When faced with compiling an impactful deck, one must consider the reader. There are many factors that impact readability. Focus, attention, and visual acuity are all elements that either aid in or detract from sending the desired message. Probably the most common question I am asked as a content strategist here at Ethos3 is regarding text size. “How small is too small?” is the inquiry plaguing many. While the answer can vary from project to project, here are some thoughts to guide you.
Read the Room
First and foremost, consider your audience. Have you seen the space in which you will be presenting your deck? If presenting in person, how deep is the room, and how far back might the farthest person be? Will your screen be viewed on a computer or a smartphone potentially? Take the time to view your presentation from the “cheap seats.” While 20/20 vision is perfect, not everyone in your audience will be. A good place to start is crafting your slides so that someone with 20/40 vision can see each word clearly.
Stick to Six
Understandably, there are slides that may need to have a lengthy statement. Examples of these are company mission statements and quotes. I’ve done some work for Aveda, and they have a mission statement that is a bit long yet fits perfectly on six lines with an appropriate text size.
I have seen many presenters have the room read that mission statement aloud together. In order to do this, the font must be clear and legible, large enough for each person to read and participate. This is a well-crafted slide for its intended purpose. On the other hand, if this slide were presented without prompt, many readers would skim the text, missing its impactful message completely. If you are going to do a slide like this, make sure it is with a concerted effort to engage the audience. Otherwise, stick to fewer than six lines of text when possible.
Twenty-Two Will Do
All things considered, a hard and fast rule of text size is to stay above 22-point font. This will change with different fonts, of course. Using a clear sans serif font like Calibri or Arial will enhance visibility. I recommend doing one-better and sticking to 24-point font and above. YES, this will make it difficult to add many elements to a single slide. That is precisely the “point.” Challenging yourself to accommodate a reasonable text size may mean breaking points out on to multiple slides. Do not be afraid of this. The more digestible each slide is, the more impactful your presentation will be.
Simply stated, if you are wondering if the text size is too small—it probably is. Find a way to balance the weight of the other visual elements of your slide to increase text size. Better yet, find a way to visually show what you are talking about instead of relying on text. Need someone to challenge you to think outside the box? Ethos3 offers free quotes for our full line of presentation design and training services. We’d love to hear from you today!
