Understanding Microsoft PowerPoint

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Understanding Microsoft PowerPoint

• What is it?
• Vector-based graphics program
• The graphics it produces are resizable
• The colors can be changed easily
• The text is always crisp
• PowerPoint vs. PhotoShop
• Vector vs. Bitmap
• Vector
• Clipart images are vector
• Uses mathematical formulas
• Can be ungrouped and re-colored easily
• Bitmap
• Scanned photographs are bitmap
• Uses pixels
• Photos can be re-colored, but it takes much more
  effort

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PowerPoint Strengths

• Easy to learn
• Installed on many computers
• Easy to edit
• Make changes before, or even during a
  presentation
• Multiple medias
• Text, images, clipart
• Graphs, charts
• Sound, video
• Versatile
• Computer slides
• Handouts
• 35mm slides
• Transparencies
• Posters
• Website

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PowerPoint Weaknesses

• Is fairly common
• Many people use it for presentations, and your
  audience can get bored easily
• It will let you create bad slides

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PowerPointWeakness

• This program will let you create bad slides!

Slides that produce visual noise can be
distracting for your audience.
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Slide layout

• Make backgrounds dark
• It is easier on the eye in a dark room
• It is easier to read text if you have bad
  lighting
• Why?
• The screens natural color in any room with
  any lighting .is black!
• Text color matters
• Light to dark
• The greater the contrast the greater the
  importance
• Text size matters
• The bigger the text the greater the
  importance
• Dont make the smallest text, the most important
  text, most of your audience wont be able to read
  it! ?

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Text Issues

• Keep all fonts above 20 pt.
• Whats the easiest font to read?
• Suggestions from the pros
• Arial
• Century Gothic
• Tahoma
• Verdana
• Whats the difference?
• Sans-Serif
• Serif

ABC
Sans-Serif
ABC
Serif
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Graphic Design Principles

• Proximity
• Group related items together
• Helps the eye move through your slide
• Alignment
• Visually connect elements
• Create strong verticals
• Repetition
• Repeat colors, shapes, visual elements
• Consistent background, picture placement, etc.
• Contrast
• Good color and shading techniques
• Using text that is readable

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Graphic Design Principles
A DISCUSSION ABOUT VISUAL SPACE
Chris Bornhoft Guest Lecturer
Center for Teaching Innovation Education 208
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Graphic Design Principles
A DISCUSSION ABOUT VISUAL SPACE
Chris Bornhoft Guest Lecturer
Center for Teaching Innovation Education 208
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Visual Guidelines

• Avoid multiple sentences if possible
• Avoid lines of text that leave one word hanging
• Keep spacing and text style consistent
• Other things to avoid.

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Things to Avoid

• Distracting backgrounds

• Distracting text

• Bad clipart

• Multiple fonts

• Unnecessary color

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Slide layout

• Top 3/4 guideline

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Slide layout

• Top 3/4 guideline

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Slide layout

• Top 3/4 guideline

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