February 10, 2009 at 10:15Talking headlines
As it was sung in the famous song: “Where does the homeland begin ...”, and if you shift it into the language of presentations and think, where does the slide really start? What is the first audience to see and how does it affect the perception of the slide as a whole?
It is well known that each slide should have a headline, because it is with it that the acquaintance with the information on the slide begins. It is he who sets the shades of perception. Why is he so important? I will give an example from our practice. Take a slide from one of our projects. See what this title would look like in most presentations:
Standard title, I call it “about nothing.” No emotions, well, great, they’ll tell us about the company now.
And let's see the option that we proposed:
See how immediately the slide began to be perceived differently. The headline tuned the audience - they now learn not just about the company, but about the company that is at the forefront of the market. A completely different message.
One can argue about why Our Team should write again, because the presentation is already about them, plus the logo is nearby. However, we wanted to give just such a headline (slogan) as something independent, not requiring speculation.
In conclusion, I will list a few basic rules that should be followed when creating effective headers for presentations:
Successful presentations.
PS: However, sometimes there are exceptions (often in the scientific community or in specific events, for example, in preparation for an IPO), when the presentation format simply requires dry and “ordinary” headlines. Well, there's nothing to be done, the format is the format.
PPS: Made another example:
Before:
After:
It is well known that each slide should have a headline, because it is with it that the acquaintance with the information on the slide begins. It is he who sets the shades of perception. Why is he so important? I will give an example from our practice. Take a slide from one of our projects. See what this title would look like in most presentations:
Standard title, I call it “about nothing.” No emotions, well, great, they’ll tell us about the company now.
And let's see the option that we proposed:
See how immediately the slide began to be perceived differently. The headline tuned the audience - they now learn not just about the company, but about the company that is at the forefront of the market. A completely different message.
One can argue about why Our Team should write again, because the presentation is already about them, plus the logo is nearby. However, we wanted to give just such a headline (slogan) as something independent, not requiring speculation.
In conclusion, I will list a few basic rules that should be followed when creating effective headers for presentations:
- Designate a heading for your design. It should be clearly understood that this is the title. Try not to overload the top of the slide (especially if the company has a complex or very large logo)
- Avoid boring, hackneyed names, come up with interesting and motivating
- Try to keep within 2 lines, a maximum of 3. Ideally, generally one
- The font size should not be smaller than the main text. Recommended size from 28 pt. (in PowerPoint)
- Avoid double headers. This is often found on slides where there are diagrams (tables, etc.). It turns out that there is a headline for both the chart and the slide itself. Align them, and place the chart on the whole slide
- DO NOT WRITE TITLES IN CAPITAL LETTERS
Successful presentations.
PS: However, sometimes there are exceptions (often in the scientific community or in specific events, for example, in preparation for an IPO), when the presentation format simply requires dry and “ordinary” headlines. Well, there's nothing to be done, the format is the format.
PPS: Made another example:
Before:
After: