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

by Garr Reynolds

Avoid using imagery only as ornamentation. When we hear a story amplified by compelling photography, the issue becomes less of an abstraction and more concrete. It is emotional and it is memorable. Try to illuminate the general by focusing on the particular in your choice of imagery.

Use full-bleed images for greater impact and try cropping images to create more compelling photographs.

Don’t be afraid to take your own photographs and use them in your presentations. Keep in mind that one of the keys to taking great shots is to “keep it simple,” a le...

Try adding video to your presentations for a more engaging experience. Using video related to your point is a great way to change pace and engage the viewer’s brain, bri...

Harvard psychologist Stephen M. Kosslyn clearly makes this point in his book Graph Design for the Eye and Mind (Oxford University Press, 2006): “The strong suit of graphs is the illustration of the quantitative relations, and they are not appropriate if you only want to convey precise values. If this is your goal, use a table.” As Kosslyn points out, different data and goals require different visual formats: • Tables are often best when the goal is to have people remember specific numbers. • Graphs, such as bar charts, can be very useful for complex comparisons. • Line charts may be better for showing trends. • Pie charts can be useful for making comparisons, at least when the values to be compared are few.

SNR is a good general principle to keep in mind during all aspects of your design work, but it is especially important to remember when designing quantitative displays for the screen. In the case of charts and graphs, the signal is the concrete message we are trying to show—the data in its clearest form. Visual noise consists of anything that gets in the way of seeing the data—the signal—onscreen in the most direct, clearest way possible. The goal is to have the highest signal-to-noise ratio possible in your slides.

You can always recognize truth by its beauty and simplicity. —Richard Feynman, physicist

Stephen Few is one of the leading authorities in the field of data visualization and business intelligence. Through his company, Perceptual Edge, he focuses on the effective analysis and presentation of quantitative business information. Stephen is a remarkable presenter and a highly sought after speaker, trainer, and consultant. He is the author of several books on data information visualization, including his latest best-seller Now You See It: Simple Visualization Techniques for Quantitative Analysis (Analytics Press, 2009). Here Stephen shares his Graph Design IQ Test, which is also available on his Web site. This quiz is very straightforward, but the important thing is to know why one design is better than the other and be able to articulate the difference. You can find a Flash version of this Graph Design IQ Test on the Perceptual Edge Web site (and you can check your answers there as well). www.perceptualedge.com

Aim for the highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) as possible in your slides. In the case of charts and graphs, the signal is the concrete message we are trying to show—it’s the data in its clearest form. Visual noise consists of anything that gets in the way of seeing the data—the signal—in the most direct, clearest way possible.

Simplicity is a fundamental tenet in all aspects of design and communication. It is especially important concerning the creation and display of quantitative information. You can achieve it in the design of effective charts, graphs, and tables by remembering three fundamental principles: restrain, reduce, emphasize.

Don’t confuse slides with documents. If you have deep and complex data that is absolutely necessary for your audience to see, then create handouts that they can refer to later. If you are showing trends or simple, straightforwa...

There are many different ways to display data. Choose the chart or graph type that works best for your information with the goa...

Empty space, generally referred to as “white space” whether or not it’s white, is just as valuable as positive design elements, such as images and text. Space is not just something to be filled in; it is itself a valuable tool for achieving engaging, clear visual messages. White space can help direct the viewer’s eyes to positive elements by providing a contrasting quiet area that naturally “points” toward positive elements. White space is necessary for creating designs with balance, harmony, and clear hierarchy.

If you use white space as much as other elements in your visuals, you’ve taken the first step toward avoiding visual clutter and confusion.

This slide is simpler and focused on comparing Canada with the highest and lowest rated countries for obesity. A handout could be given with all the countries listed. A paper handout is more helpful when you need to compare lots of numbers.

If you take an empty slide and put even a single word on it, you have created “

Many designers claim that their work actually consists of arranging the white space to bring the positive elements alive in the clearest way possible. White spaces are themselves shapes, like the silent spaces between notes that give jazz its rich form of expression, for example. Without the silent “shapes” and patterns, music would be just intolerable noise.

10. design lessons from ikebana Space is as important as positive elements. Learn to see space. Space allows other elements to “breathe” and connect. Empty space is a powerful amplifier, helping create a whole that is more engaging than the mere sum of the individual parts. Suggestion and subtlety in design engages the viewer, allowing them to complete the uncompleted. Arrangements (designs) should stimulate the imagination of the viewer. In formality there exists creativity and freedom of expression. No structure, no freedom. In simplicity there exists clarity, beauty, and meaning. Asymmetrical balance is natural, dynamic, and engaging. For the designer (or artist), focus, calm, gentleness, and vision are more important qualities than raw enthusiasm. Slow down your busy mind. Careful arrangement of the elements based on solid principles creates beauty and engagement without decoration.

Symmetry Symmetry occurs when both halves of a design are more or less similar. Essentially, there are two types of symmetry. Rotational symmetry occurs when elements appear to rotate out from the center. This type of symmetry can be rather dynamic, but it is harder to employ effectively. Bilateral symmetry, the most common type of symmetry used for slides, is achieved by arranging the left and right sides of a visual to be virtually identical. This kind of symmetry evokes feelings of stability and formality, an effect that may be desirable.

The human eye is pretty good at spotting the vertical center of a visual. If the vertical center is just slightly off, a design may not look quite right. The rulers and guides in slideware allow you to perfectly center objects on the vertical axis. For this reason (and many others), it’s a good idea to display the rulers while you are working. For centering elements along the horizontal axis, however, it is acceptable to use your eye. The bottom half of a visual needs more weight, so if you center objects perfectly on the horizontal axis according to the rulers, it will actually seem a bit too low. This is why, for example, in many typefaces the number 8 and the capital S are usually a little fatter on the bottom.

it is OK to bleed text or images other than photographs off the edges. But when you place an object so that it almost—but not quite—touches the edges of a slide, it creates an uncomfortable visual effect.

In Gestalt theory, you can think of white space as something called “ground,” basically the background of the slides. Elements we put on top are known as the “figure” in Gestalt. The Gestalt principle of “figure/ground” suggests that, because we have limited capacity for perceiving many elements at the same time, we naturally tend to visually simplify our world by focusing on one thing at a time. As we scan images, we unconsciously differentiate between ground (what’s in the back) and figures (elements in front). This is one way we make sense of the world. As presenters, our job is to make it easier for viewers to get the most important points by making them pop out from the less important points. For the most part, the key elements we want to communicate are the figure elements; less important objects are ground.

we can create visual interest in a slide by “hiding” part of an object off the edge. This implies that something is happening “off stage.” The implied space is the area outside what the viewer can see, creating an interesting visual tension. Implied space also takes advantage of the closure principle, our natural tendency to complete or close images.

For the most part, we create visuals that sit or display on a flat surface. To create a sense of depth, we can apply layering techniques, adjust the relative scale of objects, and use contrast and color to bring people in or out of the visual.

True freedom doesn’t lie in the maximization of choice, but, ironically, is most easily found in a life where there is little choice. —Steve Hagen

2003). Peterson talks about how inexperienced photographers often snap photos that have too many points of interest—too many elements that alienate the eyes, causing them to move on. This lack of direction in the composition fails to engage or satisfy viewers, causing them to look elsewhere. Viewers are left feeling a bit of confusion that Peterson describes like this: Imagine finding yourself lost on the open road. You finally see a lone gas station up ahead, you’re hungry to discover the route back to the freeway. You ask the attendant for directions, and he begins to offer plan A and plan B and plan C, each with varying degrees of specific detail. Rather than finding the clear, simple, and concise directions you were seeking, your brain is now swimming in a sea of even greater confusion. Clear, simple, and concise directions are all that you wanted.