PowerPoint Design Guidelines

1
PowerPoint Design Guidelines

• Making Your PowerPoint Presentations
  Accessibleto All Learners

2
General Design Guidelines

• Use plenty of white space.
• Keep slide content brief.
• Relate graphics/effects to content.
• Use color for meaning and contrast.
• Use fonts appropriately.

3
UDL Priorities

• Utilize readable fonts and font sizes.
• Use plenty of white space.
• Provide sufficient visual contrast.
• Minimize distractions
• Background sounds and effects.
• Animated graphics.
• PowerPoint-provided effects.
• Visual crowding.

4
Use Plenty of White Space in the PowerPoint Slide
So That Things Are Very Clear

• Too much filler will overwhelm the viewer
• Makes your eyes tired - you wont bother to read
  it
• If you have a lot of information to share in a
  slide, consider either using PowerPoint to
  display the point and you discuss it, or break
  things up in to several slides
• You need a place for the view to focus on as you
  discuss a point - otherwise, he or she could just
  read it themselves ...

Compare with next slide.
5
Use Plenty of White Space

• Dont overwhelm
• Place for focus
• Keep things short
• Break up into several slides

6
Keep Slide Content Brief

• Highlight primary speaking points.
• Use only a few words.
• List items in order.
• Include no extraneous data.

Compare with next slide.
7
Keep Slide Content Brief

• Highlight only your primary speaking points. Do
  not write down everything you will say on the
  slide. Otherwise, what will you talk about? You
  will only end up reading the slide at the class.
• Use only a few words for each bulleted point.
  Remember, you will elaborate on these points as
  you present the material.
• List items in order you will present them to the
  class. That way the group can follow your
  presentation.
• Include no extraneous data that you will not
  refer to in your presentation.

8
Relate graphics/effects to content

• Always relate graphics and effects to content.
• Attention-getters are OK. But dont overuse!
• Use graphics effects for instructional
  effectiveness.

9
Keep it simple

• Content is center stage
• Draw attention to presentation, not special
  effects
• Text
• Graphics
• Sound
• Background
• Colors
• Consistency - slides, bullets, fonts

Compare with next slide.
10
Keep it simple

• Content (and teacher) is center stage
• Draw attention to presentation, not special
  effects
• Text
• Graphics
• Sound
• Background
• Colors
• Consistency - slides, bullets, fonts

11
Keep it simple Visual effects

• Content (and teacher) is center stage.
• Draw attention to presentation, not special
  effects.
• Text
• Graphics
• Sound
• Background
• Colors.
• Consistency - slides, bullets, fonts.

These effects are distracting, and they make you
waitas you present.
12
Understanding the Constellations

• Use telescope or naked eye.
• Go outside on a dark night.

• Take a compass and start chart.
• Never go outside at night alone.

Have you had enough yet???
Yes!!!
Compare with next slide.
13
Understanding the Constellations

• Use telescope or naked eye.
• Go outside on a dark night.
• Take a compass and start chart.
• Never go outside at night alone.

14
Color Conveys Meaning

• Green - growth and movement
• Blue - calm
• Red - power, energy, danger
• Yellow - positive
• Purple - spiritual
• Brown - neutral
• Using one to three colors is ENOUGH!

15
Peace (vs. War)
What do you think of this color background for
illustrating the concept of peace?
Compare with next slide.
16
Peace (vs. War)
What do you think of using this color instead to
illustrate peace?
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Color and Contrast

• Light background

• Dark background

• Black
• Red
• Orange
• Green
• Blue
• Purple
• Yellow

• White
• Red
• Orange
• Green
• Blue
• Purple
• Yellow

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Colors for Presenting

• Dark Room dark background
• Light Room light background
• 35 mm slides dark background
• Overheads light background
• Handouts light background

This one has a dark background to show the
difference
Compare with next slide.
19
Colors for Presenting

• Dark Room dark background
• Light Room light background
• 35 mm slides dark background
• Overheads light background
• Handouts light background

This one has a light background to show the
difference
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Use Fonts Appropriately

• Large for emphasis (48 pt) Titles
• Smallest font 28-30 points (28 pt)
• Simple fonts - Arial, Times New Roman
• Avoid script and Italics
• Limit 1 or 2 fonts on a slide
• Limit 3 sizes on a slide

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Fonts - UPPER CASE
Use easily readable fonts

• DONT USE ALL CAPITALS FOR LARGE BLOCKS OF TEXT.
  READERS READ FASTEST WHEN SENTENCES ARE PRINTED
  IN UPPER AND LOWER CASE - THE WAY THEY NORMALLY
  ARE SEEN IN PRINT. HEADLINES ARE IN ALL CAPS
  BECAUSE IT REQUIRES THE READER TO SLOW DOWN,
  GIVING EMPHASIS TO A FEW WORDS.

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Fonts - Title Case
Use easily readable fonts

• Dont Use All Caps for Large Blocks of Text.
  Readers Read Fastest When Sentences Are Printed
  in Upper and Lower Case - The Way They Normally
  Are Seen in Print. Headlines Are in All Caps
  Because It Requires the Reader to Slow Down,
  Giving Emphasis to a Few Words.

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Fonts - Sentence Case
Use easily readable fonts

• Dont use all caps for large blocks of text.
  Readers read fastest when sentences are printed
  in upper and lower case - The way they normally
  are seen in print. Headlines are in all caps
  because it requires the reader to slow down,
  giving emphasis to a few words.

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Font Sizes
Use large font sizes.

• Use font sizes large enough to be seen by all
  readers.
• Using small font sizes might indicate too much
  screen overcrowding.

Times New Roman 40 points
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Font Sizes
Use large font sizes.

• Use font sizes large enough to be seen by all
  readers.
• Using small font sizes might indicate too much
  screen overcrowding.

Times New Roman 32 points
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Font Sizes
Use large font sizes.

• Use font sizes large enough to be seen by all
  readers.
• Using small font sizes might indicate too much
  screen overcrowding.

Times New Roman 24 points
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Font Sizes
Use large font sizes.

• Use font sizes large enough to be seen by all
  readers.
• Using small font sizes might indicate too much
  screen overcrowding.
• Use font sizes large enough to be seen by all
  readers.
• Using small font sizes might indicate too much
  screen overcrowding.
• Use font sizes large enough to be seen by all
  readers.
• Using small font sizes might indicate too much
  screen overcrowding.
• Use font sizes large enough to be seen by all
  readers.
• Using small font sizes might indicate too much
  screen overcrowding.
• Use font sizes large enough to be seen by all
  readers.
• Using small font sizes might indicate too much
  screen overcrowding.

Times New Roman 18 points
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Fonts Italics
Avoid complicated font styles.
Avoid the use of complicated font styles.
Script, Italics, and similar styles are difficult
for an audience to read. These types of font
styles cause readers to slow down, giving
emphasis to a few words.
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Fonts Script
Avoid complicated font styles.
Avoid the use of complicated font styles.
Script, Italics, and similar styles are difficult
for an audience to read. These types of font
styles cause readers to slow down, giving
emphasis to a few words.
30
Fonts Fancy Font
Avoid complicated font styles.
Avoid the use of complicated font styles.
Script, Italics, and similar styles are difficult
for an audience to read. These types of font
styles cause readers to slow down, giving
emphasis to a few words.
31
Fonts Uncomplicated
Avoid complicated font styles.
Avoid the use of complicated font styles.
Script, Italics, and similar styles are difficult
for an audience to read. These types of font
styles cause readers to slow down, giving
emphasis to a few words.
32
Design Summary

• Use plenty of white space.
• Keep slide content brief.
• Relate graphics/effects to content.
• Use color for meaning and contrast.
• Use fonts appropriately.

Make your presentations accessible to ALL
learners!