This post however, is for everyone that has ever created a presentation. Whether you’re a student, the leader of a self-help group, or a corporate executive pulling in six figures, the second you open up Powerpoint, you become a designer whether you like it or not。本文是寫給做過PPT的人的。 無論你是學生、領(lǐng)導，還是自助團體，或者是薪水達6位數(shù)的企業(yè)高管，不管你喜歡與否，從你打開Powerpoint的那一刻起，你就成為了一名設計師。

Follow the ten tips below and see if you don’t start getting comments about your awesome

presentation design skills. Just watch out, if your co-workers notice you getting good at it they’re likely to start asking for to help with theirs!如何培養(yǎng)出色的Powerpoint設計技巧?如果你還沒得到建議的話，學學下面的十個技巧看看。等著瞧，如果你的同事注意到你的幻燈片開始變好，他們很可能會開始請你幫幫他們改進一下自己的幻燈片!

#1 Don’t Use a Built-In Theme#1 不要用內(nèi)置樣式

To illustrate this idea I opened up Powerpoint, grabbed an actual default theme at random

and threw some type on it. This workflow is nearly identical to that of countless presentation designers and the result is a typical presentation slide that I’ve seen countless times throughout college and my career。為了說明這一點，我打開Powerpoint，隨手抓起一個實際的缺省樣式然后隨便在上面寫點文字。這個流程跟無數(shù)PPT設計師的工作流程幾乎完全一致，其結(jié)果就是我讀書和工作時看過無數(shù)遍的一個典型的幻燈片。

Here’s a design secret, this slide sucks; as do many of the default themes you’ll find in Powerpoint. Granted, they’ve definitely improved the offering in recent years, but you shouldn’t view these as the go-to method but rather a last resort if you need to create a presentation in record time。這就是一個設計秘密，這個片子太惡心了; 跟你在Powerpoint里面發(fā)現(xiàn)的許多缺省樣式一樣的惡心。誠然，近些年來他們的貨色已經(jīng)有了明顯的改善，但是你不該把這些視為核心手段，只能在時間緊迫萬不得已時才用它們。

The point here is that something custom makes a much stronger statement. Your colleagues know and use the templates in Powerpoint and they’ll recognize immediately that you didn’t put any work into the aesthetics of the slides。你的同事了解也使用那些Powerpoint的模板，如果你不在幻燈片的美感上下點功夫，你的同事馬上就能覺察出來。

I know for non-designers leaving behind templates may seem a bit radical, but you can do it! Just be sure to read the other tips below before striking out on your own。我知道，讓非設計人員拋開模板似乎有些激進，但是你可以的!只要你開始動手前把本文的其他技巧也讀完。

#2 Use Quality Photography#2 使用有質(zhì)量的照片

Photography is one of the single best ways to make your presentation look awesome. It’s also one of the single best ways to make it lame. The “business people on white background” look is nice, but it’s overdone and tends to look a bit stock art-ish or flat out cliche。照片是獨自就能令你的演示出彩的最佳手段之一。它同時也是孤身就能把你的演示搞砸的最佳手段之一。“白色背景下的商業(yè)人士”看起來不錯，但有點夸張了，顯得有點呆板老套。

Further, just because a picture is on a white background doesn’t mean it’s a good photo. Stop using ugly or awkward photography just to have something to put on the slide. Remember that no photo is better than a bad photo。還有，在白色背景下光溜溜地放一張照片并不意味著它就是好照片。不要為了放照片而把難看和不合適的照片放上去。記住，沒有照片好過糟糕照片。

#3 Solid Colors Rock#3 單色系帶來震撼

You don’t always need a fancy photo or crazy custom background to make a presentation look professional. Using a strong palette of solid colors can make for an awesome presentation。你不必總是要靠花哨的照片或者瘋狂的自定義背景來讓PPT顯得專業(yè)。用一個強大的單色系調(diào)色板就能做出精彩的演示。

The slide above is a perfect example of using very plain design and little effort to create something that actually looks really nice. Whether you’re a designer or not, you could make this right?上面的片子就是一個極佳的例子，使用樸實無華的設計，毫無費力就創(chuàng)造出一個看起來棒極了的東西。無論你是否設計師你都可以做出來，對吧?

The key here is to be very cautious about your color choice. Something too bright bright and fun will blow the audience’s eyes out. Also make sure to use plenty of contrast in your secondary color. A crash course in color theory will go a long way。這里的關(guān)鍵在于必須非常謹慎地選擇你的顏色。顏色太亮太搞笑的話會影響觀眾的眼睛。同時在輔助色彩要注意大量運用對比。在色彩理論上個速成班對你大有裨益。

#4 Typography Speaks Volumes#4 字體也有力量

Remember that typefaces can communicate a mood, a point in time, or any number of other factors. Instead of browsing your font list and looking for “something cool,” instead think about the message you want to convey。記住，字體能夠及時傳達一種態(tài)度、一個觀點，或任何其他因素。不要瀏覽字體列表去尋找“某個很酷的東西”，相反，你應該思考一下自己想要傳達的信息是什么。

Never be afraid of standard-looking fonts. Using them can help ensure that your design remains inside the realm of clean and professional and away from cluttered and ugly。永遠都不要對標準樣子的字體感到恐懼。使用它們能幫助你確保設計保持專業(yè)整齊，遠離丑陋和雜亂。

Now, to take that frown off your face I will say that you don’t have to avoid cool fonts 100% of the time. There is a time and a place to throw in something fun, just know that you should use these types of fonts wisely and springily。現(xiàn)在，請不要愁眉苦臉，我要說的是你不必100%地回避那些很酷的字體。有趣的東西總有機會發(fā)揮用武之地的，只需了解你應當明智而有彈性地運用這些字體即可。

#5 Watch Your Readability#5 注意可讀性

While we’re on the subject of typography, you should always be aware of how readable the type is in your presentations. Sometimes the amazing photography tip from #2 will leave you in a situation like the one above。在討論排版這個話題的時候，你應當時刻留意演示文稿中字體的可讀性有多高。有時候第二招(尋找高質(zhì)量圖片)會讓你面臨上圖的問題。

Here we have a really captivating image, but it’s wreaking havoc

on the readability of our text. Even if we make the text bold and try different color variations, it still comes up short. This can be immensely frustrating to new designers。此處我們有一幅很吸引人的圖像，但它對文本的可讀性造成了損害。甚至即使我們讓字體加粗，并嘗試不同的顏色，效果也不好。對于菜鳥設計師來說，這的確令人沮喪。

The solution however is quite simple: use tip #3 (solid colors rock). By creating a simple color bar behind the text we increase the readability by leaps and bounds and still maintain a stylish looking slide。不過解決方案卻相當簡單：用第三招(單色系帶來震撼)。只需在文字后面創(chuàng)建一個簡單的彩色條塊，我們就可以突飛猛進地增加可讀性，同時還能保持幻燈片的時尚感。

#6 Simpler is Better#6 越簡單越好

This is a major stumbling

block for non-designers. The problem stems from a basic misunderstanding of what a presentation slide should be. In most cases, the slide should not be the ultimate source of content and information. Instead, the speaker is what makes the presentation valuable. The speaker should provide the vast majority of the content, information, insight, bad jokes, etc。對于非設計人員來說這是一個主要的絆腳石。這個問題源于對PPT應該是什么樣子的一個誤解。大部分情況下，幻燈片不應該成為內(nèi)容和信息的最終來源。相反，演講者才是體現(xiàn)PPT價值之所在。應當由演講者來提供絕大部分的內(nèi)容、信息、觀察，以及冷笑話等等。

After all, if the presentation slides contain all the information begin conveyed, then why would the audience even need a speaker? You could just provide everyone with a download link and bid them a good day。畢竟，如果演示幻燈片把一切需要傳達的信息都囊括了，那觀眾為什么還需要演講者呢?你只需要給每個人提供一個下載鏈接，然后祝他們生活快樂即可。

The presentation should serve as a drastically simplified visual aid that, when flipped through, would present a rough outline of your speech。演示文稿應該充當極盡簡化的可視化助手，當翻閱它的時候，它能夠把你演講的輪廓勾勒清楚。

Keeping your slide contents simple also discourages you from simply reading your speech from the slide. Use your slides to grab and hold the audience’s attention through attractive visuals. People get bored easily listening to speeches and having something pretty to look at helps us focus。讓幻燈片內(nèi)容保持簡潔還能防止你偷懶，以為只需要照本宣科即可。用你的幻燈片的視覺效果來吸引和保持觀眾的注意力。聽演講大家都很容易感到無聊的，給他們看看漂亮的東西有助于集中精神。

#7 Avoid the Bullet Point Plague#7避免過度使用項目符號

Bullet points are in fact a great tool to convey the most important parts of your speech. It’s a familiar format that clearly separates ideas and is easy to digest. So what’s the problem?對于把演講最重要的部分傳達出來而言，項目符號的確是非常棒的工具。這種格式大家都很熟悉，可以很清楚地將思路分開，也易于消化。那么問題出在哪里呢?

The problem is that, like any good tool, bullet points can be abused. Presenters often get carried away and begin to repeat the mistakes of the previous tip only in bullet form。問題在于，像任何好的工具一樣，項目符號也會被濫用。演示者常常會忘乎所以，又開始犯了上一招的錯誤，只不過換成項目符號的形式而已。

Placing forty-two points on a single slide is exactly like using multiple paragraphs; doing so kills the usefulness of the slide. Remember that bullet points are supposed to convey the important information. To do that effectively you must actually make a decision on what you think is important vs. what should just be left to the speech。在一張幻燈片上放42個項目符號跟放幾段文字無異;這么做會毀了幻燈片的可用性。記住，項目符號是用來傳達重要信息的。為了有效地做到這一點，你必須切實地做出取舍，決定哪些是重要的，哪些應該留給你的演講。

#8 Create Clear Focal Points#8 突出重點

Notice how the slide above used color to direct your attention to specific areas. The words in yellow stand out considerably from the rest of the content and therefore tend to draw your attention more。留意一下下面的這張幻燈片，看看它是如何運用色彩來將你的注意力引導到特定區(qū)域的。黃色的文字在其他文字中間顯得很突出，因此往往更能吸引你的注意。

With text you can use color, size, typeface style or boldness to create clear focal points. Keep in mind that it’s a good idea to have one primary focal point (like the word “share” above) followed up by one or two secondary focal points that aren’t quite as strong。對于文本，你可以運用色彩、字體或粗細來創(chuàng)造出清晰的中心點。記住，一個主中心點后面跟著一兩個不那么重要的次中心點是個不錯的主意。

Note that text isn’t the only way to create strong focal points. Photographs and illustrations are also great ways to bring the viewer’s attention to a given area. Notice how the child’s eyes in the slide above really catch your attention and then gradually bring you down the headline as you move on。請注意，文字并非唯一能創(chuàng)造出鮮明的中心點的方式。照片和插圖同樣是將觀眾注意力吸引到特定區(qū)域的很好方式。留意下面這張片子里孩子的眼睛，看看他是如何真正抓住你的注意力然后慢慢地將你的視線引導到標題的。

#9 Create a Captivating Cover#9 設計引人入勝的封面幻燈

The cover slide is often either skipped entirely or shown for only a second in many presentations. However, a good cover design is a great way to set the tone for the entire presentation。封面幻燈片往往不是被直接跳過就是驚鴻一瞥，一秒鐘就一閃而過。然而，一個好的封面設計是樹立整篇演示基調(diào)的極佳方式。

Until that slide is shown, the audience has no idea what to expect from your visual aid. Creating a beautiful cover and leaving it up while you introduce yourself and your speech can really start things off on a positive note and give the audience a psychological heads up to pay attention because they’re about to see some awesome slides。在封面放出來之前，觀眾都不知道能從你的可視效果輔助物那里期待得到些什么。創(chuàng)建一個漂亮的封面，然后在你介紹自己和演講內(nèi)容的時候讓它停留在那里，這真的可以讓你有一個積極的開端，可令觀眾發(fā)自內(nèi)心地抬起頭來，全神貫注，因為，他們即將看到一些出色的幻燈片。

If you’re not a designer, then it can be intimidating to try to create a beautiful cover. In these circumstances, refer to tips #2 and #4 and let professional photography in conjunction with simple typography handle all the work for you。如果你不是設計師，你可能會對設計出漂亮的封面望而生畏。這種情況下，你可以試試前面說過的第二和第四招，用專業(yè)的照片術(shù)和簡潔的排版術(shù)這套組合拳幫助你處理設計工作。

#10 Make ‘em Laugh#10 讓觀眾會心一笑

Whether you suck at delivering witty one liners or are a natural born comedian, it helps ease the pressure to let your slides handle some or all of the humor. This way you can be perceived as funny without worrying about screwing up the punch line。無論你對給大家?guī)�來幽默詼諧這一點感到頭痛，抑或你天生就是喜劇演員，讓你的幻燈片部分或都摻雜些幽默對于緩解壓力來說是有幫助的。如此一來大家都覺得你幽默風趣，而不必總是要妙語連珠。

Remember that your goal doesn’t have to be audible laughter from the entire room. Even the occasional smile from a few audience members goes a long way because it shows that they’re actually paying attention!記住，你的目標不必是要讓觀眾哄堂大笑。即便是少數(shù)觀眾偶爾一笑，此情此景也意味深長，因為這表明他們的確在專心聽講了!

My best advice in this area is to try not to pour the humor on too thick. The audience will notice if you seem to be trying too hard. Find the most boring or complicated parts of your speech and break them up with a funny slide or two。在這方面，我的建議是幽默最好不要重彩濃墨。如果你看起來過度賣力，觀眾會覺察到的。找出講演里面最乏味或最復雜的部分，把它們分成一兩張有趣的片子。

Be sure to always consider your audience carefully when deciding what sort of humor is appropriate. Offending the audience is far worse than boring them。在決定采用哪種類型的幽默時，一定要仔細考慮你的觀眾。得罪了觀眾遠比令其乏味要糟糕。

Conclusion總結(jié)

To sum up, let’s take a quick look at all ten tips for designing presentations that don’t suck from both articles�？偨Y(jié)一下，讓我們快速回顧PPT設計上下兩部的十招大法。

1. Don’t Use a Built-In Theme

2. Use Quality Photography

3. Solid Colors Rock

4. Typography Speaks Volumes

5. Watch Your Readability

6. Simpler is Better

7. Avoid the Bullet Point Plague

8. Create Clear Focal Points

9. Create a Captivating Cover

10. Make ‘em Laugh

1. 不要用內(nèi)置樣式

2. 使用高質(zhì)量的圖片

3. 單色體系帶來震撼

4. 字體也有力量

5. 注意可讀性

6. 越簡單越好

7. 避免過度使用項目符號

8. 重點要突出

9. 設計引人入勝的封面幻燈

10. 讓觀眾會心一笑

I hope you’ve found these tips practical and easily implementable. Ultimately the goal here was to show you that you don’t necessarily have to be a professional designer to create great looking and effective presentations。我希望你們能覺得這些招式實用又好用。最后，我們的目的是好看又有效的PPT。