PowerPoint slides are a very inefficient mode of

communication (and the same goes for other

software, like Keynote).
• People can read many more words per minute than you can
speak or put on a slide.
• PowerPoint is best for presenting images, not text.
• If your information is better communicated in a different
format, avoid PowerPoint.
• Avoid default PowerPoint slide designs; practice good
information design and independent thinking.
There are several key guidelines in designing
information for PowerPoint slides.
• Use a neutral background
• Use consistent design for all slides in a presentation
• Ensure clear contrast for text legibility
• Avoid too much text, and also too much empty space
• Use graphics, but avoid unnecessary ones
• Check very carefully for typos
Use sans serif fonts and left justification
• Complete sentence for
There are several key guidelines in designing each header
information for PowerPoint slides. • Use about 28- to 36-point
type

• Use a neutral background

• Use consistent design for all slides in a presentation
• Make each bullet point
• Ensure clear contrast for text legibility comprehensible without
• Avoid too much text, and also too much your speech
empty space
• About 20- to 28-point type
• Use graphics, but avoid unnecessary ones
• Check carefully for typos Use relevant images to
complement the text
• Make sure slide layout matches projection system
Design your slides to enable viewers to
evaluate the content as independently of you
as possible.

• Education funding Incomplete phrases give viewers

• Great disparities limited independence, because
• Unknown variables they must hear your words to
• Data gaps know the intended meaning of
• Southeast Asia the phrases.
Design your slides to enable viewers to
evaluate the content as independently of you
as possible .
Viewers can explore
images visually
without the
intervention of the
presenter.
Don’t use images that are
too small to read.
Improve legibility by maximizing the size of
images. This means fewer images, so select
those that best support your message.

Provide a short
caption for
informative images,
in 18- to 20-point
type)

Merriam’s model of
life zone distribution
PowerPoint is great for sharing photos.

Dark backgrounds can improve

Low-quality images are
visibility for photographs, but
distractions, not
avoid switching repeatedly
illustrations!
between background colors.
Avoid “creative” backgrounds that PowerPoint
has available to users.
Avoid “creative” backgrounds that PowerPoint
has available to users.

Beware of default
design settings, and
design
recommendations!
Avoid default designs and design
recommendations.

Wasted space (type

too big), and poor Wasted space
legibility (serif font). (unnecessary
design element)
Wasted space, and a
distraction.

In this PowerPoint design

template, only about one-third of
the usable space (the lower right
portion) is actually available for
use.
In this PowerPoint design
template for a title slide, over
three-fourths of the available
space is devoted solely to
decoration.
This template has less wasted space,
but creates legibility problems with
default green text, and a layout that
collides with the green background.
PowerPoint is (or seems) inevitable in
professional settings, so learn to use it
effectively.
• Recognize the strengths (images) and weaknesses (text)
of PowerPoint.
• Aim for clear communication; aesthetic values are
secondary.
• Make your own design decisions; don’t rely on software
defaults.
Allow your viewers to engage your
information as actively and independently as
possible.
• Try to avoid PowerPoint during meetings. Provide a
handout and reading time before discussing the content.
• When PowerPoint is necessary, allow people to move
through the content as independently as possible.
• Don’t build a bullet list through a series of slides!
• Don’t use illegible images!