How do you format your slide titles?

When creating a presentation, formatting your slide titles can greatly impact how your audience reads and understands the information presented. Many people default to what’s called “title case,” where each word is capitalized (with some exceptions).

However, others prefer “sentence case,” where only the first letter of the first word is capitalized.

In this post, I’ll explain why I prefer sentence case for slide titles.

Readability matters

While title case can make text look more important, it can also make it harder to read. Imagine reading an entire book in title case – it would be difficult on the eyes. This is where sentence case shines, as people can read it more fluently, which allows the audience to quickly understand each slide’s title.

Try reading this same paragraph in title case!

While Title Case Can Make Text Look More Important, It Can Also Make It Harder to Read. Imagine Reading an Entire Book in Title Case – It Would Be Difficult on the Eyes. This Is Where Sentence Case Shines, as People Can Read It More Fluently, Which Allows the Audience to Quickly Understand Each Slide’s Title.

Not pleasant, right?

Of course, slide titles aren’t that long but even so, you add a small amount of difficulty when you use title case. Across many slides, this can add up to a tiresome experience for your audience.

“A title in title case is said to have more gravitas, and it stands out as a title even without a special design being applied (bold face, large font size, etc.) Sentence case is supposed to be more casual and easier to read.” — from titlecaseconverter.com

“In sentence case, the first letter of a sentence and the proper nouns capitalized. It’s considered the most readable form of text.” – from uxdesign.cc

Note about title case: There is some disagreement about exactly which words not to capitalize but everyone agrees that conjunctions and articles are not capitalized. The disagreement applies to prepositions and I follow the rule (called AP Style) that prepositions under five letters are not capitalized and above that they are. For example the word through would be capitalized. But others don’t capitalize any prepositions.

Left-justifying your titles

Another tip to help your audience smoothly read your slide titles is to left justify them. In the past, most PowerPoint themes centered slide titles by default. However, with left justification, each slide’s title always starts at the same place, making it easier for the audience to know where to start reading. While most people may not consciously notice this, it can make the process of reading slide after slide more comfortable and easier on the brain.

To left justify your titles, it’s best to use the Slide Master.

1. Choose View, Slide Master.
2. Scroll up to the top, larger layout.
3. Click inside the slide title to select the title placeholder.
4. Click the Home tab from within Slide Master view.
5. In the Paragraph group, click the Align Left icon

Top justification for consistency

In the same way, top justification can help ensure consistency throughout your presentation. When your titles are all the same length, it may not make much difference. However, if some are one line and others are two lines, with the default middle justification, the first line of the title will move upward and not be in the same place. By top justifying your titles, they will always start in the same place, making it easier on the eyes and the brain.

To top-justify your titles, it’s best to use the Slide Master.

1. Choose View, Slide Master.
2. Scroll up to the top, larger layout.
3. Right-click on the edge of the title placeholder and choose Format Shape from the menu that appears.
4. In the Format Shape sidebar that appears, choose Text Options (1), then choose Textbox (2).
5. From the Vertical Alignment drop-down, choose Top (3).

Try it!

While title case may look more important, sentence case along with left-justified, top-justified titles can make your presentation more readable and easier to understand. By making small changes to your formatting, you can help your audience retain more information and engage with your message.

Try reformatting a presentation in this way and see if it looks better. Try it out on a real audience, too!

Leave a comment

Let me know what you’re doing now and what you think of title case vs. sentence case for slide titles.