Blog Layout

What is Good Design?

Alexander Frank • Feb 15, 2022

What is Good Design?

For most people new to design, its easy to make the assumption that design is how something looks, how it fits with your companies image or brand; but, thats not a 100% true assumption! Good design has more to do with how well something functions, whereas bad design fails to consider the persons needs.

As amateur designers work in PowerPoint or Keynote, it's easy to get caught up with themes, templates, smart art and diagrams, animations and transitions. Now, these aren't bad things: they're tools! But like anything else, it takes time and practice to learn how to use those tools, use them well, and in the correct context. There is much more to designing a presentation than knowing how to use the tool.


To create a good design that works we need to create and design a presentation that supports your message. When you sit down to write and design your presentation you should be able to answer these 3 questions:

  1. What is my primary message?
  2. What is my number 1 goal?
  3. How do I best visualize this message?


So as we prepare to run through what I expect to be a relatively lengthy yet valuable post here, grab a coffee, some pen and paper and let's learn what exactly good design is.


Taste

Much like cooking, music, cars etc, designing slides can be, well, personal! You like what you like. But, there are times when hosting a party, or attending a certain experience, your personal choice can and should be adjusted as needed. The thing is, not every aspect of design is a matter of personal preference or taste.


The environment you're in can impact your slides: How is the lighting? Can you read the text on the slide? Is the picture too blurry? It has a huge impact on how the presentation is received by your audience.


Our biology should also play a roll in your design. While it is not that common by any means, did you know that certain color combinations, bright contrasting patterns that flash colors can trigger headaches and even seizures? It is pretty remarkable how and what is needed to be taken into account when drafting an audience focused talk!


The Three Pillars of Good Design

Audience, environment and message. These should all be embracing your design at any moment! What happens if one of these pillars fail? Well, the design isn't as structurally sound.

When considering your audience, remember that communication is about community. It's about change. It is to communicate an idea to inspire someone. This isn't about the words or idea: its about the people! Yet someway somehow, this is forgotten about during preparation. The focus turns too much on the presenter or on the slides themselves. Again: its about the audience; the people!


Next, the environment! Most people think an in person presentation is just that. But, how large is your audience? 10 people? 100 people? 1000 people? What if its a virtual presentation? Heck, maybe you're hearing impaired and are reading the presentation vs. listening to it. Where you are presenting has a huge impact on slide design. Adjustments will need to be made depending on the size of the room, size of the audience, the screen, quality of projector, etc. As always, the details here matter!


Lastly, the third pillar of good design is the message. Your designs shouldn't be a distraction from the message. The designs should work with the message, not against it. Often enough when there is too much blank space on a slide, presenters will feel the need to arbitrarily fill it up with an image, an animation, etc. Psychologists have actually given a name for this phenomenon: Visual Dissonance. It's a state of tension when someone experiences a disparity between what they expect to see and what they actually see. Unfortunately when this happens, the audience becomes disconnected from the presenter and the message, trying to find the bridge of explanation of the random image and the message. They miss the entire point of the presentation!


With all that said and done, let's move on to view the key design elements of good design.

1. Hierarchy

The human brain is one of, if not the most fascinating machine on the planet. Through size, shape, color, saturation and texture, our brains tend to manipulate how and what we see and gravitate towards first. So, let's use that to our advantage!


When one element differs greatly from the rest on the page, we have no choice but to give that odd piece our attention. The way you create visual hierarchy is by creating levels of visual dominance or focal points within the design, and throughout your presentation. Most importantly, your slides visual hierarchy should match your content's hierarchy. Basically meaning you should cross reference your outline for your slide design, not using it as your design.


Now, when hierarchy comes into play of a presentation, a traditional method of general explanations typically involves bullet points. But what else comes to mind when you think of bullet points? Daydreaming! When individuals are hit with the same layout including color and type slide after slide after slide, they eventually stop paying attention to what you are showing them. It is actually through a scientifically proven phenomenon called habituation. Habituation is a "form of learning in which an organism decreases or ceases to respond to a stimulus after repeated presentations."


So, don't habituate your audience! Choose layouts and visual structures that support your content.


2. Using Space Effectively

Space is an important part of any good design. Like this blog post here, you the audience might only notice the words and not the few photos placed. That is made possible by the space creating separation between objects, and guides viewers eyes to difference sections of the slide design.

coca cola bottle against a plain red background

Now, problems begin to occur when space contradicts the intended message or tone. It can mean a feeling of luxury or a feeling of being lost; a feeling of calm or a feeling of constraint. So what do you do with all that space? Learn to see it differently! Learn to see how it can positively affect your design, your subject, and your message!


As Alex White once said, "active space is considered carefully considered emptiness". It can help bring harmony to a design and bring a certain tone to it. Maybe it is to demonstrate a certain idea to visually show packed users in a space or a lack of users in a space. Whatever it may be, remember to give breathing room to your items on your slide. It'll help you, but more importantly, it will help your audience!


One final note: you are designing for your content as well as your audience. If you audience is used to seeing one thing a certain way and then you bring in something brand spankin' new, there is potential there to have a greater contrast than desired. People don't like change so don't change things up too much. Of course, some change is good, but dont go way over board. Create a unified experience and your audience will stay engaged!

3. Using Color Effectively

Color impacts emotion. It draws us in, pushes us away, or sometimes even makes us feel indifferent. When deciding on a color palette for a presentation, it's important to take that into account. While there are many deeper meanings behind each color across the color wheel, let's keep it simple for now!


Color should attract. Think back to a recent party or business meeting. What color was everyone wearing? Did anything standout? Did something not "belong"? Did something standout? Our eyes and our minds will typically gravitate what stands out – and thats a good thing! It becomes easy for us to point out things we like, dislike, desire, or signal we should stay away from...literally! It should highlight important data titles or objects, and not just be there for decoration.


In Conclusion...

Design does not happen all alone. It happens within a community! Speak with your peers, join some online sites like graphicdesignforum.com, aiga.com, or presentationguild.org. There is a vast number of resources out there with many people excited to work with you and assist on your creative journey.


Until next time!

Blessings and blue skies,


Alexander Frank


Special thanks to Jess Stratton, Heather Ackmann, Garrick Chow and Megan Bross for providing a lot of insight and knowledge in this practice!

Looking for the occasional tip?

We promise to only send you the helpful stuff every now and again.

No spam.

"Good insight here Alexander, thank you."

CEO - Leddy Power

A laptop computer is sitting on a table next to a vase and glasses.

Power of Data Storytelling

By Alexander Frank • 17 May, 2024
Introduction
a laptop computer is sitting on a table next to a vase and glasses .

The Power of Minimalism

By Alexander Frank • 13 Mar, 2024
Why Less Text Means More Impact in PowerPoint Presentations
More Posts
Share by: