Guidelines for visual aids such as transparencies, slides, or computer presentations.
Use a font large enough to be seen from the back of the room. (Rule of thumb: title 18pt, subtitle 14pt, other text 12pt.) Use a color for the wording that has a very high contrast to the background. A gradiated background that transitions from dark to light can make words difficult to read as the contrast changes. Keep the background simple and get the message across. Avoid busy, confusing backgrounds.
Keep it simple. Each slide should have an easily identified main point. Use phrases rather than complete sentences and avoid inessential information. Pictures, tables, graphs and charts are effective tools to present data or to show trends and statistics.
