Building signage

I drove by a big office tower the other day that featured a new signage:

• The biggest font size possible, covering the entire width of the building, no (white) space left what so ever.
• As close as possible to the top, no white space here either

Writing for skimmers

Busy investors do not have (want to make) time for long verbose cover letters/emails for your presentation. Write for a skimmer:

1. Keep it really short
2. Cut out all management buzzwords and padding (synergies, engagement, strategic, flexible…

Non-stock stock photo sites

A friend of mine posted a question on her facebook timeline: where to get stock images that do not look like stock images. I am shamelessly copying the list of URLs that were posted in response:



http://unsplash.com/

http://thestocks.im/

http://www.stocksy.com/…

Slide negotiations

There are different uses for a PowerPoint deck. One is to serve visuals for a live presentation. Another is a replacement for a word processor. I currently use it as a user interface design tool for a web app (the irony: PowerPoint is designing its own successor…).



In big corporations, a…

What software did you use?

That question is a big compliment for your PowerPoint presentation: you have succeeded in making your PowerPoint not look like PowerPoint. Here are some simple steps that can help you:

• No hierarchical bullet point texts (if you have to put three messages…

Upstream like a salmon

A few days ago I saw a National Park Ranger present in this setting below: 200+ getting and eating their lunch, continuing their conversation, while the ranger used a microphone to top the noise level of the crowd, reading from a piece of paper. A bit like Alaska salmon swimming up river…

Who do you need in the briefing?

Many clients suggest to bring all experts that contributed to a project to the presentation design briefing meeting. I actually prefer to have a briefing meeting with just one person: the presenter. The experts have done the work and delivered the solution. Now it is time…

Then the usual blah, blah, blah

And after that we come in with the usual “blah blah blah” pitch. I hear this often in briefing meetings.

1. You are offending your audience
2. You probably do not believe in your own story