Ghaphic Design Guidelines for Slides

Yes	No	Item
		Have you identified the message you want the viewer to take away from the slide and does the layout and visual tone support that message?
		Have you identified the message you want the viewer to take away from the slide and does the layout and visual tone support that message?
		Have you led the viewer’s eye to the most important information on each slide first?
		Does your eye move through the slide in the desired sequence?
		Use Sans Serif fonts. Avoid Serif Fonts
		Keep font sizes larger than 12 point.
		Does the space around the elements contribute to the reading sequence?
		Are margins large enough to give the impression of space and a relaxed, open feeling?
		Do the white spaces vary in size?
		Limit the number of colors.  Use no more than 4 colors for text.
		Make sure content is readable.  Make sure that the colors you use can be seen.  Yellow on white or blue on black are not suitable.
		Is there enough contrast between headers and subheaders?
		Be consistent with the use of color.
		Use consistent graphics.  Two different graphics to illustrate the same point are confusing.
		Provide a title or phrase for every slide.  Use a title or phrase to make the point of the graphic.
		Use thick rather than thin lines.
		Select clip art carefully.  Is it too cutesy? Too common? What will your audience think?
		Don’t use a gradient template. Use a solid color for the background.
		Keep templates and color schemes simple and use consistently.
		Use multimedia sparingly.  Make sure the multimedia is for a purpose.
		Keep the visuals uncluttered.
		Have you used graphs and charts when text alone won’t tell the whole story?
		Are your images “doing” anything? Are the visuals moving the message forward and not just repeating what the text already says?
		Do the visuals enhance the message and not just fill space on the slide?

Some points taken from Point, Click and Wow: A Quick Guide to Brilliant Laptop Presentations, Claudyne Wilder and David Fine,