The document discusses best practices for creating effective presentations and using visual elements. It recommends telling a story with a beginning, middle, and end to engage audiences. Using fictional examples or characters can help explain topics by relating to viewers. Relying mostly on text takes longer for the brain to process, so presentations should incorporate visuals like images which communicate faster. Proper use of color, imagery, and layout helps convey meaning by appealing to psychology and what captures peoples' attention. Designers must understand audiences and how to guide their experience. Ongoing learning from blogs and resources helps sharpen vital career skills.
2. Photo Credit: cfourcalvin
Grinnell and Hill say, You must find the narrative
hook upon which to hang your [PowerPoint]
presentation; how can you tell a story about growing
roses, for example Think of your presentation as a
little movie; one that has a beginning, a middle, and
an end or a summary (Hill & Grinnell, 2012).
3. Foley (2013) says, With the right story, you help people to
understand about how what youre talking about relates to
them A human resource professional could create a fictional
character whose actions are unacceptable in the workplace and
tell the audience about all of his gaffes (Foley, 2013).
Photo Credit: Ryan McGuire.
4. Photo Credit: Wonderlane
Cashion (2010) advises you to toss bad
presentations because its text based, with six
hierarchical levels of chapters and subheads
all words, which means it takes a long time for
your brain to process all of those slides!
(Cashion, 2010).
5. Photo Credit: cfourcalvin
Grinnell and Hill say, Visuals are better hooks than
headlines, because most people look at visuals
before they read the words. Visuals communicate
faster than words Add a relevant image, and recall
jumps to 65 percent! (Hill & Grinnell, 2012).
6. Skillshare Learn coding and calligraphy. With classes running as cheaply as $20, there's no excuse
for not knowing how to design your own website or create your own typeface.
FontShop Between the site's content tester, which allows you to see what your work is going to
look like, and the related fonts tab that shows you other typefaces you might be interested in,
FontShop has it all covered.
Book Cover Archive As a go-to source for new and historic book covers (easily sortable by
photographer, art director, designer, title, author, and genre), the site will not only inspire you, it will
also educate you. Check out Book Cover Archive's blog for insightful commentary on designs and
styles.
Grain Edit With its focus on 1950s to 1970s-inspired design, the site is a good tool for anyone
looking for a vintage aesthetic. The site's editor, Dave Cuzner, conducts thoughtful interviews with
designers, talks about new and traditional design pieces, and offers tips and product reviews
(Henderson, 2014).
Cool Websites for Designers
7. Photo Credit: Wonderlane
James Chartrand (n.d.) says, A graphic designer
needs to know color psychology and the
associations people make with specific shades and
tones. He needs to know what imagery will appeal
to people, the type of people itll appeal to, and why
it appeals to them. He needs to know whats going
on in peoples minds when they land on sites and as
they navigate through yours.
8. Photo Credit: JohnONolan
Henderson (2014) says, Being a graphic designer takes a
unique mix of creativity, skill, patience, excellent
communication, and a touch of business savvy, all of which
need constant nurturing to stay sharp. Whether you're
checking out blogs for inspiration, watching tutorial videos
to learn new shortcuts, or reading up on your favorite
design movements, design resources are vital to a thriving
career in the field. (Henderson, 2014).
9. Photo Credit: 55Laney69
Allsopp (n.d.) says, As a graphic
designer, there are many tools and
techniques you'll want to master. In
her website, she provides you with
tools for designing (Allsopp, n.d.).
10. Canva Great resource for creating all sorts of images and designs for your blog posts and social media,
such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The site offers tutorials on how to combine text and images.
Picjumbo Youll find exceptionally high-quality photos for your personal and commercial use. The
pictures have been shot by the site owner himself and all he requests for in return is proper attribution.
Unsplash Subscribe to the email newsletter and youll get 10 photos in your inbox every 10 days. All
images are under the CC0 license meaning they are in public domain and you are free to use them in any
way you like.
IM Free A curated collection of outstanding high-quality photos on all subjects that are also free for
commercial use. The images have mostly been sourced from Flickr and require attribution.
Super Famous Another great resource for finding high-res images for your websites and other design
projects. The images are licensed under Creative Commons and require attribution. (Agarwal, 2014).
Great Websites for Free Stock Photos
11. Photo Credit: Pink Sherbet Photography
Guerrero (2014) says, Making your
background image transparent will make it
appear softer, which will improve the
legibility of text. This is a great option if your
image is especially detailed or busy
(Guerrero, 2014).
12. Agarwal, A. (2014, Jul. 30). The best places to find free, high-res images for your website. Retrieved May 2,
2015, from http://www.labnol.org/internet/find-free-images/24990/
Allsopp, A. (n.d.) 10 best graphic design tutorials & tips. Retrieved May 2, 2015, from
http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/features/graphic-design/10-best-graphic-design-tutorials-tips-new/
Cashion, N. (2010, Oct. 13). Doctor's orders - burn your PowerPonts [Class handout]. Retrieved May 2, 2015,
from http://moodle.ulm.edu/course/view.php?id=51847
Chartrand, J. (n.d.) 7 secrets graphic designers won't tell you about effective website design. Retrieved May 2,
2015, from https://blog.kissmetrics.com/graphic-designer-secrets/
Foley, L. (2013, Apr. 1). How do you tell a story in PowerPoint? [Class handout]. Retrieved May 2, 2015, from
http://moodle.ulm.edu/course/view.php?id=51847
Guerrero, A. (2014, Dec. 23). How to marry text and images [Class handout]. Retrieved May 2, 2015, from
http://moodle.ulm.edu/course/view.php?id=51847
Henderson, K. (2014, Mar. 18). 20 online resources every graphic designer should know. Retrieved May 2, 2015,
from http://www.complex.com/style/2014/03/online-resources-every-graphic-designer-should-know/
13. Hill, S., & Grinnell, C. (2012). Technical communication: A civic approach. Southlake, TX: Fountainhead Press.
TED (2011, Nov. 23). Joe Sabia: The technology of storytelling [Class handout]. Retrieved May 2, 2015, from
http://moodle.ulm.edu/course/view.php?id=51847