Presentation Zen Design: Simple Design Principles and Techniques to Enhance Your Presentations (Voices That Matter)

by Garr Reynolds

Text placement on slides When you insert a new text box in slideware, the type you enter is horizontal. This is obviously a good default choice, but you may consider placing text at angles or in an unconventional location (depending on the subject and audience). Unusual placement from time to time adds a dynamic dimension. Most people never think to use a rotated effect for text, yet it is an effective technique when done with discretion. Type placed at an angle will get attention if all the other elements—including other type—have perfectly horizontal and vertical lines. Professional graphic designers often use rotated type because it pops out: it may imply motion, informality, nonconformity, power, change, and so on. Type can be rotated at a subtle angle that allows for the type to fit more harmoniously with the content of the image.