Signal vs. Noise ratio is a ratio of critical information to not pertinent information on a slide. It is essential to have more information that is valuable in supporting your overall main idea than aesthetics or information that has little to no value. It is best to avoid filling your slides with extreme amounts of pictures, text, or anything that does not support your learning objective. When designing your slides, try to be concise, as it prevents overloading the human brain by trying to process too much information. When choosing a font, try to choose something that is easily readable and is consistent throughout the presentation. A good rule of thumb is the 1-7-7 rule: one main idea per slide, only seven lines of text, and seven words per line.

The picture superiority effect mentions that individuals can remember and recall pictures far more easily than written text. Therefore, the old saying a picture is worth a thousand words is essential as it sheds light on how pictures convey a message more effectively than words. For instance, using words to describe how to solve a mathematical equation is not nearly as effective as a picture depicting the steps accompanied by text. Students will be more likely to remember how to solve an equation when completing their exam, thanks to the photo. Ultimately, complex information can be more straightforward to decipher and digest through diagrams, charts, or pictures. It is essential to use a photo of good quality without breaking the bank. Morgue File, Imagine After, Everystockphoto engine, and even Google are great places to look for free images.

Empty Space, also known as white space, is the concept of leaving areas on your slide blank for an elegant end product. This concept is complex for many people as they have been taught for several years to pack their slides with as much information as possible. However, empty space on a slide allows you to appreciate and digest the critical information rather than filler information to occupy space. When a slide is filled, it confuses the reader on what information should be read first. Ultimately, this may discourage the reader from reading some aspects of the slide that may be important to the overall objective. The golden section is a proportion that can be used to organize the content on your slide to ensure it has just enough empty space.

Contrast is a simple yet effective design principle that creates an apparent difference between elements. Contrast can be completed through color choices, manipulation of space, volume level, font color or style, and even differences in textures and patterns. These elements help you create a contrast between visual or audio elements to have a single component that is dominant. Without making changes to the items displayed, it is virtually impossible to comprehend the overall meaning. Studies have shown that readers’ attention is more easily captured when contrast is used throughout a presentation. Overall, contrast helps create a more aesthetically pleasing presentation that is much easier to follow.

Alignment is a critical element in creating a neat and organized presentation. When making a presentation, it is imperative to place the content to align with the other items on the page. Most presentation-making software will show invisible gridlines when arranging content to ensure everything is aligned correctly. There are three types of alignment for shapes or pictures: horizontal, central, and vertical. Also, there are four types of alignment for text: left, right, justify, and center. Alignment is a great way to amplify the overall aesthetic of your presentation and take it to the next level. Slides that have content aligned are typically considered more professional and attractive. The reader is more likely to trust your credibility with a well-organized presentation.

Using repetition within your presentation means reusing specific elements or somewhat similar elements to have consistency throughout your presentation. Websites such as Slidesgo and Canva produce free templates that have consistent elements for your presentation. However, it is possible to have too many repetitive aspects within your presentation that can boar your audience and lose their interest. For example, duplicating the same slide and replacing the information is something that you should avoid doing. Instead, try to choose one or two elements that will remain consistent throughout your presentation. For instance, you can use the same thumbtack and sticky note as a template for your title or topic for each slide. However, feel free to change any other elements on the page as you progress through the presentation.

Proximity is used to group things close by that are related to each other. If items are not grouped nearby, they are assumed not to have any relation to each other. For example, an image should have a caption beside or below to explain the picture. If the text is not near the image, the reader could be confused if the text is for the picture or something else. Proximity helps create a more organized and classier look by grouping related units and spacing unrelated units. Therefore, it helps increase engagement by reducing the possibility of confusion due to the placement of images or text.