Typography
Typography is the most prominent design element in this SlideShare deck, which is a testament to how memorable the seemingly simple element of type can be in design. Notice how our designer used large type throughout, often making it the largest design element on the slide, which encourages the inclusion of just one point per slide. The slides featuring quotes (slides 5-10) exemplify the power of including just one point per slide in large type; the quote is the most important element on the slide, and thus it’s the largest element.
A good rule of thumb when dealing with typography is to limit yourself to using just one or two (three, maximum) different types throughout one deck. Feel free to add textures or variations on the types you’re using to differentiate them, and to add a little something extra (check out slide 3 for a great example). Also, play with different levels of opacity in your typography. Look at Slide 5’s quote: each of the three “Kindness” words are set in a different opacity, which is an easy way to keep the slide visually interesting.
Consistency
This SlideShare deck is also a great example of maintaining consistency in design. In a typical presentation, there are separate and distinct sections throughout, and while those sections can have different designs, they should also maintain consistency within the particular section. For example, notice the difference between the quote slides and the introduction/conclusion slides in this deck. The quote slides are all similar to each other, i.e. the types are the same, and each features an image of the quoted person. Likewise, the introduction and conclusion slides are similar to one another, allowing the design elements used in the beginning to come full circle in the end.
Notice how the banner element from slides 1 and 4 is used again in the concluding slides 11 and 13. Similarly, the circle element on slide 2 with the accompanying text “A New Chance,” is nearly identical to the concluding slide 10 accompanied by the text “A New Year.” This high level of consistency can be easily overlooked by the viewer because it’s expected. People crave consistency in design because it helps them associate separate sections of slides with one another, and thereby encourages them to associate similar information together. Inconsistencies in design are glaringly obvious to the average viewer because it makes the deck look like a mish-mash of information rather than a well organized presentation.
