Design Guidelines

These guidelines are a set of standards that are required in certain classes, as determined by your instructor. It is in effect for all of Kirk Widra's and Max Minkoff's classes. These guidelines are meant to help you create a professional-looking presentation.

Papers

The following practices and materials should be used for papers or any other regular homework assignment:

• Everything you hand in, with the possible exception of sketches, should be typed and printed using a quality inkjet or laser printer.
• Use regular white 8.5" x 11" paper.
• Paragraph text should be 10-12pt and should use a standard, legible serif font such as Times.

PowerPoint Presentations

The following practices should be used when developing an electronic presentation:

• Use a pre-established design schemes in the form of a grid. Standard templates are available in most graphics and publishing programs including Microsoft Word and Power Point.
• All type should be at least 20-24pt for on-screen presentations.
• Use type fonts found on any computer to avoid presentation problems. The fonts found on all computers are Helvetica, Times, and Arial. Your presentation is likely to look terrible if the font you use is not available on the presentation computer.
• Use a low-key design template, or none at all. The primary goal is for your text to be legible, not for your audience to be entertained by exciting and ever-changing graphics.
• Maintain a consistent theme. Do not have new background graphics and fonts on every slide. A consistent look will help your audience know where to find relevant information.
• Use minimal or no animation.
• Don't use sound effects.  They are only distracting, and you may not have audio when you present.
• Your presentation is meant to be a visual aid. It should support what you say, not duplicate it.
• Provide talking points, not a script. Do not read from the screen.  
• Unless it's a quote, each point should ideally fit on one line. If it doesn't, it's probably too long.
• Do not talk "to" the screen - talk to your audience.

Presentation Boards

The following practices and materials should be used when developing a presentation board:

• Use uniform or pre-cut boards whenever possible.
• All cutting should be done using a sharp craft knife (such as an x-acto knife) and a straight edge.
• Use a pre-established design schemes in the form of a grid.
• Use professional grade markers such as Berol prismacolor markers, Sharpie, Staedtler Mars, or Micron on professional marker paper such as Bienfang 360.

Non-Professional Materials

The following materials and practices are not professional and should not be used:

• Puffy paint or any material that needs to be heat treated.
• Glitter - glitter is not professional under any circumstances.
• Scented markers - the colors used are for children, not professionals.
• Crayons - crayons do not look professional under any circumstances.
• Sketches that are not in the proper proportion or are otherwise distorted.
• White out - can be used for effects but not to correct on a final presentation.
• Poster board and/or brown cardboard should not be used; use illustration board or mat board used for framing instead.
• Hand written body copy - use computer printed copy whenever possible.

You may find these links to be helpful.