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Producing a presentation layout

is a matter of displaying information

•as simply as possible

•with utmost clarity

In an issue of Adweek magazine, Betsy Sharkey wrote that desktop publishing on a personal computer “conjures visions of graphics-laden reports and in-house newsletters that have the colorful panache of USA Today.”

The reality, however, is often quite different.

To fit as much information as possible on one page, type is reduced or squeezed almost beyond legibility. Boxes, borders, centered blocks, and shadows abound. Headlines typeset in all capital letters defy comprehension. Charts incorporating the full gamut of crosshatch patterns do more to aggravate astigmatism than clarify information.

“In the age of [the personal computer], everybody is a designer—sort of,” said Mark Dolliver in the same issue of Adweek. “People with no training in graphic design are choosing headline typefaces and page layouts for their reports, proposals, and manuals.” The result? Eyesores and confusion.

When typewriters prevailed, reports and presentations were limited to words, numbers, and horizontal lines. The myriad choices of com- puter-generated graphics were simply unavailable.

Today the push of a button produces a flashy design. It’s easy to forget that “less decoration, more information” still holds true.

Whether you use a computer or traditional means, producing a presentation layout is not a matter

of letting your imagination run wild or slavishly following rules; it is a matter of displaying information as simply as possible with utmost clarity.

The following sections show typical pages, overhead transparencies, and slides from GE presentations. These materials provide examples of the best practices for displaying information clearly and simply. (Note: Details in these materials have been changed to protect proprietary information.)

again again

Which form is best: printed presentations, overhead transparencies, or slides?

Overhead presentations and slides work best as simplified versions of printed presentations. Thus,

•put details in a printed presentation

•project only highlights

Projections crowded with details are difficult

to read, so keep overhead transparencies simple and slides even simpler.

Typefaces

The typefaces used in GE presentations are

•ITC New Baskerville

•Univers and Univers Condensed

For printed text, serif type is more legible than sans serif type. The example at the left shows that the additional detail of serifs aids in recognition; whereas the sans serif letters in the top line are unreadable, you can tell that the serif letters in the bottom line spell again.

Nevertheless, for type projected in overhead transparencies and slides, a sans serif typeface is preferred. When projected even slightly out of focus (an unfortunate but common occurrence), the thin strokes of serif type tend to disappear, making the letters difficult to read, as shown in the example at the left.

•Use the serif typeface ITC New Baskerville for long print presentations and reports.

•Use the sans serif Univers family of type for overhead transparencies and slides.

Note: When using the same presentation for both print and overhead transparencies, reproduce the overhead transparencies in print.

Type Weights

•For most text, use the regular or normal weight of type.

•For emphasis, use bold or italic. Make certain that a change in emphasis clarifies rather than clutters the text.

*In computer typesetting, other names may be used, such as

•for Univers 68, Univers (67) Condensed Bold Oblique

•for Univers 48, Univers (47) Condensed Light Oblique

Main Headlines

•Typeset main headlines in Univers 68.*

•Place them at the top of the presentation format, directly above the horizontal line, always in exactly the same size and position throughout the presentation.

Capital Letters

•Avoid presenting any text, including headlines, in all capital letters since such text is not as easy to read as that using a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters.

•Follow either of these standards for the capitalization used in headlines, titles, and callouts:

-Capitalize only the first letter of the first word, as if the text were an ordinary sentence.

-Capitalize the first letter of the first word and all other words, except use all lowercase letters for

·articles (a, an, the )

·conjunctions (such as and, but, or )

·prepositions (such as at, for, of, to)

Text

•Begin body copy at the same point on each transparency or page, leaving at least one line space between the horizontal line and the first line of copy.

•Set copy flush left, ragged right. Do not center or justify copy.

Lines & Boxes

Avoid boxes and vertical rules. (See the examples of tables on pages 03.10 to 03.12.)

Consistency

•Throughout a presentation, use a single type size and style for each kind of typographic element

—for example, all headlines should use the same style, all body text should use the same style, and so on.

•Do not make short text larger and long text smaller to fit an area and do not change type size from one page or transparency to the next.

Monogram

•Use the Monogram only in the graphic signature on the cover page, title transparency, or title slide.

•Do not use the Monogram (or a full graphic signature)

-in headlines or text

-as a novelty punctuation device

-for any decorative purpose whatsoever

Note: In computer typesetting, alternative names for the faces in the Univers series may be used: for example,

•for Univers 45, Univers (45) Light

•for Univers 46, Univers (45) Light Oblique

•for Univers 47, Univers (47) Condensed Light

•for Univers 48, Univers (47) Condensed Light Oblique

•for Univers 55, Univers (55) Plain

•for Univers 56, Univers (55) Oblique

•for Univers 65, Univers (65) Bold

•for Univers 66, Univers (65) Bold Oblique

•for Univers 67, Univers (67) Condensed Bold

•for Univers 68, Univers (67) Condensed Bold Oblique

•for Univers 75, Univers (75) Black

•for Univers 76, Univers (75) Black Oblique

•for Univers 85, Univers (85) Extra Black

•for Univers 86, Univers (85) Extra Black Oblique

*Based on a slide layout format of 4 5⁄8” x 7”