Breaking the Rules: It's Okay To Have Fun
December 24, 2006 Filed in: Breaking the
Rules
I must seem a total stick-in-the-mud when it comes to
slide design at times. I talk all about slides to
avoid. I go one about image and background quality. I
rant about fonts. Really, all I want is for your
professional presentations to look better and more
effectively reinforce the things you are trying to
communicate. Still, some topics beg for a more casual
and "fun" approach to slide design. Here are two
examples in my own catalogue.
For some time, I've been working on a presentation about using Scrabble in classroom settings. Scrabble is a game, and I couldn't help but pay homage to its distinctive gamepaly on many of the slides in painstakingly recreating tiles on which much text appears.
x
Add to this fact that every slide has numerous animations and builds (I'm particularly proud of some of the slides that record scores), and you end up with a presentation that breaks most rules of sensible design. The great thing, though? The presentation works anyway.
In about a month, I'm going to be giving a talk at a conference in Indianapolis discussing the merits of positive reinforcement in video games and classroom application. Video games! How can you pass up having fun with that topic?
x
(I picked up material that helped with these slides from this blog.)
Silly fonts, bright colors, tons of animations again, and here we have a presentation that tells sensibility to take a long walk off a short pier. Regardless, the slides fit the talk, and they entertain while they reinforce.
I would never suggest this approach with talks about serious subjects, but, occasionally, topics lend themselves to fun. Remember, though: quality still counts, and whimsy is no excuse for a sloppy job. Creating fun slides is serious business and takes as much work as any other presentation. If done well, though, fun presentations can be every bit as engaging and effective as more professional ones.
For some time, I've been working on a presentation about using Scrabble in classroom settings. Scrabble is a game, and I couldn't help but pay homage to its distinctive gamepaly on many of the slides in painstakingly recreating tiles on which much text appears.
x
Add to this fact that every slide has numerous animations and builds (I'm particularly proud of some of the slides that record scores), and you end up with a presentation that breaks most rules of sensible design. The great thing, though? The presentation works anyway.
In about a month, I'm going to be giving a talk at a conference in Indianapolis discussing the merits of positive reinforcement in video games and classroom application. Video games! How can you pass up having fun with that topic?
x
(I picked up material that helped with these slides from this blog.)
Silly fonts, bright colors, tons of animations again, and here we have a presentation that tells sensibility to take a long walk off a short pier. Regardless, the slides fit the talk, and they entertain while they reinforce.
I would never suggest this approach with talks about serious subjects, but, occasionally, topics lend themselves to fun. Remember, though: quality still counts, and whimsy is no excuse for a sloppy job. Creating fun slides is serious business and takes as much work as any other presentation. If done well, though, fun presentations can be every bit as engaging and effective as more professional ones.