DESIGN TO SELL: AESTHETIC TIPS FOR THE PERFECT PITCH the simple (but not easy) design guide to distraction-free scientific slide decks that make it easier for your audience to understand your work and get involved with your life science startup
By: David Shifrin, PhD CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...... 1
TWO KEYS TO SUCCESS...... 2 WHY, WHO
CHOOSE COLORS WISELY...... 6 BRANDING, BACKGROUNDS, CONTRAST
SIMPLIFY YOUR TEXT...... 10 WORD COUNT, TITLES, FONT COLOR, FONT SIZE, TYPOGRAPHY
MAXIMIZE VISUAL IMPACT...... 18 BACKGROUND IMAGES, ASPECT RATIO, SCALE, FORMATS, ALIGNMENT
UPGRADE YOUR CONTENT...... 28 THE BOX, WHITE SPACE, ANIMATIONS, EFFECTS, GIVING THE TALK
FINAL CHECKLIST...... 34
ADDITIONAL LINKS...... 35
CALL TO ACTION...... 36 INTRODUCTION
You only need to take away two main points from this book: 1. Know your audience 2. Keep it simple
Do those things, and you’ll have the foundation for great presentations.
The key question for any presentation is, “What does the audience need to understand the content with the least amount of distraction?”
Simplicity and stripped-down design allow you to focus your audience’s attention exactly where you want it. Every element on a slide, including empty space, should serve the only real purpose of your presentation: getting the audience to care about and respond to your work.
1 1. TWO KEYS TO SUCCESS
Start a great presentation before you start a slide deck
2 GET AHEAD BY KNOWING ‘WHY’
Why are you doing this?
What problem are you trying to ? solve with your idea?
This is not how your product works or what the data says. It’s about your goals and the people you’re trying to help. What is driving you to pursue this idea?
Knowing “why” will set you apart from competition and help you stand to your audience. Faster, cheaper, smaller are good, but not enough. At least not for long. If you have a clear reason for building a great product or developing a new idea, you can get ahead and stay there.
Your why won’t change even as your product evolves and the field advances. Focus on your product and you’ll be left behind. Focus on why and you’ll never run out of ways to move forward.
Write out your “why” in the box below
3 EARN ATTENTION BY KNOWING ‘WHO’
Once you’ve defined “why,” you need to define your audience. Think of it this way: the same data could be presented at a VC pitch, a research conference, or your daughter’s fifth-grade science class. What will change is the format and style of the presentation.
Simplify the process by thinking about one person. Literally, a single individual. This person is your Audience of One. Give her a name. Describe her education, position, needs and expectations. This will make it easier to create content that your real audience will respond to.
The scariest part of building a presentation is narrowing it down. Here, this means narrowing down your audience, and never trying to be all things to all people. The fear is that by limiting your target audience, you’ll miss out on connecting with other people. But here’s the thing: if you try to create a message that will connect with everyone, you’ll actually end up connecting with no one. Space and time are finite. Trying to talk to multiple audiences at once means you’ll either water everything down so no one feels satisfied, or you’ll pack so much in that everyone feels distracted and confused.
You don’t want “everyone” to just see your work. Instead, you want the people who matter to understand it and take action on it. By defining an Audience of One, you can ensure that you’re building a pitch focused entirely on presenting the necessary information in the right way to get the response that you need.
4 EARN ATTENTION BY KNOWING ‘WHO’
Think of it this way: When you think of ways to validate your product, you come up with experiments. But you don’t just do random tests, nor do you test 50 variables at once. Instead, you come up with the single most important thing to look at, and you do a one-variable experiment. Creating an Audience of One is simply applying the focus that underlies the scientific method to a slide deck.
Here are some things you need to define about your Audience of One: • Personal information: age, position, education, background. • Motivations: eg, a VC partner looking a 10X return, or an angel looking for a feel-good cause. • Solutions: what the person needs to fulfill her motivations.
Once you have your Audience of One, don’t just stuff her in a notebook. Check back with her throughout the process of creating the presentation.
Describe your Audience of One in the Box Below
5 2. CHOOSE COLORS WISELY
Attract, engage and inform your audience, all while unifying your presentation with consistent color schemes
6 DON’T DISTRACT WITH COLOR
Some of these seem obvious, but we’ve all seen them done wrong.
DO use brand colors to anchor your presentation. If one of your colors is dark (especially green, gray or blue), use it for text. Use brighter brand colors as accents on different design elements like boxes and dividers.
DON’T use intense color backgrounds. If your brand colors are bright, tone them TOO JUST d o w n w i t h p a r t i a l BRIGHT RIGHT transparency or darker versions to avoid clashing with the actual content.
DON’T put bright images on a s l i d e w i t h a d a r k background. This creates an uncofortable “flashlight effect.” The reverse is also true.
7 DON’T DISTRACT WITH COLOR
DO use enough contrast. If possible, check you slides on the final projector or printer. At a minimum, though, move several feet away from your computer and try to read everything on your slides. If you’re not sure, you probably need more contrast.
CASE STUDY IN COLOR I recently saw a talk where the presenter TOO LITTLE - a very successful businessman - had CONTRAST slides with small, impossible to read pale = lime-green text on a white background. EYESTRAIN & AN His entire message was lost because ANNOYED AUDIENCE people weren’t listening to him speak while trying to read the screen. Please, don’t make your audience work.
DO (maybe) consider the issue of red/ green colorblindness. The incidence is as high as 8% in some populations. In the research world, where red-green fluorescent images have been the standard for years, more scientists are using green-magenta.
8 DON’T DISTRACT WITH COLOR
DO understand why color matters. Color boosts retention of information and overall engagement, and it can influence how people judge the information being presented. Also, colors convey specific traits:
STRENGTH & SOPHISTICATION FUN & OPTIMISM
TRUST & STABILITY NATURAL & DURABLE
LIFE & WEALTH PASSION & CONFIDENCE
YOUTH & CREATIVITY WEALTH & ROYALTY
DON’T use wild colors like bright yellows, purples, pinks, or greens. They attract attention and can be great for a website, but in the context of a presentation too many bright colors may be distracting.
DO stick with complementary color combinations. If you don’t have brand colors or just need something different, plug your primary color into the Adobe Color CC tool to get more options.
DO stick with black and white if you aren’t sure. White is fine, preferable even. If you incorporate the other elements of a good presentation on a white background, it will look great. Clean and simple is better than trying to do to much.
DO talk to a graphic designer with specific questions. Sometimes, talking to a pro is the best option. If you don’t have brand colors, please, talk to a designer to get a good color scheme set up. We’d be happy to put you in touch with someone who can help.
9 3. SIMPLIFY YOUR TEXT
Use fewer words and clean fonts to make your presentation aesthetically attractive and easy to read
10 USE FEWER WORDS TO GAIN FOCUS
The first rule of text in presentations is: use as little as possible. That’s probably less than you think. One, maybe two sentences per point.
Graphics are processed faster and retained longer than text, so go heavy on the visuals. Use logos of institutions and corporate entities. Use arrows and diagrams to represent workflows or chronological progression.
MORE OF THIS LESS OF THIS
Don’t make text the focus of the slide unless absolutely TITLE necessary. Put text at the side or bottom. An exception is on overview slides, where a list of single-sentence bullet This is all the text you should need. points summarizing content can be very helpful.
11 LEAD PEOPLE WITH GREAT TITLES
Guide your audience through your presentation and lead them to the desired outcome by using effective titles. Three techniques are especially effective:
Ask a question: “Does Herceptin increase breast cancer survival rates?”
Not,
“Investigating the effect of Herceptin on Her2+ breast cancer patients.”
State the outcome: Give them the punch line first: “Herceptin improves overall survival by 5 months.”
Create a knowledge gap: “5 things you didn’t know about the Herceptin mechanism of action.”
And yes, I started that last one with a number. It’s not grammatically correct, but numbers – in numeral form – are definitive. They set expectations, provide specificity, and help your audience track with your presentation.
12 CONTROL FLOW WITH TEXT LAYOUT
When the focus is on text, like overview slides, it’s a good idea to highlight only one piece of text at a time.
USING TEXT FOR MIND CONTROL
1. Focus on the first point first 2. Leave the second point for later 3. Finish with the third point
Give your Audience of One only what she needs to appreciate the content without distraction. Guide her thoughts, don’t give her an opportunity to get lost or think about something that isn’t immediately relevant.
BONUS TIP: Don’t let hanging words happen to you!
Avoid this subtle problem by changing the size of the text box or cutting down on the number of words so that single words are never on a line alone.
13 KEEP IT CLEAR WITH TEXT COLORS
Using text effectively also means picking good colors and effects. In general, using bright-colored text on a standard background will make your presentation look dated and unrefined. That said, as mentioned above there are some instances when using an unusual color is helpful.
A dark brand color can give a Yellow text on an inconsistent subtle but unique feel to your grayscale background will stand presentation. Like in this book. out better than other colors.
If you have a color-coded image, making the words describing each object that color is a good way to help your audience get oriented.
BEFORE AFTER
14 BE SEEN WITH THE RIGHT TEXT SIZE
This doesn’t need a whole lot of discussion. Just make sure your text is big enough to be seen at the furthest distance it will be viewed. Want more specifics? Try these general guidelines:
TITLE: 31-36 PT
HEADERS: 22-28 PT
Body Text: 18-20 PT
References & footers: 14-16 PT
BONUS TIP: Regardless of what font size you use, make sure it’s consistent across slides. PowerPoint has a nasty habit of automatically changing the font size (and line spacing) to fit a text box, so double check if you move things around and resize them.
15 MAKE IT READABLE WITH FONTS
Generally, the quickest way to think about fonts is:
Serif for printing
Sans serif for digital & presentations
Serifs are the small lines connected to the ends of letters, giving them extra elegance. Compare Lucida Fax and Lucida Sans. Or, in the graphic above, the classics Times New Roman and Arial. Not sure what font to use? Stick with Helvetica or Arial. They’re about as vanilla as you can get for sans fonts, but that also means they’re not distracting and are exceptionally easy to read.
If you use a specific set of fonts for your brand, use them in your presentations. FLSC uses NEVIS for titles and Lato, a sans font similar to Arial, for headings and body text. We also use Josefin Sans, a slightly more stylized font, in some instances on the web... and in this ebook.
16 LOOK SERIOUS BY BEING CONSISTENT
Unfortunately, I have to point out that you should never use fonts inconsistently.
Ever.
Pick a font or pair of fonts and stick with it.
Most software we use defaults to Calibri or Helvetica. Unless you’re using Calibri (which you shouldn’t because it’s lame and overused), your options are to manually change each piece of text or create your own theme template. Either way, make sure it’s consistent.
I recently attended a talk given by a communications consultant. The talk was about communications, blogging strategy, and writing. And yet the fonts were inconsistent. On some slides it was all Times New Roman, on others it was Arial and, worse yet, on still others the two were randomly mixed. Don’t be sloppy. Little things add up to big things that affect your credibility.
17 4. MAXIMIZE VISUAL IMPACT
The little details matter when working with images. They also make you look more professional.
18 TELL STORIES WITH IMAGES
Using background images on title slides is a great way to hook your audience and get them ready for what’s to come. Don’t just put a picture of your product or data on the title slide, though. Too obvious and expected. Instead, use an image that encapsulates your entire story. For example, if your product is differentiated from competing systems by size, include a sketch of your product next to the others so that the 40% smaller footprint is front and center.
Even better, tell a story with your image. If you have a visual representation of an outcome from your work, show it. It’ll boost the impact of all the tech specs that you include later on.
19 DON’T FIGHT YOURSELF WITH IMAGES
When using background images, make sure they don’t interfere with overlaid text or other images. A saturated or solid image can make it almost impossible to read overlaid text, whether black or white. Use color and transparency and placement to ensure that everything is legible. In general, background images will distract from real content, so don’t use them on data slides. (Obvious? Maybe, but it happens way too much.)
ACME BIOTECH INNOVATING BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS
ACME BIOTECH INNOVATING BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS
20 KEEP IT NORMAL WITH ASPECT RATIO
If you scale an image relative to its original size, do it equally to the length and width. In most programs simply hold down the shift button as you resize (although in some cases maintaining aspect ratio is the default and using shift actually does the opposite) or checking the “lock dimensions” box.
If you’re smashing something in one dimension, you might be... • Not be paying attention. It happens. • Trying to force too much onto a single slide and the slide is too busy. Cut down on the amount of content on that slide. • Having problems with aligning the image with other text or images on the slide. Either rearrange or accept the asymmetry.
21 BE CLEAR WITH PROPER SCALE
Use the same scale for related data: • Only use scale bars with different lengths for micrographs taken at different magnifications. • Graphs of related data should scale the same.
If the units are different or you’re looking at two completely separate data sets, it’s a different story. Don’t make your audience work to understand what they’re looking at by changing the scale.
50 nm 20 nm
Another note on graphs: your origins should always start at zero. Always. 4.4 6 4.2 4 4 2 3.8 0 Before After Before After
22 LOOK MODERN WITHOUT PIXELATION
This one gives me nightmares. If you have an image that’s 200x300 pixels, please, please don’t stretch it beyond those dimensions. We live in a world of ultra-HD and 5K Cinema Displays, and nobody wants to see a blurry, grainy image of your product or headshot or office building stretched until it looks like it’s on an ‘80s Tandy.
Pixelation is one of the most common things that I see - at all levels - that makes presentations look half-baked. If you’re creating an image from scratch, make sure you save it at a native resolution that will be more than sufficient for anything you need. Better to scale down than up.
23 MAINTAIN QUALITY WITH FILE TYPES
To avoid pixelation and generally maintain high standards, use the right image format.
Vector – PDF, EPS, PS Vector files are ideal because they are based on the mathematical coordinates of each component (line, point, etc.) instead of having each pixel in a fixed position as if on a grid. Thus, they are infinitely scalable without loss of resolution.
Raster – TIFF, PNG, JPG Raster file size correlates with image quality. TIFFs are your best option if you can’t use vectors, but they will be large. PNGs are high-quality and use smaller files, plus they can include transparent backgrounds. I generally use PNGs for my on-screen presentations. JPGs are compressed and it’s easy to end up with a low quality image.
All that said, the top version of the Filament logo is a PNG, while the bottom one is a JPG. You probably can’t see a difference. So no matter what format you use, just make sure it has enough pixels to survive any edits.
24 CLEAN THINGS UP WITH ALIGNMENT
Make sure your images are aligned. Does it take extra time? Yes. Is it worth the extra time? Yes. Having misaligned images shows your audience you’re not fully committed. Our eyes are great at picking up on little things like two squares being offset by even a tiny bit, and it feels uncomfortable. Respect your audience, fix those problems.
Of course, it’s always easier to see the flaws in someone else’s design. I’ve obsessed over presentations and posters, only to have a colleague instantly point out an image that was off by just a couple of pixels. Always get a second opinion.
25 CLEAN THINGS UP WITH ALIGNMENT
If you’re using PowerPoint the grids and alignment tools are handy, but there are still quirks that complicate image size and alignment.
Two images that are both set at the same size in that little formatting box up at the top right of your toolbar...might not actually be the same size. They could both be “2.38 inches” high, but differ in height by a couple of pixels. This can be a problem if you set two images to the same size and then try to align them, so double check.
Resizing an image by a pixel or two isn’t always easy, either. PowerPoint “snaps” images by increments that are often too large. To get around this, hold down Control while moving your mouse. Even better, zoom in to 300-400%, hold down Control and drag the image box. At that magnification any discrepancies will be more obvious.
Same thing for using the arrow keys to move an image until it’s aligned with its neighbor. Do the same thing: hold down Control to make the step sizes smaller.
26 BALANCE OUT MULTIPLE IMAGES
What about two images that are inherently different sizes? Use text and white space to your advantage.
5 4 3 2 1 0 Before After
Center the smaller image on the larger, or...
5 4 3 2 1 0 Before After ...Top align the images and put a small piece of text under the smaller one.
27 6. UPGRADE YOUR CONTENT
Simple design tips to add a little extra
28 CONTROL YOURSELF WITH THE BOX
Leave enough space at the margins of your slide. Don’t crowd the edges. Use guide boxes on all of your slides and never put any content outside them.
Using a simple box to constrain your content is the single most useful way to improve the look of your presentation.
The red boxes here are the ones I used to design this ebook.
29 DO LESS WITH MORE WHITE SPACE
Often, the biggest difference between a mediocre presentation and a good one is what isn’t there.
White space is your best friend. Leave enough room between elements and their associated text so you can distinguish them without thinking.
Don’t overcrowd your slides. People will get confused, distracted, and overwhelmed. And then they’ll get frustrated. Make hard choices and get rid of information that isn’t absolutely necessary.
This is way too much
content for a single slide
Instead...... give your content room to breathe.
30 DON’T GET TOO ANIMATED
Motion: Use it sparingly, if at all. The days of having all the elements on a slide fly in from different directions are (long) over. Movement often just adds more distraction. Bringing each element onto a slide individually takes too long and can throw off your timing.
Instead, separate groups of elements and bring them in together. For example: before and after, or control and experimental data.
Never bring in text word by word. In fact, if you feel like you need to do that, you probably have too much text.
Animations Only use animations when the content demands it. For example, if you’re demonstrating mechanical process or conformational change.
When you do use animations, make sure they’re good. Get help from someone with the skills and background. Don’t just have boxes and PacMan-shaped icons flying around. (You know you’ve seen it, too.)
The exceptions: videos and professional animations. Since visual content is processed faster and retained longer than text, video is the ultimate visual medium. But it has to be done well.
31 BE FLAT AND COMPELLING
What about things like drop shadows, gradients and 3D elements? Current design trends favor flat or layered, without heavy shadows and rounded or textured elements (realism and skeuomorphism). For example, most of the graphics in this ebook are flat, while the Audience of One face (p. 4) and test tubes (p. 12) are semi-flat/layered. Avoiding heavy 3D will help your presentation feel more modern, although subtle shadows can provide contrast. The operative word being “subtle.”
Old Ok
Better Best
32 BE PREPARED TO GIVE THE TALK
Developing and designing a great slide deck is one thing, giving the talk is something else entirely. The focus of this ebook is the former, but it’s important to highlight a few keys to the latter. • Know your objective: Never forget your “why,” and keep your focus on getting the desired outcome. Give your audience what they need, and they’ll return the favor. • Tell a story: Organize your content with a logical story arc in mind and prepare like you’re a storyteller, not a technician dropping specs. • It’s all a performance: Your talk is a show. Engage with your audience emotionally, not just logically. Don’t manipulate, but be human and see your talk as a chance to connect with people. • Be willing to streamline: Ruthlessly edit your slides and your words. Always ask yourself, “is this really necessary to get my point across?” • Know what you’re doing: Practice your talk...a lot. Then, practice it without notes or slides. Prepare as if it’s going to be just you, your words, and your audience in an empty room. • Be flexible: Know your material inside out. Not so you can recite a script, but so you can respond to questions, comments, or technical failures and adapt without losing it.
Most importantly, view your talk as an opportunity to make something awesome happen, not an event to not screw up.*
*Many of these ideas are adapted from Steal the Show by Michael Port.
33 CHECK OFF EVERYTHING YOU NEED
q The “Why” is clear q The “Who” is specific q Colors are consistent and match the brand q Background colors are muted q Background colors provide good contrast q Focus is on graphics, not text q Text is used to guide, not overload, the audience q Hanging words are eliminated q Text color is consistent q Fonts are consistent q Text is legible at a distance q Images don’t clash with or obscure text q Images aren’t stretched beyond native dimensions q Images are aligned q Content doesn’t exceed a consistent, defined space q White space is used to avoid crowding the elements q Titles ask or answer a question q Design is clean and flat q Animations and effects are used sparingly
34 LEARN MORE WITH THESE RESOURCES
Color: • https://color.adobe.com/create/color-wheel/ • http://www.colorcom.com/research/why-color-matters • http://www.helpscout.net/blog/psychology-of-color/ • http://blog.marketo.com/2012/06/true-colors-what-your-brand-colors-say-about-your- business.html • http://line25.com/articles/the-rising-trend-of-bright-flat-colors-in-web-design • http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/color-palette-famous-websites
Font • https://designschool.canva.com/font-design/ • http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/12/what-font-should-i-use-five-principles-for- choosing-and-using-typefaces/ • https://webflow.com/blog/how-to-pick-the-nicest-font-for-your-site
Design • http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2013/12/infographic-flat-design-vs-skeuomorphism/ • http://www.creativebloq.com/graphic-design/what-flat-design-3132112 • http://www.nngroup.com/articles/flat-design-long-exposure/ • http://www.nngroup.com/articles/flat-design/ • http://blogs.adobe.com/dreamweaver/2015/05/flat-design-vs-material-design-what-makes- them-different.html
Prep & Speaking • http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/public-speaking-tips • http://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/copywriting/20-questions-to-ask-before- you-present/ • https://prezi.com/z-xa6mul6qol/the-rehearsal-regimen-that-every-great- presenter-should-know/ • http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/presentation-pitch-attention/
35 LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK
Remember, the two most important pieces of a successful presentation are knowing your audience and keeping it simple. Live by those two rules and you’ll be fine.
Lastly, I’d love to hear from you. If you have questions about anything in this ebook, if you want to bounce ideas around for a presentation, if you want to pass along a success story, or if I can help in any other way, please let me know.
All the best, David
www.filamentcommunications.com
615.873.0592
@FilamentLifeSci
FILAMENT: BECAUSE GREAT SCIENCE NEEDS A GREAT STORY
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