EPSON | Presenters Online : Basics > Visuals > Hierarchy and Contrast: The Basis of Good Design

by Margo Halverson

The basic question: What do you want the viewer to see first?

You sit facing your computer, staring at the big slide presentation you've been putting together all day, and you're bored out of your skull. It's not the project. It's not the information. It's just your slides look exactly like the last PowerPoint presentation you made. And the one before that. And the one before that.

But what are you supposed to do? Unless you have been trained in graphic design — which few of us have — it's difficult to know what goes where or how to put things together in a particular order. You know you need to communicate your message boldly and effectively, but you just aren't sure what that means in terms of design.

Well, of course, no one can become an instant graphic designer, but understanding a few design basics can transform that presentation from dull to dynamic.

At the heart of all good design is the concept of HIERARCHY, which is the process of ranking elements (graphics and text) in order of importance. Hierarchy is the basis for every design decision and makes you ask yourself the question: "What do I want the viewer to see first?"

Well, you've probably put together enough presentation slides to know you usually want a viewer to see the headline first. But what about all the other elements in the slide? Do you give them all similar weight? Are they all of equal importance? Of course they're not. And that is why you should use certain design techniques to set them apart.

The way in which you set items apart is through the use of CONTRAST. Simply put, contrast means making bold design moves that show differences between elements. The key is "bold" design moves — not subtle ones. Slight variations between elements cause minor contrast, and this irritates the eye and confuses the viewer. Real contrast enlivens the slide, adds visual interest, and makes clear where the viewer's eye should go first.

Contrast is achieved through a number of methods — element grouping and spacing, type size, style, and color — and through choosing which of these works together and doesn't compete.

Using contrast need not be a complicated proposition. In fact, the simpler you keep things, the more likely you are to produce a slide that's easy to read. Think of it this way: When you want to really understand a piece of music, you don't turn the stereo volume to 10 do you? No, because all you get is noise.

Well, you can run into the same kind of "noise" problem on a slide by turning everything up too high — making too many elements too big, too bold, too colorful. Too much! Instead, what you need to do is start small, experiment, and be selective. You'll be surprised how much contrast you can achieve through just one or two design moves.

The Key to Clear Hierarchy: Rank and Simplify

Start by ranking slide elements in order of importance and deciding what needs to go on your slide. Remember — white space is your friend. Don't try to cram too much in. Next, group related elements — bullet points, lists, names, for example — and isolate them for emphasis. Grouping tells the viewer which elements are connected in meaning, and isolating them (spacing them apart from the other elements on the slide) helps to break up blocks of text and graphics.

The slide to the right originally had text above and below the graphic. When the author took a second look at the slide, she realized the text distracted from the central graphic and the bold orange blocks of color delineating time. So, she eliminated the text — and the slide is better for it.

Now You're Ready to Add Contrast

Size is an obvious first move, although you may want to leave this for last because you can often achieve sufficient contrast through other more interesting design techniques. Keep in mind, though, you should use no more than three type sizes per presentation, or you may run the risk of the "noise" issue.

Next, you may want to try experimenting with text style. Bolding a word is certainly one way to set it apart, but Italics, a different font, small caps or underlining can produce the same effect. Remember to test any of these styles by projecting the presentation slides — because some fonts look fine when italicized on a monitor but awful when projected.

Color creates lively contrast, whether it is added to a word or phrase, or used for line rules, bands, or boxes. Not only does color grab the viewer's attention, it also helps to isolate slide elements. When using color for contrast, try to be sparing. More is definitely not better. (Again, the "noise" alert.) Additionally, if you want to use color for contrast, make sure the color choices are bold — no gray with light blue!

Exaggerate One Item, Not Everything!

Once you have worked through these techniques, you may want to experiment by exaggerating one or two of them. Exaggeration helps establish a focal point and identifies what is most important on the slide and in what order elements should be viewed. One, big red word on an otherwise black-and-white slide helps shout out the word. Capturing an expression in a band or box of color can speak volumes. The trick with exaggeration is to keep it in check and be selective.

Finally, one way to make slides interesting and engaging is to go for the unexpected move. Who says a headline has to be at the top of a slide? Through the appropriate use of contrast and exaggeration — boxing it out, bumping it up, putting it in color — you can draw the viewer's eye to the "headline" first, no matter its position on the slide.

A Final Note

Remember, once you have made a design decision, you should stick with it throughout the presentation. You should strive for consistency in order to maintain clarity, and you do this through repetition: headlines in the same place on each slide, repeated type selections, consistent color and line rules, etc. — so you don't end up with a muddled mess.

Following these design basics — grouping related elements, isolating for emphasis, contrasting type style, color and size, exaggerating and repeating elements — may not make you a graphic designer, but your presentations may end up looking like they were put together by one.

Who is Margo Halverson?
Margo Halverson is an award-winning professional designer and an Associate Professor at the Maine College of Art. She is the author and lead designer of DesignSense for Presentations, a CD-ROM that teaches the fundamentals of graphic design in an engaging, easy-to-use format. For more information about Margo Halverson and DesignSense for Presentations, please visit the Proximity Learning web site at www.designsense-cd.com. The site offers specific examples of the concepts described in this article as well as the opportunity to request a DesignSense demo.