Slide design rules for effective presentations

Slide design can be very subjective but there are some rules that are objective. These rules ensure that your slide is easy to understand and remember. When you use these rules, you can create clear slides that no one will struggle to comprehend. You’ll find that these rules are general enough to allow for lots of creativity and flexibility in your design.

I’ve broken up the rules into a few categories.

Background

Rule 1: The background shouldn’t be so busy that it attracts attention to itself and away from the slide’s content. This includes logos, footers, etc.

Rule 2: The background should leave enough space for your content.

Rule 3: The background color should contrast highly with the text color.

Text

Rule 1: The text color should contrast highly with the background color — or the color of anything else the text is on, such as shapes, images, charts, or text.

Rule 2: The text should be big enough to be read by a person with mediocre eyesight at the back of the room. Even chart labels should be readable and main text should be even larger.

Rule 3: In most cases, text should be sans-serif (such as Arial, Verdana, or Tahoma) because it’s easier to read on-screen.

Rule 4: There should not be so much text on a slide so that your audience is reading while you’re talking.

Images

Rule 1: Images should be of high-quality; use photos unless you’re creating an iconic look (such as the image for this post).

Rule 2: Images should be as big as possible without overwhelming text; they usually look best when they reach to the edges of the slide.

Rule 3: Images should help the audience understand and remember the point — and be persuasive, if that’s your goal. They shouldn’t be merely decorative.

Layout

Rule 1: Put one point or idea on a slide.

Rule 2: The audience should quickly know where to put their attention.

Rule 3: Objects on a slide should be orderly — no misaligned objects, for example.

Charts

Rule 1: All the text on a chart should be legible, even the axes.

Rule 2: Only include the data that is necessary to make the point.

Rule 3: A chart should be as simple as possible in its design, without losing clarity.

Tables

 Rule 1: Only include the data or text that is necessary to make the point.

Rule 2: All the text in a table should be legible.

Free downloadable checklist!

Do you agree with these rules? Do you have others that you follow? Would following a list of rules like this help you design more effective slides? Leave a comment!