Strengths
Across the board, we agreed that this “Obama vs. Romney” Prezi, designed by Meaghan Hendricks, is really well done. The first thing to catch our eye was how consistent the style is throughout. The colors mesh appropriately with the content (i.e. blue for Democrat, red for Republican) and we also like how the visuals match the content masterfully (i.e. “Domestic Issues” with a map of the US, “Economic Issues” with a dollar bill, “Foreign Affairs” with a globe). And the marked split down the middle of these visuals aptly evokes the fact that our country is equally as split on these issues.
Additionally, we appreciate how the presentation’s movement is minimal, yet interesting for the viewer. Many Prezi presentations run the risk of making the viewer physically sick with its quick twists and turns. Be aware of this possibility. Draw out movements, and don’t include too many quick, rapid movements.
Finally, we like the typefaces used, and the graphics employed. One of our designers called this “more of a moving infographic than a presentation,” which he observed is a much better way to display this particular content.
Content
Another clear strength of this Prezi is its content, which is excellent all around. There’s a fair balance of information disseminating each candidate’s views, and we like how it’s broken up into four distinct sections: Basic, Domestic, Economic and Foreign. Also, we love how Hendricks included a call to action at the end of the deck. After supplying necessary information about each candidate throughout the “moving infographic,” she rightly asks the view to VOTE 2012 while (smartly) remaining bipartisan throughout.
Weaknesses
The design elements we dislike in this Prezi deck are mostly minor complaints, but critique we must. We don’t love the tight fit of the text inside the shape of the U.S. in the Domestic Affairs section, and in the Foreign Affairs section, the black type is hard to read on the blue background, and the headers’ abrupt change in color is a little off putting.
One of our designers isn’t super crazy about the type used in the middle black bars (though, it’s far easier to read in full screen mode, which we assume is how Prezis are intended to be viewed). Moreover, we’re not sure why the designer used a graduation cap icon for the Alma Mater subhead in the Basics section, as icons are not used in the rest of the deck. Lastly, one of our designers would have liked to see Hendricks take more advantage of the movement Prezi is intended for. He found the linear movement a little boring for Prezi, and would have liked to see more pieces at depths or on different planes.
In Summation
Overall, we think this “Obama vs. Romney” Prezi presentation is well designed and full of important, relevant and fair content. Meaghan Hendricks did a fabulous job of remaining balanced in terms of covering both candidates, and she displayed the content in a beautiful, consistent way.
