The Case for Good Presentation Design
Why should you care about good presentation design? Suffering through learning art theory to create better-looking presentations might seem inconsequential. After all, who wants to spend hours slaving away over object placement, choosing font styles, or debating about indistinguishable shades of gray?
And yet, visual design is how we deliver good presentations and attract others to our ideas. Presentations help us visualize what words can’t describe, teach complicated topics, win funding for the next big moneymaker idea, or inspire positive change through storytelling. Thoughtfully designed presentations are powerful— they can give our audience a reason to listen to us for just one more minute, and when paired with good oration, they put more spark and meaning behind our words.
Moreover, good presentation design can convince others that our ideas are inspiring or of excellent quality. Good presentation design can incite action or change. Our thoughts benefit from the creative problem-solving process. Good design might inject life into our ideas and present them in thoughtful, empathetic, energizing, and impressionable ways—and any industry or setting does not limit this.
If you are still unsure why good presentation design matters, I would tell you that everything is designed; the car you drive, the house you live in, the shoes you wear, or that entrée you always order from your favorite restaurant. Consider for a moment how the design of these things impacts your choices and how you interact with the world. To design is to construct something according to some plan or intention.
A young child can design, for example, by drawing the classic circle and five-lined stick figure, and even though we know this looks nothing like an actual human, we immediately know it represents a person. If you are up for a good laugh, try searching “funny design flaws” on the internet. Some things are designed horribly. We question their existence or deliberately choose to ignore or discard these things. Others are designed so well that we marvel at them as rare, strange, and beautiful. Simply put, design is one of those things that separates us from animals. The bottom line is that you can design something as amorphous as someone’s life or something as superficial and concrete as a handbag.
Everything is by design
Yes, everything is designed. I will even go so far as to say that you were created by design. I believe in intelligent design.
If you are in the business of creating presentations regularly, my book, Creative Slideware, is for you. The question is not, “Why should you care about good presentation design?” Instead, it is, “Why shouldn’t you care about good presentation design?”
Good presentation design has the unprecedented ability to elevate an idea and be the idea. Think of design as the vehicle for selling your ideas and information. This is especially true in our time, given that people, technology, and communication function together to provide information at our fingertips at lightning speed. Together, they exemplify the importance and need for design-based thinking. Consumer awareness of quality design is higher than ever before. Would you purchase something that is unnecessarily unattractive? Probably not. Today, information is a product consumed, so the design should be a priority as we craft a presentation.
The best presenters know there are compelling reasons to prioritize design. First-rate presentation design not only creates meaningful impressions but distinguishes you from the crowd, helps create meaning, and connects you to others.
Even if the importance of good presentation design is obvious, many of us stop short of attempting to learn about design because we are afraid of creating something imperfect. Yes, it is hard to become great at design. But in reality, nothing is perfect, and few designs achieve greatness. And yet, we can still strive for perfection, and we should see our ideas through to the best of our abilities because that is the stuff that catalyzes our personal growth. It begins with setting the intention to design a top-notch presentation, which requires awareness of what good design means.
Here are some of the most common excuses I hear from others, many of whom stopped short of attempting better design on their own for fear of imperfection.
1 – “I’m not the creative type.”
I have news for you: You are creative.
Creativity is a muscle. If you’re not convinced that you have this creative faculty, here’s an interesting thought:
“One-fifth of all current occupations will be replaced by artificial intelligence by 2030. The jobs that won’t be replaced? Those that rely on the core human traits most difficult for AI to replicate—creativity, intuition, curiosity, and imagination.”[1]
Whether or not that is true, it is undeniable that creativity is becoming increasingly important in the workplace. If you think you are not a creative type, this book is absolutely for you. Like a personal trainer coaches their clients, I will teach you how to revive the creative muscles that have atrophied since childhood. As children, we are unabashedly brave about sharing what excites us and gives us energy. You can regain that excitement and thrive with some creativity. I’m excited for you to have this book in your hands. Just like anything else, creativity is something that takes practice, and it is something that can be learned.
2 – “I don’t do magic. Can I get someone else to do this?”
First of all, putting together an aesthetically pleasing presentation isn’t magic. Ironically, it seems like magic when visual communication works well and stirs up emotions in your audience. You don’t know why, and you can’t explain how. It is evident to you and everyone else that your work looks professional, appealing, and creative.
I can edit your PowerPoint for you. Those who work for you can, too. The problem is that you learn nothing. You gain zilch when someone else does your work for you. I am hearing that there’s an 80% chance you don’t want to take the time to do it!
Of course, I’d be glad to do it. With each little rep of a PowerPoint slide, with each set, my repertoire of knowledge on how to fix alarming PowerPoints increases (but that should be you!).
You are probably just busy, and I understand. This book will help you by at least sharing simple design principles with you and your staff, along with common pitfalls I’ve seen over the years.
You are sharing this book with them and will teach them how to do this. Train their eyes to know what looks good. If you have already said you’re willing to commit the time, you can at least learn the difference between good and bad design here. My guide is in an easy-to-teach and easy-to-remember format, so if you don’t have much time, you can at least share it with your collaborators. Push the material down the ranks to create a well-oiled presentation machine that generates better presentations in half the time.
You could take the easy way out and buy a bunch of pre-made templates. I’ll even share a few of my top resources with you. But sometimes, you don’t have those tools at your disposal, and good luck trying to make design choices that don’t seem to work, even with a template!
What if you work for a large company that won’t let you use the fancy presentations you can purchase online? You could buy all the templates you need, but by learning the principles yourself, you can work on any PowerPoint.
3 – “Don’t I need a background in art?”
No. You don’t. If you have a background in art, that’s great—most of this will stick more easily. For the rest of us who have been doing a lot of PowerPoint without understanding why something looks good—or why a slide deck looks hideous or doesn’t make sense—this book will reveal the logic and reasons for visual appeal. I ask you to flip through these pages with an open mind. As Yoda once said, “Unlearn what you have learned.”
Some of the knowledge you have amassed about designing an exceptional presentation may not be true. Even if you were an art major, the knowledge you have collected might not apply one-for-one. It’s essential to remain open to new concepts. This book will help you build the neural pathways to make specific design choices that create a great piece of presentation artwork and help you edit the work of others with skill and ease.
Making a superior design on PowerPoint or Google Slides—or adding a set of components together to create the right story—is just about choosing a set of elements that work well together. This book will offer rules for how to make consistent design choices so that you have a meaningful impact on your audience. When you understand principles and elements of design—and practice the habit of choosing what works together and what doesn’t—you will slowly build the muscle memory to help make those choices second nature for you. Over time, you will become lightning fast.
In short, being good at design and building muscle memory for creativity will take time, and it is a choice. More specifically, it is a practice, and there are no shortcuts. Sticking with the metaphor, one who chooses a life of fitness should consider how they integrate a set of choices to position them to lift heavier weights or run a faster mile.
This book will save you from mistakes that cost you time and energy. It will take hard work to reroute your creative neuropathways—and it may not always seem like the practical thing to do. Avoiding shortcuts and putting in the position at the front end will make your life easier in the long run.
As you encounter more complex design challenges, your design problem-solving skills will become more sophisticated. You can see, fix, and create more aesthetically pleasing and robust materials. This is because you will have a depth of understanding and will not settle for mediocrity. Putting in the extra effort to learn new ways to implement robust designs will make your work transcend what you had previously found acceptable.
In my opinion, far too many presentations lack clear messaging. They include randomly designed elements slapped together, or they are stuffed with fluffy extra decorations for the sake of ornateness. These things muck up a page like too much syrup on a pancake. Have you ever sat through a presentation and wondered, What are they trying to say?
When your boss demands that you update or tweak a presentation for the umpteenth version, don’t you think there is a better way to start production? Trust me; they hate the back-and-forth, too. So, learn how to get to the good stuff at a better time.
4 – “I’m just not as passionate about it as you.”
Okay. Fine. I respect you more if you know what you are all about. The previous questions covered are ones people have asked me in the past. No one has been brave enough to tell me they don’t care about making better presentations. These complaints usually come in the form of lofty sighs and eye rolls.
Translation of the above: “You care way too much about how this looks.”
You’re right; I do.
The next time your boss asks you to make a slide deck, I want you to dig into your personal why. Ask, “Why am I this monkey behind the glass putting another slide together?”
But how often has someone asked you to think deeply about how you are using your precious time on earth to do quality work? No, you’re not saving the manatees. Have you thought about whether you are connecting with others through your content? If someone was passionate about a problem, and you came to them with the goose that lays the golden egg, how excited would that make them? How would that affect your career? Your day? What if I showed someone that my content is of superior value or quality? How would that reflect on me? My reputation? These things matter. For every action, expect an equal and opposite reaction.
The struggle to achieve that reaction can be confirmed. After reading this book, you’re not going to struggle. I will unveil the wizard behind the curtain.
5 – “Isn’t content more important?”
Your content should be at the heart of your why. Starting with good content helps tremendously. Why do you want something to look better? We often say we don’t judge a book by its cover. But here, we’re thinking!
If you were getting your Bugatti ready for a show, would you be okay showing it off dirty? Probably not. People would probably respect the car for what it was. A Bugatti covered in mud is arguably still a Bugatti. But the owner of the supercar is probably a slob. I’m judging the owner, who should have had it cleaned.
I recently learned that when it comes time for a Bugatti Veyron oil change, mechanics must remove the car’s fender liners and rear deck and that the oiling system comes with sixteen different drain plugs that can only be accessed by removing those parts of the underbody.[2] Do you know what that means? Every time someone who owns this sexy beast of a vehicle has to change the oil, they fork out $21,000 and wait 20–30 hours. Don’t you think the owner would save time by learning to disassemble the vehicle and change the oil themselves?
Design is not just about beauty; it’s also about function and practicality.
[1] David Wardle. “So, You Think You’re Not Creative?” Harvard Business Review, March 29, 2021.
[2] Kirby Garlitos. “Watch How the $21,000, 27-Hour Oil Change Is Done on a Bugatti Veyron @ Top Speed.” Top Speed, February 8, 2021.
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