Chapter Twenty-One

Designing Presentation

Aids

Chapter Twenty-One

Table of ContentsSimplicityContinuityTypeface Style and Font SizeColor*

Designing Presentation Aids

After you select the types of presentation aids you will use, you can begin design and construction.*

Simplicity

Present one major idea per aid.Your aid should develop your speech,

not merely repeat it verbatim.Word your points in short phrases.Minimize the number of words in the

aid to draw the audience’s attention to you.*

Continuity

Continuity means that you apply the same design decisions to all of your aids.

Colors, fonts, upper- and lowercase letters, and the use of symbols should be consistent throughout your aids.*

Typeface Style and Font Size

A typeface is a specific style of lettering: Serif

Small flourishes at the tops and bottoms of letters

Sans serifBlocklike and linear

Fonts are sets of sizes of typeface.*

Typeface Style and Font Size

Make sure your lettering is legible.Use a typeface that has a style

consistent with your own.Don’t overuse boldface, italics, or

underlining.Avoid using only all-capital

lettering.*

Color

Although color can stimulate the senses, if used unwisely it can also create the wrong mood.

Colors can have different meanings in different cultures.*

Color

Use bold colors to emphasize your important points and softer colors for less important areas.

Keep the background color constant.For typeface and graphics, use colors that

contrast against the background.Use between two and four colors.Many software packages have pre-

selected colors.*