A Case for Case Usage

Typography is profoundly effective in differentiating the feel of text. Deliberating over the right font for your presentation can take time. It is important to pick a look and feel that matches your brand, your sound, and your message. Lately there has been much reinvention in case usage. Some fonts use all caps very effectively. Others do not have capitalization options at all. Is it a good idea to follow this trend of taboo case usage, or should we all stick to mixed case? When sticking to mixed case, do we use sentence case or title case on our slides? In any case, exploring all of the options and knowing their nuances is worth the journey.

“ALL CAPS”

Using all caps or a font without a lowercase option reads strong, loud and clear. Readability of all caps with heavy text is the drawback here. A word or two on each slide in all caps is not likely to overwhelm the eye. Studies have shown that with proper spacing, a sans serif font can be tolerated in small doses with all caps—making decks with minimal text more well suited to this case usage. If you want to emphasize a few words without overwhelming your reader, bolding text is much more effective. Simplicity is key for maximum impact. Be sure to evaluate your message, ensuring it will benefit from this bold, punchy edge.

“lowercase”

An all-lowercase approach has an understated simplicity to its messaging. It feels friendly, kind, courteous, unassuming and unpretentious. In the right scenario, this can build trust with the reader. The feel of your messaging is all about creating a relationship with your audience. The reader can tolerate much more text in all lowercase than all caps. It is only a minor adaptation for your brain to recognize text in this format. Finally, a brand has to have the freedom to break the mold to make this work. This strategy is still very unconventional, so your deck must be very modern and sophisticated to avoid seeming elementary.

“Sentence case” vs. “Title Case”

Mixed case lettering is most familiar to the eye. Word shape is more distinctive in mixed case than upper case. The eye is trained to search for capitalization to begin and end sentences. Title case makes sentences mildly difficult to read, forcing one to stop and process every word. That is precisely why title case can be effective, but again, steer clear of anything that is difficult to read for heavy text. Sentence case is right for anything longer than one sentence, so it is the best case usage for heavy text.
In every case, continuity and consistency are most important. Make sure that if you are using title case, it is used on every slide in every title. Inconsistency can be very distracting to the reader, ultimately deeming the deck unprofessional. Need help determining the case usage best suited for your deck? Ethos3 obsesses over presentation design. Reach out today to get a quote to see how we can take your deck to the next level.

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