What’s the 5/5/5 Rule in Presentation Design?
Presentation design is a critical aspect of any professional or educational setting. It can be the difference between a good impression and a bad one. As presentations become increasingly important, it is essential to ensure that they are structured and organized properly. However, knowing where to start or how to go about designing a presentation can be daunting, especially for those with little or no prior experience. Thankfully, there is a simple rule that you can follow to quickly create a well-designed presentation: the 5/5/5 rule. In this article, we will explain what this rule is and explore its practical application.
The 5/5/5 Rule and Clean Presentation Design
When it comes to presentation design there’s so much you can do in terms of the actual design. However, trying to include as many design elements as possible doesn’t always work out well. What the 5/5/5 rule does is help you simplify the design process when it comes to each slide. All you have to remember are these 3 points:
- Only 5 words on a single line
- No more than 5 lines of text on a single slide
- A total of 5 slides that apply the first two rules in a row
Now, let’s examine them a little more closely to see how this rule helps you create a more effective and attractive presentation.
Only 5 Words on a Single Line
Presentations are a great way to communicate information in a concise, effective manner. By combining written words, spoken language, and visual storytelling, you can do very important things. You can engage your audience and help them to understand the message you’re trying to convey.
However, it’s easy to get carried away when putting together a presentation. You may think that throwing every bit of information onto the slides will help your audience to understand the presentation better. However, in reality, too much content can lead to less information retention.
The key to making an effective presentation is to make sure that the writing on the slides is sharp and clear, and that the audience is focused on you rather than the screen. One way to ensure this is to follow the “5 words per line” rule. This rule helps to keep your writing concise and limits the amount of text on each slide, which encourages the audience to pay attention to the speaker rather than reading the text on the screen.
No More than 5 Lines of Text on a Single Slide
We’ve all heard the phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words.” But when it comes to presentations, a single slide can be worth much more. That’s because most people tend to think of a slide as a single unit of content. This allows our brains to store and recall multiple pieces of information at once.
But what if the amount of information on a single slide is too much? It’s said that the average person can only hold onto “seven, plus or minus two” pieces of short-term information in their brains. So if a slide contains more than that, it’s likely that your audience won’t retain any of it.
That’s why it’s important to limit your slides to five lines of text or less. Not only does this make your presentation more effective, but it also helps your audience to internalize more of the information your trying to share. By keeping the concepts and ideas to a minimum, your slides will be easier to process, understand, and remember.
So the next time you’re creating a presentation, remember to keep it simple. Limiting yourself to five lines of text on each slide will help your audience to remain focused and remember the information you’re trying to share.
A Total of 5 Slides that Apply the First Two Rules in a Row
When it comes to presentation design, the general rule is to keep your presentation to five slides. But, let’s face it — for most corporations, this is impossible. It’s not uncommon to have more than five slides, but it’s important to make sure that the content you include is relevant and effective.
The first two rules of presentation design — include only relevant content and keep the design simple — still apply to every slide, even if there are more than five. But, if you find yourself relying too heavily on the first two rules, it’s time to take a step back and look for ways to vary the content.
There are a few ways to make sure your presentation is effective and engaging. First, you can trim back certain slides to reduce the amount of content or add more visuals, such as images, infographics, graphs, and charts. Alternatively, you may want to consider removing some slides altogether in order to keep the presentation concise and focused.
No matter what you decide to do to adjust the content of your presentation, remember to keep the design simple and relevant. By following these guidelines, you can be sure to create an effective and engaging presentation that will captivate your audience.
When Should You Use the 5/5/5 Rule in Your Presentation Design?
The 5/5/5 Rule is a helpful tool when it comes to presentation design, but it is important to remember that it should not be used blindly. The number of slides and content to be included in a presentation can vary greatly depending on the audience, purpose, and size of the presentation. It is important to consider what is important information for the audience and how to properly highlight the content in order to ensure the best presentation experience.
With this in mind, the 5/5/5 Rule can be used effectively to create basic presentations for smaller audiences, or to help structure larger presentations, allowing you to better focus on the content and the audience’s needs.
At PowerPoint Design, a Düsseldorf-based presentation design firm, we have an expert team of presentation designers who can show you how to apply the 5/5/5 rule to presentations, and also give you other design tips. Check out our work and services, and get in touch with us for more information.