General rule: Slides should contribute directly to the content of your message, not merely embellish it. That is, every slide must have meaning and should not be thought of as an ornament. Type, color, and graphics are used to: Increase audience engagement, improve message comprehension, increase retention rates, explain complex facts and processes, reinforce key points, make abstract ideas concrete, leave a lasting impression, and impart a professional image. Inattention to visual communication principles can produce boredom, confusion, and even undermine your credibility and image.

Type: Words on the screen focus the message by reinforcing points made orally. Limit number of text lines to no more than six, with a maximum of 10 words per line. Try to encapsulate your idea into a few words, and if you must use a complete sentence, make it as short as possible.

It is usually best to select a type face on the basis of simplicity and readability rather than attempt to convey mood or emotion. Font recommendations include: Lucida (straight foreward), Arial (clean and balanced), and Garamond (classic and elegant). Keep type large and legible. Determine viewing distance and screen size before selecting point size. 24 points is the smallest recommended size. Keep type styles consistent throughout the presentation with regard to size, alignment, and font . Use no more than two type faces on one slide.

Color: Judicious use of color in visuals can enhance communication by creating emphasis, contrast, and theme. Color can create focus. After content, color use may be the next most important variable in conveying ideas. Current software programs offer extensive choices which may lead one into unwise decisions regarding color. Start by choosing a consistent color scheme for the entire presentation. Use color to contrast. For example, choose light colors on dark backgrounds in order to define text and data . White, yellows, light blues, and light greens seem to project forward from a dark background like black, maroon, brown, or deep blue.

Color is used to emphasize  key words, numbers, or objects. For instance, red implies importance. Hierarchy of importance can be achieved by degrees of color saturation. Any blatant color deviation from the rest of the presentation theme calls attention to itself. Do not overuse this effect because it can backfire.

Color coding words, objects, and backgrounds creates a system of guidance. Color can differentiate headings from subheadings, identify related topics, and signal a subject change (altering the background of a slide.) Specific color themes can also imply associations with subjects. For instance, cool colors such as blues and greens may suggest safety and hot colors such as yellows and reds may imply warning or danger.

Avoid these mistakes.

Graphics:  The effective use of a few carefully chosen visual graphics may be all that is needed to communicate your message in a powerful, concise manner.   Graphic elements, illustrations, charts, and photographs accomplish several purposes. They communicate by means of symbols and themes, create mood and atmosphere, render an original and interesting message, and bestow importance on ideas. Some thought should be given to every element within the slide with regard to its subjective influence on the viewers.

Graphic elements can direct the audience' s attention. To test whether your slides are effective, ask yourself where your eyes are drawn to on the slide. Do they go where you want them to or do they wander looking for focus? Conventions used for creating focus are bullets in front of listed ideas and arrows to create a flow of ideas. Bear in mind that people naturally read from left to right and top to bottom. Geometric guides, such as arrows, should have this basic flow of direction.

Slides should contain only one dominant graphical element,  Avoid cluttered slides because information excess subtracts from your audiences retention. Remember to use an image or design element only if it contributes to the clarity and power of your message.

A note about obtaining art work for your presentation.

      You are probably already aware of the Clip art folder within the Powerpoint software program. However, you may find this selection too limited or familiar given your classmates are drawing from the same small selection. Clip art files can be obtained through local software retailers or downloaded off the web.  Try looking up "www.shareware.com". To download an Image off the web, right click the mouse  on the image you want (PC computer) or hold down the mouse key on a image (Macintosh computer) then "Save As". Photo images can be scanned and saved in almost any compression format and easily brought into Powerpoint. The advantage of clip art images is that they are usually prepared with transparent backgrounds so that they can easily be arranged to interact with other elements within a slide. Scanned images, unless specifically edited within a program like Adobe Photoshop, may require some cropping and will occupy a rectangular field within your slide that may or may not interact well graphically with other elements on your slide. In general, your presentation stands to gain much by using original creative art. For instance, if you needed to show a bar graph depicting the sales of a drug, you could create the bars by stacking images of drug capsules or tablets.  If you wish to scan images you can go to"media services"  at the Health Sciences Library, the student labs or there are  always service bureaus including Kinkos Copies.