pencil erasers In just 2 minutes, this video shows you 4 simple ways to design your slides like a pro.

(You can even jump straight to slide 12 to see the 4 slide layouts in under a minute!)

(Update – January 19, 2012

If you prefer to see the layouts in screenshots – which can be even quicker than watching the video – Ellen recently published 3 of the layouts in a short blog post.)

Many thanks to Ellen Finkelstein for creating the video. Ellen’s a PowerPoint MVP and has an active blog with hundreds of tips and other resources.

Over to you

To increase the value you and others get from this post, please comment below:

Which if any of those 4 slide layouts have you used before?
Do you recommend any others not shown in the video?
What design challenges do you face?

5 thoughts on “Learn 4 pro slide layouts – in 2 minutes [Video]”

Pingback: Using images in PowerPoint for maximum visual impact

Craig,
First, thanks for linking to my blog and video!

I think that the reason we usually put the text on the left and the photo on the right is because in most languages we are used to starting on the left and then moving to the right. In the typical slide, the text tells the point and the photo explains it, so we want the audience to read first and then look at the photo.

I can think of 2 situations in which you might put the photo on the left:
1. The text is more of a caption than a title. Captions are usually below an image and could also be on the right. For example, if you’re showing a photo of an employee, and the text gives the employee’s name and job title, you might put the photo on the left and the text on the right. That’s because, instead of the photo explaining the text, in this situation the text explains the photo. So, photo first, text second.
2. Some photos lend themselves to text on the right. For example, in my upcoming ebook, Slide Design for Non-Designers (watch for the announcement!), I use a photo of children playing tug-of-war. The rope goes off the right side of the photo, so it leads the eyes in that direction. In this situation, it makes sense to have the text on the right.

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Craig Hadden - Remote Possibilities on January 19, 2012 at 12:09 pm said:

Thanks Ellen – nice examples. (And by the way, you’ll be pleased to hear that your video is by far the most popular link from my site – 3x more popular than the next busiest link!)

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I thought it is preferable to have the image on the left followed by text on the right (when a slide is split left-right rather than top-bottom.

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Craig Hadden - Remote Possibilities on January 17, 2012 at 9:15 pm said:

Thanks, Derek.

For prominent slide examples, I googled “Garr slide layout”, and I didn’t (yet) see any with the image on the left. But to be honest, I’m not sure why that is, and I can see it would make sense to show the image 1st – on the left – then add the text on the right. Ultimately, I think the choice between the 2 “mirror” options would depend what you’re trying to achieve in a particular case.

What’s your thinking behind having the image on the left? Do you have any links you could share that support it?

(For examples with the image on the right, see https://www.garrreynolds.com/design-tips and http://presentationzen.blogs.com/presentationzen/2005/09/whats_good_powe.html)

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What’s YOUR view? Cancel reply

Pingback: Using images in PowerPoint for maximum visual impact
Ellen Finkelstein on January 19, 2012 at 10:50 am said:

Craig,
First, thanks for linking to my blog and video!

I think that the reason we usually put the text on the left and the photo on the right is because in most languages we are used to starting on the left and then moving to the right. In the typical slide, the text tells the point and the photo explains it, so we want the audience to read first and then look at the photo.

I can think of 2 situations in which you might put the photo on the left:
1. The text is more of a caption than a title. Captions are usually below an image and could also be on the right. For example, if you’re showing a photo of an employee, and the text gives the employee’s name and job title, you might put the photo on the left and the text on the right. That’s because, instead of the photo explaining the text, in this situation the text explains the photo. So, photo first, text second.
2. Some photos lend themselves to text on the right. For example, in my upcoming ebook, Slide Design for Non-Designers (watch for the announcement!), I use a photo of children playing tug-of-war. The rope goes off the right side of the photo, so it leads the eyes in that direction. In this situation, it makes sense to have the text on the right.

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- Craig Hadden - Remote Possibilities on January 19, 2012 at 12:09 pm said:
  
  Thanks Ellen – nice examples. (And by the way, you’ll be pleased to hear that your video is by far the most popular link from my site – 3x more popular than the next busiest link!)
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
Derek Empson on January 17, 2012 at 1:47 am said:

I thought it is preferable to have the image on the left followed by text on the right (when a slide is split left-right rather than top-bottom.

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- Craig Hadden - Remote Possibilities on January 17, 2012 at 9:15 pm said:
  
  Thanks, Derek.
  
  For prominent slide examples, I googled “Garr slide layout”, and I didn’t (yet) see any with the image on the left. But to be honest, I’m not sure why that is, and I can see it would make sense to show the image 1st – on the left – then add the text on the right. Ultimately, I think the choice between the 2 “mirror” options would depend what you’re trying to achieve in a particular case.
  
  What’s your thinking behind having the image on the left? Do you have any links you could share that support it?
  
  (For examples with the image on the right, see https://www.garrreynolds.com/design-tips and http://presentationzen.blogs.com/presentationzen/2005/09/whats_good_powe.html)
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓