Critiquing an Article

Presentation Design Checklist

Remember these design principles as you craft your message for a presentation.

Target Audience

· Think about who your target audience is and how to appeal to that audience.

· A presentation designed for a 4th grade science lesson should look much different than a presentation designed for a corporate shareholders’ meeting.

· What theme inspires this audience for the content to be presented?

Composition

· Choose an appropriate theme and stick to it.

· Create a compelling title screen.

· Limit the amount of text on each screen.

· No more than 5 or 6 short bullet points per slide.

Graphics & Media

· Choose images that contribute to the message and are not simply decoration.

· Avoid overused, generic clip art.

· Beware of annoying audio effects

Typography

· Use 1-2 fonts max, throughout the presentation.

· Use common, easy-to-read typefaces.

· Make the font a nice readable size for your purpose.

· Use a font color that contrasts with the background.

· Do not put text over a busy background.

Colors

· Stick to 2-4 colors in your presentation theme.

· Apply a consistent color scheme that matches the mood of your presentation.

· Use color palettes that naturally work with one another.

· Graphics should use the same general color pallet as theme when possible.

Notes and Handouts

· Use the Notes feature to add details for each slide in presenter notes and handouts.

· Presentations may also be distributed via e-mail, ftp site or on flash drives.