large

ones, should be placed on a separate slide.
4/19 Fri

109

NICMOS restarted, Ne-loop control

continues

4/22 Mon

112

Change to mountingDo
cup !control

4/23 Tue

134

Return to Ne control, Filter wheel test

begins

4/24 Wed

155

Increase control temperature to allow

for +2 K variations

4/25 Thur

165

Begin darks every 3rd orbit

4/26 Fri

174

DQE test visit 1; Control temp +0.5 K

Graphs - Good

Use graphs rather than just charts and words

Data in graphs is easier to comprehend & retain than

is raw data

Trends are easier to visualize in graph form

Always title your graphs

Graphs - Bad

January February
Blue Balls
20.4
27.4
Red Balls
30.6
38.6

March
90
34.6

April
20.4
31.6

Graphs - Good

Items Sold in First Quarter of 2002

100
90
80
70
60

Blue Balls
Red Balls

50
40
30
20
10
0
January

February

March

April

Graphs - Bad

100
90

90

80

70

60
Blue Balls

50

Red Balls
38.6

40

34.6
31.6

30.6
27.4

30
20.4

20.4

20

10

0
January

February

March

April

Graphs - Bad

Minor gridlines are unnecessary

Font is too small

Colours are illogical

Title is missing

Shading is distracting

Eye
Movement
The Z Rule

Upper left
Upper right
Lower left
Lower right

Illustrations
Use

only when needed, otherwise they

become distracters instead of
communicators

They

should relate to the message and

help make a point

Ask

yourself if it makes the message

clearer

Simple

diagrams are Do
great
!
communicators

Dont !

Preparation - Slides
Use Images & Graphics

Relevant images communicate,

and maintain interest

Displaying Visuals: Tips

Select visuals purposefully

Design easy-to-read visuals

What visuals illustrate a point? Make

a claim? Help to prove an argument?
Are the visuals easy to read by all members of your
audience?

Draw attention to aspects of visuals

How will you draw attention to certain features of the visual?

31

Displaying Visuals

Insert needed visuals

Use color

Resize appropriately

Draw attention

Thatwaspurely
gratuitous!

32

Choose Color Carefully

Similar intensities
draw attention but make
details hard to see.

Strong, clean contrast

draws attention, makes
details easy to see

33

Simplify and Draw Attention

34

Animating: Tips

Custom animation allows you to animate text, visuals, or

line work

Custom animation should be used purposefully (and

sparingly!)

Animating

should help audience

comprehend your message

Dont

animate solely for aesthetic

purposes

35

Limit Each Slide to One Idea

Use Bullet Points to Cover

Components of Each Idea

Bullets
Keep

each bullet to 1 line, 2 at the most

Limit

the number of bullets in a screen

to 6, 4 if there is a large title, logo,
picture, etc.

This is known as cueing

You want to cue the audience on what youre going to say

Cues are a a brief preview

Gives the audience a framework to build upon

Bullets (con.)

If you crowd too much text, the audience wont read it

Too

much text looks busy and is hard to read

Why

read it, when youre going to tell them

what it says?

Our

reading speed does not match our listening

speed; hence, they confuse instead of
reinforce

Points to Remember

Do not do this!
Limit Bullet Points
To a few words

Limit

each slide to 1 idea

Limit

each bullet point to only a few words to

avoid long sentences that go on and on!

Limit

animation Too much animation can be

distracting. Be consistent with animation
and have all text and photos appear on the
screen the same way each time. There are
many animation modes to choose from, but
it is best to use just one throughout.

Points to Remember
Keep

Do !

bullet points brief

Use the same background for
each slide
Use dark slides with light
colored text in large hall
events

Avoid the All Word Slide

Dont

Another thing to avoid is the use of a

large block paragraph to introduce
your information. Attendees do not
like to have what is on the screen,
read to them verbatim. So, please
use short, bulleted statements and
avoid typing out your whole
presentation on to the slides. Also, it
is difficult for some to listen and read
a large amount of text at the same

Limit Animation

Use the same animation throughout the entire presentation

Using more than one can be very distracting

The audience will only see the animation and not the message
youre trying to get across

Dont

Bam!

Limit Animation

Use the same animation throughout the entire presentation

Using more than one can be very distracting

The audience will only see the animation and not the message
youre trying to get across

Do
!

YOU
Do

not use the media to hide you

The

audience came to SEE you

The

media should ENHANCE the

presentation, not BE the presentation

If

youre only going to read from the slides,

then just send them the slides!

Remember,

only you can prevent

Death by PowerPoint