Make Your PowerPoint Useful and Readable

First, two important standards, and then a list of tips to help you design your presentation.

Focus on the Education: 
Your presentation and any posted PowerPoints or handouts should focus on the subject of the presentation, and should not contain promotional content. Promotion of projects or services is not permitted during educational sessions.

Use of Your Institutional or Corporate Logo:
The logo of your college or university, or corporate firm may be used on the first and last slide only on a PowerPoint presentation. The educational slides between your introductory slide and your final slide must be clear of any institutional or corporate logos.

  • A font of at least 24 points can be easily read by everyone in the room. This rule of thumb applies to all graph fonts as well.
  • Create a title slide that contains the title of your presentation and your name, title, and affiliation.
  • Use powerpoint slides to provide visual aids, to illustrate points, or provide back-up. Do not read your presentation off the slide or recap each bullet point.
  • Graphs and tables follow the same rules as all other slides. If the font is too small or the information too detailed no one will be able to interpret the data. It is much better to include highly detailed information in handout format.
  • Keep the content simple and concise; use a different slide for each primary idea. Using five or fewer words for each title and 20 or fewer words per slide to enhance readability.
  • A light background will help make the slide legible from the back of the room and also make any slide print-outs easier to read. Black (or dark-colored) words are the easiest to read; red and yellow may be difficult to see for individuals who are color-blind or who are sitting in the back of the room.
  • DO NOT USE ALL CAPITALS, or a complicated font, which may be difficult to read.
  • Be aware of, and adhere to, copyright laws.
  • A slide does not have to be self-explanatory. It may be more effective if it is not clearly understood until the presenter explains it.
  • Make sure visuals are in the proper sequence. If you need to refer to the same slide at different points in the presentation, make a duplicate slide.