Guidelines for Presentation Design
TechWriter Days · Guidelines
Presentation design guidelines
The guidelines are grouped by topic so you can quickly find what you need: layout, readability, content, media and final checks.
How to use this page
Open the section you need and check your presentation point by point. The first section is open by default; the others can be expanded when needed.
Branding and layoutLogo, template, headings and screen format.3 guidelines
01Use of the conference logo
- Every slide must contain the conference logo.
- Use a transparent background when placing the logo in the presentation.
- You may use a ready-made presentation template for convenience.
02Headings
- Every slide must have a heading.
- Do not put a full stop at the end of a heading.
03Screen format
- Create presentations in 16:9 format for optimal display.
Slide readabilityFonts, contrast, colours and visibility in the room.3 guidelines
01Choice of fonts
- Use standard fonts, such as Arial.
- The minimum text size is 18 pt.
- Non-standard fonts may display incorrectly after conversion.
02Colour scheme
- Do not use black text on a lilac background or other hard-to-read combinations.
- Avoid soft pastel colours, such as pale pink, as they are difficult to see.
03Use of space
- Use the slide space as fully as possible.
- Stretch images to the available area.
- Place content in the upper three quarters of the slide: the lower part is often hard to see from the back rows.
Content and structureTerms, numbers, units of measurement and the final slide.4 guidelines
01Use of English terminology
- Avoid excessive use of English terms.
- Excessive English terminology can be perceived negatively by participants, even if most of them understand technical English.
02Units of measurement
- Use superscript for m² or m³: Format → Font → Superscript.
03Number format
- Try to reduce the number of digits: for example, write 40 thousand roubles instead of 40,000 roubles.
04Final slide
- Put the key conclusions or the main idea of the presentation on the final slide.
Code, screenshots and mediaCode formatting, screenshots, video and animations.4 guidelines
01Code formatting
- You may use separate guidelines for formatting code in your presentation.
02Screenshots
- Before adding a screenshot, check the text for errors so that red or green underlines do not remain visible.
- Crop unnecessary elements: toolbars, menus and empty background.
03Animations
- Use the same animation effect for slide transitions.
- Do not overload the presentation with animations.
04Video
- Avoid video inserts: video significantly increases file size and makes the file less convenient to work with.
- Use animated GIFs as an alternative.
Checks and formatsSpelling, terms, ethics and supported file formats.3 guidelines
01Text checking
- Check names, surnames of methodology authors and specialised terms.
- Use built-in spelling and punctuation checks.
02Ethics
- Do not use obscene language in your slides or speech.
03Supported formats
- PowerPoint (PPT, PPTX) and PDF are recommended.
- Prezi and Keynote presentations are not accepted.
More news