Apr 27 2010

What Makes an Image Good for Presentations – Part I

Lots of photos are taken, but few are chosen. (c) Thinkstock

Lots of photos are taken, but few are chosen. (c) Thinkstock

If you’ve read any presentation design books lately (Presentation Zen Design, Slide:ology, etc.), you’ve probably decided to use more images in your presentations. However, you may still be wondering if the images you’re selecting are good, average, or lame. Using more lame or average images in your presentations is about as helpful as adding more bullet points or animations to your PowerPoint slides. Continue reading “What Makes an Image Good for Presentations – Part I”

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Mar 18 2010

Book Review: Presentation Zen Design

Garr Reynolds' new book

Garr Reynolds' new book!

After his breakthrough book, Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery, Garr Reynolds brings us another offering to the presentation design altar, Presentation Zen Design: Simple Design Principles and Techniques to Enhance Your Presentations. If you enjoyed his first book, you should like his second book. I agree with other reviewers that it isn’t the same breakthrough as his first Presentation Zen book was, but it is a worthy follow-up book for fans of his blog and anyone who does presentation design on a regular basis. Overall, I give this book four out of five stars. Continue reading “Book Review: Presentation Zen Design”

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Aug 24 2009

Book Review: The Non-Designer’s Design Book

Non-Designer's Design Book

Don't judge a book by its cover -- even though it is a "design" book.

The Non-Designer’s Design Book (Third edition) by Robin Williams – not to be confused with the famous comedian by the same name – provides “design and typographic principles for the visual novice.” Although this book does not focus on PowerPoint presentations at all (mainly desktop publishing examples – business cards, brochures, newsletters, etc.), many of her design principles are transferable to the PowerPoint world. I became interested in reading this book when Garr Reynolds referenced her in his Presentation Zen book. Continue reading “Book Review: The Non-Designer’s Design Book”

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Jun 30 2009

Curse of Pac-Man: the Dangers of 3D Charts in PowerPoint

If you grew up playing video games in the 80’s, you’ll have fond memories of Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man. These classic arcade games were revolutionary in their day and continue to be favorites today. If you compare their simple 2D format to today’s lifelike first-person shooters, you wonder why people still continue to play them. The fact is their simple game play is still infectious. Continue reading “Curse of Pac-Man: the Dangers of 3D Charts in PowerPoint”

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Jun 11 2009

Tips for Sharing Large PowerPoint Files

How can I get this 18 MB file to our client in Chicago in the next 7 minutes?

How can I get this 18 MB PPT file to our client in Chicago in the next 7 minutes? (c) iStockPhoto / contour99

You killed yourself to complete a PowerPoint presentation on a short deadline. You put a lot of time and effort into your slides — crafting a cohesive message, choosing some great images, and building some advanced animation effects. What a relief that you were able to submit everything on time, and you’re confident that you’ll receive great feedback on all your hard work (promotion, hello?). Continue reading “Tips for Sharing Large PowerPoint Files”

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