Design Corner: Enhancing Presentations with Formatting Effects

By adding special formatting effects such as AutoShapes, shadows, and line styles, you can greatly enhance your presentation. For example, you can enliven an existing presentation in just a few minutes. Or you can design a presentation from scratch with a goal of using special formatting to create something unique and effective. To understand what works and what doesn't, experiment. Take a sample presentation and try some formatting techniques to find your favorites. One word of caution, though. It's easy to get carried away with special formats and effects. If you're creating a basic business presentation, you'll want to use these effects to enhance your presentation, not overwhelm it. Even if you're creating something other than a business presentation, remember to add formatting effects sparingly. The rule is to use restraint.

In this example, a set of steps for achieving a goal was made more visually appealing by drawing it out and highlighting the goal, as discussed in this chapter.

Before

Figure 14.36.

After

Figure 14.37.