Presentation Zen Design by Garr Reynolds Book Analysis by Regina McKenna Nadbielny
Introduction 1.
Design Matters I am glad this book is for professionals that are not trained designers, as I am not a creative or artistic individual. As that is a challenge for me, I am excited that this book will help the reader create better visuals for multimedia presentations. What I found interesting is that we should be focusing on the design, not on the tools. The author suggests that we focus on the ideas, not the tools as better tools will always come along. I also thought it important that the author said our brainstorming at the beginning of the design should be away from the computer, preferably with pencil and paper.
I agree with Garr Reynolds when he says that often visuals are too cluttered or detailed. We need to simplify our designs to get across our message to the user. We need to be concerned with how the user is interpreting our message. We want to make a positive emotional connection with the user when they are viewing our visual presentation. People make judgments quickly so it is important to create attractive visuals which connect with them on an emotional level.
It is helpful to be open-minded when creating. We should also look at the problem from the viewpoint of our audience. It is important to give the audience the big picture and then focus on the details, but then go back to the main idea as that is what they will remember. With that in mind, it is important to keep it simple and the ideas clear without too much clutter. If a presentation is too busy, people will lose interest.
Components 2.
Presenting with Type
I found it interesting that so much thought goes into the typography that we take for granted. The shape, size, color and texture affect the meaning and the emotions of the audience. Thought should be given to each detail, including the use of apostrophes, quotes and dashes. Like the previous chapter states, it is important to keep the message simple and not have too much clutter. Clutter can be created with too many words on a slide or with too many different typesets that are not harmonious. Too many colors can also create too much visual noise.
One of the suggestions I find helpful is to design for people in the last row. The text should be large enough for everyone to read. This may seem obvious, but quite often presentations are not big enough for people in the back to read. In addition to the size of the text, spacing between letters and between lines is also very important. Create harmony by selecting a font in a family of the same type and then use different weights and sizes for effect.
One thing I plan to try is to vary the text placement on slides. When you have text angle up or down it will change the emotion of the slide. I will also try drawing a line instead of using the underlining because it looks amateurish. I like David Rose’s suggestion to, “Say it, then show it” rather than “Show it, then say it.” Most presenters put up a slide and then read it. It is more effective to talk about a point and then bring up the slide.
3.
Communicating with Color Like the typeset, color conjures up different emotions in your audience. Also like typeset, it is important to not overuse color, but to keep it simple and harmonious. I found it interesting to see the different slides with the same theme, but using a different hue, shade, tint or background. It is important to play with different options until you get the desired effect for your slide’s message.
I learned that in a large or dark venue one should use a darker slide background because white light can be blinding in a dark room. However, in a classroom setting, we want to use a white background and keep the lights on so students can see the visuals as well as the teacher’s face.
I like the use of colors from your picture in your presentation. Using colors for the text that complements the picture gives balance and harmony to the slide. A website that Garr Reynolds recommends is Kuler, a web-based color tool from Adobe (http://kuler.adobe.com). You can use their colors of make your own themes. I thought it was an interesting and useful website. You could use a color scheme in your presentation from a client’s logo. You can pick a palette of colors and go lighter. You can take a screen shot to grab the colors. I plan to try using this new tool.
4.
Using Images to Tell Stories I agree that we are visual beings and that vision is our most powerful sense. I personally am a visual learner and usually sit at the front of the class and takes lots of notes. When learning a new concept I need to see it and play with the technology to understand it. However, before reading this book, I did not give any thought as to how important it is to make simple presentations using images. I know it is appealing to the eye, but we usually tend to cram a lot of text into a slide and I will be more conscious now of making my slides less busy. I also learned from the author how important it is to tell a story with your pictures. The audience will have an emotional attachment to a picture and will remember that story longer than they will remember data or facts.
I really like Garr’s idea of bleeding images off the edge of the slide frame. It gives the image a much bigger impact. I also like his suggestion of breaking up a busy slide into multiple slides so it is easier for the audience to comprehend. Flickr offers millions of searchable images, so I created an account and looked for several images. Don’t use clip art, it is outdated! Another helpful hint is to crop images to better suit your needs. Garr also suggest using your own photographs for presentations and Scott Kelby gives 10 tricks for getting better-looking photos. Some of his suggestions that I will try are having
the subject in the shade since sunlight is too harsh. Also, move the subject to the left or right instead of the center. Use your camera’s presets for the appropriate shot and change your vantage point, getting down on their level.
5.
Making an Impact with Video As Garr states, “As powerful as still images are, there is often nothing like video to show problems in context or illustrate solutions.” Videos evoke more emotion than photos and to make our presentations more memorable, we have to find a connection with our audience. Video has the power to make us feel. Garr has some important tips for using video in our presentations. He suggests that we embed the video in case we don’t have an internet connection at the time of presentation or the video was removed. Therefore, we should download the video to our hard disk. Another important tip is to crop the video so we control where it starts and stops. Like slides, it is important that the video is big enough for the people in the last row to see. Garr also suggests that we keep videos short, less than 30 seconds. I also like his suggestion to use video in the background while text displays.
6.
Simplifying the Data It is important to be clear on the purpose of the data that you use in presentations and again Garr stresses the importance of keeping the slides simple. It’s important to remove busy background colors and pictures and use one bold color for emphasis on certain data. Keep charts and graphs simple and easy to read. Use the appropriate chart depending on the data that you want to show. Less is more, don’t overcomplicate a slide then it is too confusing for the audience to read. Emphasize the point that you are trying to make by highlighting what you want them to focus on and use a declarative statement. If you have a lot of data, you should hand out a document to see the numbers easier. If you have information that you can send without presenting, a slidedoc is a good alternative. You can create text and visuals for people to read, but again they should be concise with one idea per slide and easy to read. Gapminder World is great tool to use
for statistics where large amounts of data can be displayed in a simple, visual way. (www.gapminder.org/world) It’s great for information on social, economic and environmental data locally and globally.
Principles 7.
Seeing and Using Space It is important to have space in our presentations to create a clear visual message. Using white space helps avoid clutter, which causes the audience to tire. Space allows elements to “breathe”. The space allows for simplicity and clarity. We should also use asymmetrical balance to guide viewers through a design by using different weights and colors. With large photos, bleed off the edge of the slide for an effective visual. It is also important for elements to be vertically centered, so we should use the online rulers when working. We can also use a visual line or spotlight to guide our eyes to the text. We can create depth by using layers and shadows and use contrast and color to bring people in or out of the visual. Consistent with one of the themes in the book, “less is more”. Eliminate slides that are not necessary and remove non-essential information from a slide. What I like best about this book is all of the visual images and comparisons that Garr presents. In the side-by-side slide comparisons we can really see what is pleasing to the eye and what is not.
8.
Creating Purpose and Focus We are visual beings and cannot read lots of text and listen to a speaker at the same time. Therefore it is important to create simple visuals that support what we are saying. We want to create change and contrast to tell our stories. One way to do that is using lightness and darkness and varying size. We can also create contrast in shape, position, color and orientation. We want our presentation to be noticed, understood and remembered. It is important to have a focal point which then guides the viewer to the next focal point. The background should be simple and if using a picture, the image should not be too busy and it should support your message. If we use people in our slides, know that is where the eye naturally goes first. Use the image to then guide the viewer to the next
important message. A more complicated slide should be broken down into several slides which can give the appearance of motion. In my PowerPoint presentation for a math lesson, I tried to create a story displaying the data along the way, as a trial and error method that a middle school student might use to solve the word problem.
9.
Achieving Harmony We should strive to achieve harmony in our presentations. Our slides should relate to each other and be a part of a bigger message. It is important to simplify and unclutter each slide, so it is easier for the viewer to understand. This also includes minimizing the number of different colors, graphs and fonts on a screen. We can also create harmony by grouping similar elements closer together on a screen. I like Garr’s suggestion to use a grid to unify elements on a slide. He suggests using the 3 x 3 grid and to place the subject off-center.
In my second PowerPoint math lesson, I tried to create more harmony simplifying my slides, using less color and similar fonts. I also used larger fonts than I did in my first PowerPoint to make easier for those in the last row to read. I also had less pictures in the slides.
The Journey 10.
Slide Samples I enjoyed looking at the various slide samples and will use them for ideas when I create my own slides. I noticed that they were clear and simple to read without a lot of color. They were uniform using similar fonts and colors. The pictures they used created a powerful message.
11.
Continuous Improvement I have noticed that I now look at commercials, pictures, paintings, brochures and billboards with more of a visual eye and notice their designs and concepts. Before reading this book, I did not pay attention to the details. I enjoyed the book and in particular in the last chapter Garr’s statement, “Regardless of how old you are, you’re never too old to learn and improve.” I also appreciate his concepts that learning is all around us and it’s about the journey. We need to slow down long enough to see the lessons around us. I know this is something I have to make a personal commitment to do, because I am always in a rush and quite often miss life’s little lessons. Even small improvements every day add up to big improvements over time. Garr suggest that we keep a scrapbook of examples of good and bad designs, anything from napkins and paper cups to business cards and brochures, flyers and posters. He also recommends keeping a digital scrapbook and recording observations digitally. He suggests that we teach others what we learn as that deepens our own knowledge. We need to keep balance in our designs and tell a story with clear designs. I enjoyed Garr’s book and learned a lot from the many suggestions and visual examples that he presented.