We all know the power of the menu. We see standard menus in the applications we use every day; we see complex menus as we use OLE applications, and we use menus to navigate web sites.

Menus allow us to navigate, and they allow us to select options. However, they also serve a subliminal role as well. A menu can serve as a visual foundation, even when we do not "use" the menu for specific purposes. For example, you may be a power user of Microsoft Word who uses shortcuts rather than menus to access features. Nevertheless, the simple sight of the menu provides a visual grounding within the application.

Menus can also provide a foundation or sense of organization within an electronic presentation. These menus can be static and simply serve an aesthetic function. They can also be interactive. You can place action buttons on "menu items" to give an electronic presentation a "web" feel.

Simple Menu Example

These slides come from a presentation on software development status. The presentation was written by a product manager who needed to incorporate input from R&D, Marketing, and Support. He created the "menu" as a visual cue to audience members.

The menu is a simple graphic added to every slide, rather than an item on the Master slide. If the menu were located on the Master slide, the shading would not be able to be changed from one slide to the next. To add shading, just create an object and then select Shadow on the Drawing toolbar.