Presentation Design Tips - Graphics

Structure
Design and Layout
Color—the Magic Ingredient
Type

DO

Use outlining elements correctly

Too many borders, boxes, lines, arrows and spaces can be distracting. Low-contrast boxes, such as the ones featured in the PowerPoint Design Wizard templates, are a better choice.

Add interest with art or photography

Clip or custom art, or an expressive photograph, can bring variety to a presentation. Just remember to use them only to support your message, not to fill up slides.

Choose a compact image format.

Experiment by saving an image in multiple file formats (GIF, JPEG, BMP, PCX, PNG, EPS, PCT, and TIF) and then try importing the resulting files into your presentation. Images can significantly increase a presentation's print time, so choose the smallest image file size with acceptable print quality.

Crop and resize images before importing them

This will give you potentially higher-quality output. Size each image to the exact height and width needed. If you do scale the image larger within PowerPoint, opt for a higher resolution to avoid jagged edges.

Keep your image's dpi at about half of your printer's resolution capabilities

For example, if your printer has 1200-dpi (dots per inch) resolution, keep your image at a maximum of 600 dpi - any additional dpi may not show an appreciable difference in quality and may slow print time.

DON'T

Use too many graphics

Like fonts, graphics and art elements are often overused by novice presenters. It's easy and fun to add them, but they should contribute to your message, not distract the audience.

Download one of our pre-designed PowerPoint templates or experiment with the PowerPoint Design Wizard (PC platform only). This tool includes a variety of professionally designed templates with carefully chosen color combinations and backgrounds to compliment your message.