The Importance of Design in Presentations

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In fact, the role of visual communication is determinant in our perception, our interpretation and our understanding of messages. Such is the importance of design in presentations.

Through the use of symbols, illustrations, photographs, typographies, colours or signs, it is possible to awaken different feelings, guide behaviours, and make immediate associations. It’s been like this since humankind began to express itself in cave paintings, and so remains to this day. Be it in traffic, at airports, in the packaging of products we consume daily, in the emojis we carefully choose to express the best reaction in our conversations, in advertising, or in the very identity of brands.

The concept of visual communication is not at all a novelty in the corporate universe. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, this subject has been in constant development, boosting the performance of companies through the aesthetics of advertising, packaging and branding.

However, if design is nowadays transverse to corporate communication, should it not be central to the development of a presentation?

Of course! The design in presentations is instrumental in enhancing the story, facilitating the understanding of the message and arousing reactions in the audience.

However, design always has a functionality, and it is respecting its genesis that we work at Slide Lab. At Slide Lab, we advocate that design in presentations should not be limited to a generic template for the entire presentation, but rather to a personalised design of each of the slides, which evidently must observe a common visual language.

Five reasons to use design in presentations:

1. Move away from traditional corporate presentations (more objective content and a more harmonious look will convey a more professional and more careful image)
2. Make your presentations more interesting and engaging for the audience (how many of us have felt like sleeping during a presentation? Make your presentation more dynamic, with a differentiating visual that will spur the interest of the audience)
3. Create an affinity with your audience (videos, images and a visual language create a sense of belonging)
4. Ease the understanding of more complex themes (don’t leave room for interpretation — the use of icons, images and diagrams help in understanding)
5. Being effective towards your goal (when the audience engages in the presentation and clearly understands your messages, the likelihood of recognising value and reacting according to your expectations is much higher)

Here are some examples of how design in presentations played a key role in their success: Click here. And if you still have questions about what the design can do for your next presentation, talk to us!

Originally published at slidelab.pt on October 10, 2018.