How to select and design illustrations, creating presentations in the same style

Imagine a jigsaw puzzle assembled from several different sets. Unfortunately, an online presentation or webinar can easily turn into  the same mismatched picture. We believe that most readers have come across such unsuccessful efforts – a mixture of images in different styles, decorated with all the colors of the rainbow “for beauty” and a dozen different fonts. The spectacle is chaotic, sloppy and repulsive.

When working on a presentation, always remember that it must be consistent and designed with a uniform style. To do this, try to adhere to the following rules:

Choose two primary colors to design your presentation. These will, preferably, have as much contrast between them as possible. Given that you can use shades of these colors, this solution leaves you quite a lot of wiggle room.

As a rule, there is relatively little text in presentations, so in most cases one or two fonts is enough.

Try to make all the graphs, charts and diagrams yourself, designing them in accordance with your chosen color scheme and style.

Choose one (and only one!) genre and image style for your slides. It does not matter which you choose – classical paintings, black and white photographs or drawings in the sand – it all depends on the goals and topic of your presentation. The same principle applies to pictograms, stickers and emoticons.

If there are many objects in the illustration, indicate to the audience in advance which one you want them to pay attention to by using arrows, frames, captions or other methods to accomplish this. It is critical, though, that any visual element you utilize sustains the general style of your presentation.

Make inscriptions and symbols on top of the image clear, sharp and easily visible. Never block the main objects or people’s faces with them. Unless, of course, you need to focus on a part of the face or the primary object.

Be sure to ensure that all of the presentation’s images are at least approximately of similar quality.

When adjusting the image to size, follow this rule: ‘cut, but do not pull.’ Stretching an image’s height or width very often distorts the proportions with negative results.

As you work on your script, sketch out a rough outline of each slide by hand. This will make it easier to search for or create your own images.

However, having avoided one trap, it is easy to fall into another – to make the presentation unnecessarily monotonous and monotonous. Here are some tips for dealing with this problem:

Minimize the amount of text on your slides as much as possible. Since it is often impossible to do without any text at all, look for the most concise and simple wording. It is better to leave more empty space with a pleasing background than to completely fill the slide with text.

Avoid platitudes. Emphasize first associations with the idea you want to illustrate. Look for original content, but don’t try to dig too deep or impress your audience with erudition. Ideally, the illustration should immediately complement and display your idea, while helping the audience to remember it due to its originality.

Try to evenly distribute illustrations throughout the presentation. If the presentation lasts 15 minutes and you have prepared 15 to 20 slides for it, then it is logical to show one slide every 45 seconds to one minute.

Use this principle as your guide: ‘one slide – one idea.’ Exceptions may be slides with the presentation’s outline or final conclusions.

Avoid complex images and diagrams. Explaining what, with what and how in the illustration quickly tires the audience  and divides their attention between the image and your story.

When designing slides, try to vary them within your chosen style. What does this mean? For example, change the ratio of space given to image and text from slide to slide. Alternate different types of images – if the previous slide was a landscape, then let the next one be, for example, a person. A good option is to alternate slides with artistic images and slides with graphs and diagrams.

As we wind up, in addition to both lists, we leave you one more piece of advice. An interesting option for creating a uniform, original presentation style is to draw all the images yourself. Even a “childish”, two-dimensional drawing can be more interesting and original than professional images. Such a slide, very likely, will prove to be well remembered. Do you think that you have no artistic talent? Arrange an art exhibit  with your colleagues, employees and relatives or hire an artist. Having your own unique style is worth the time and resources spent.