Use PowerPoints’ built-in designer to help guide you as you build your presentations.
We have all been there…the dreaded PowerPoint presentation predicament! You are working on a presentation, and your content is there. You just cannot find the right “feel” for the presentation design. Fear not! PowerPoint’s built-in designer is here to help. It will provide you with a number of different options to organize your content in a pleasing way for you and your audience.
As you get started…staring at that blank slide…select the Designer option at the far right of the Home tab. It will open a pane on the right side of your window. It may be blank now, but all you have to do is add something like an image.
Once that initial image is on the page your Designer pane will explode with options on how you can organize your content. Scroll through all the possibilities to find something that speaks to you and will, in turn, speak to your audience.
It’s not just for images. You can also insert items such as Icons or Shapes. The Designer does not judge! It wants to help you with everything!
If you get deep into the presentation and then remember you need to incorporate a color scheme, don’t worry…Designer has your back. Select your Design, or color scheme, and Designer will update your existing slides to match that scheme. Move through different design options to find that feel you are looking for.
Ideas for Implementation
- It’s not just great for you…your students can greatly benefit from this tool. They are able to see what good design and accessibility looks like.
- Start your initial discussion on presentations highlighting Designer so that your students have a grasp of what it is and what it can do for them.
Contributor: Paul Wagner
Paul is a Digital Learning Coordinator for a school district near Houston, TX. He oversees the instructional programs his district supports.
Follow Paul on Twitter: @pwagnerlcisd
