PowerPoint and Presenting Stuff

Duplicate, Rename, and Edit Slide Layouts in PowerPoint 2016 for Windows

All slides within PowerPoint are based on one of the available Slide Layouts (we call these just layouts for the rest of this tutorial). These layouts can be chosen when you add a new slide or you can even change the layout of your existing slides — both these options are accessible from the Home tab of the Ribbon. Click the down-arrow on the New Slide button to get a drop-down gallery. Click any of the layout thumbnails here, and you end up adding a new slide based on that layout.

Learn how to duplicate, rename, and edit Slide Layouts in PowerPoint 2016 for Windows.

Filed Under: PowerPoint 2016
Tagged as: Layouts, Office 2016, PowerPoint 2016, Slide Layouts, Slide Masters, Templates, Themes, Tutorials

Visual Design Solutions: Conversation with Connie Malamed

Connie Malamed is a consultant, author, and speaker in the fields of online learning, visual communication, and information design. She has helped nonprofit, government, and corporate clients transform their content into interactive learning experiences for more than 20 years. Connie is the author of Visual Design Solutions and Visual Language for Designers. She publishes The eLearning Coach website and podcast. Connie has degrees in art education and instructional design.

In this conversation, Connie talks about her new book, Visual Design Solutions.

Geetesh: Connie, there are so many design books, as you mention in the opening pages of your new book. So, what motivated you to author Visual Design Solutions: Principles and Creative Inspiration for Learning Professionals? Tell us more.

Connie: Yes. There are so many wonderful and useful graphic design books. I have quite a large collection myself. But these books mainly focus on the design of company branding, brochures, advertising, newsletters, and the like. In fact, to many people, the term “graphic design” is associated with these formats.

In light of this, I couldn’t help but notice a lack of resources and references for the visual design of learning materials, such as eLearning and slides. I wrote Visual Design Solutions to fill this gap. I not only present design principles, but I discuss how they benefit learning.

Instructional designers, trainers, and educators look at the world from a unique perspective, and that’s the perspective from which I wrote the book. We want to communicate in a way that enhances comprehension and improves retention. We want people to use our materials to improve their skills. This is a different mindset than an advertiser who is designing for potential consumers. Although the design principles are similar, the intent is different.

Geetesh: How is Learning/eLearning Design different than or similar to conventional Graphic Design?

Connie: In the design of learning materials, we have many constraints. Although we need to create an aesthetic experience to motivate learners, our main focus is on clarity, which enhances comprehension. We must use visual cues so learners won’t miss out on information. And we must find visual metaphors to help people learn.

For eLearning, we design for interactive activities and for navigation. We design for simulations, scenarios, and characters speaking to each other. In many ways, the visual design needs of the learning professional are quite different than those of the conventional graphic designer.

Symmetry

Asymmetry

Geetesh: Can the principles in your book work well for designers who create slides in PowerPoint and other similar programs?

Connie: I do think the principles work well for slide creation, and I had this in mind while writing the book. In-person training often relies on slides. And presentation slides are often educational. So, when I discuss graphic space, typography, working with images, color principles, unity, and grouping, the concepts are as true for slides as they are for eLearning and job aids.

Alternative to Bullets 01

Alternative to Bullets 02

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company.

Filed Under: Interviews
Tagged as: Books, Connie Malamed, Design, Diagrams, Graphics, Interviews, Visuals

St. Patrick’s Day PowerPoint Presentation

This ready-to-use presentation has slides about St. Patrick’s Day, its origins and its customs.

Download and use these slides.

Filed Under: Events
Tagged as: Events, PowerPoint, Presentation Samples, St. Patrick's Day

Custom Backgrounds for Slide Master and Layouts in PowerPoint 2016 for Windows

Content and appearance are the two major components of presentation slides. Among them, the former is always more significant than the latter — but that does not mean that you should neglect the latter. A simple looking presentation with a clean background is always a great idea since that doesn’t overpower your message. Yet, there are plenty of opportunities to go beyond a plain background and use a less restrained background instead — your choice for a slide background should complement the content of your presentation. For example, you’ll want a flashier background for slides created for kindergarten students — or if you were creating a PowerPoint greeting card. On the other hand, you may want a washed out, faded, or even a subtle patterned picture for a typical business presentation.

Learn how to apply custom backgrounds to both the Slide Master and Slide Layouts in PowerPoint 2016 for Windows.

Filed Under: PowerPoint 2016
Tagged as: Background, Office 2016, PowerPoint 2016, Slide Layouts, Slide Masters, Tutorials

Change Background Styles for Slide Layouts in PowerPoint 2016 for Windows

When you change Background Style of the Slide Master, the Background Style for all dependent Slide Layouts will also change. However, it is not necessary for all your Slide Layouts to possess the same Background Style as the Slide Master. Each slide Layout can have its own independent Background Style, as you will learn in the rest of this tutorial. Follow these steps to learn more in PowerPoint 2016.

Learn how to apply Background Styles to individual Slide Layouts in PowerPoint 2016 for Windows.

Filed Under: PowerPoint 2016
Tagged as: Background, Masters, Microsoft Windows, Office 2016, PowerPoint 2016, Slide Layouts, Slide Masters, Tutorials