Understanding the Basics of Graphic Design

Most PowerPoint slides are filled with text and decorative images.  We our text on the screen and notice it looks a little bland.  So we decide to put a nice image on the screen as well.

That’s fine for beginners.  But if you want to do a better job communicating, you have to apply more focus on the slide’s visual design.  And it all starts with understanding some graphic design basics.

If you’ve never had any training in visual design, I highly recommend that you get this book, The Non-Designer’s Design Book.  It does a great job covering the basics of visual design and typography.  I like the book because it gives good before and after examples.

I’ve also written a few blog posts for the Rapid E-Learning Blog that deal with visual design.

• 3 Graphic Design Principles for Instructional Design Success: Basic ideas around visual communication.
• 3 Simple Techniques to Guide Your Learner’s Attention: Explore ways to guide where and when the learner looks at info on the screen.
• 5 Common Visual Design Mistakes: Things to avoid when build out the slides.

Check out the blog posts and get the design book.  You’ll be creating slides like a pro in no time.