A vignette effect on a photo typically places a dark, semi-transparent border around it. There are other possible variations, such as a light border, but dark is more common. Designers use this effect to make the center of the image stand out. Here you see a photo with and without a vignette. Can you […]
Design for quick changes–because changes always happen
At Presentation Summit 2012, Nolan Haims, Director of Presentation at Edelman (a large PR firm) gave a session called “In the Trenches” about how to design presentations for quick changes and high-end results. His department is responsible for designing presentations that the firm uses to get new clients. Not only do they have to be […]
Create a changeable radial gradient background theme
I’ve mentioned before (here) that you can create a theme in PowerPoint 2007 that changes as you change the theme colors. This gives you lots of flexibility to create a great background in many circumstances. For example, you can change the background to the branding colors of a potential client is you give sales presentations. […]
Create a radial gradient background with a highlight effect
Even top designers who disavow backgrounds sometimes use gradient backgrounds. As an example, see the link at the end to the “Create a timeline agenda in PresentationZen style” which was done by Garr Reynolds. If you look at the embedded presentation’s slides 7-12, you’ll see a slight gradient. A radial gradient background with a lighter […]
Create text reflections
One of PowerPoint 2007’s new features is reflections. You can create reflected text in earlier versions, too, using WordArt. Click the WordArt button on the Formatting toolbar. In the WordArt gallery, choose a simple option (nothing wavy), and click OK. Enter the text you want in the Edit WordArt Text dialog box. If you want […]