Let’s be honest – most term paper presentations look like they were made 20 years ago. And this is despite the fact that it is the presentation, not the coursework itself, that every member of the committee and every listener sees at the defense, which means that it is the presentation that gives everyone an impression of the work you have done. In this article, using several slides from the presentation of a 4th-year student, we’ll understand what is good design and what is not so good design. Try using these tips and tricks!
Use photos from Unsplash
Unsplash is a favorite resource for many designers because you can download a marvelous photo of any theme for free here. Let’s say you need a photo for the presentation of a term paper on “Developing the speed ability of elementary school students through soccer”. Here’s how it works: Go to Unsplash. Type in the search box word “soccer”. We choose what we like out of almost 2,000 amazing soccer pictures. And upon request to buy term paper you can find even more photos – upon 10,000. Photos help build a strong connection: thought – image – feeling. Not only will they grab your audience’s attention for your presentation, but they’ll help you melt all the hearts in the audience. Make it even better – use a black and white photo or apply a black and white filter to the photo, and make the background bright – in the case of the soccer theme, for example, green. This background will create a contrast with the photo – looks very classy!
Arrange text blocks like art objects
In presentations of term papers, there are usually a lot of lists: research objectives, methods, etc. These are usually boring slides with text simply copied from the term paper and pasted into the presentation. Now think of each item on the list as an independent art object. Pick up an icon on Flaticon for each, instead of a number. Arrange them on the slide so that there is an equal amount of space between them. Use guides or automatic alignment in PowerPoint to do this. And don’t forget to indent the borders of the slide. See how the slide is filled with “air” – the elements are more interesting to look at, and the information is easier to read.
Follow a sequence of actions using a timeline
A timeline is a very convenient and clear way to display a sequence or periodization, for example, the stages of the experimental part of the course work. It can be drawn in PowerPoint itself using a curve or created by a template in a special online service, such as Canva, and then simply inserted into the presentation. An example of such a timeline can be found on Writemypaperbro. Use a gradient to make a smooth transition from one stage to the next. The gradient itself is a very bright technique, so in other elements, it is better to show restraint. For the gradient, you can choose one color and stretch it from a darker shade to a lighter one or vice versa. Or you can choose close colors: a transition from green to blue, from orange to red, from purple to pink.
Maintain visual rhythm – make each slide unique
Monotonous slides are like a monotonous voice, which acts soporific. To keep your audience in tone, you need to design your slides differently. We’re not talking about making them in different colors and fonts. You can use one bright color, for example, green, but play it completely differently on each slide: somewhere to make a green background, somewhere – a green chart on a black background, somewhere – use a black and white background photo and green accents.
Summing Up
It’s time to insert a disclaimer, that no matter how beautifully the presentation is designed, if it has no content, it won’t help it. On the other hand, if you have good presentation content, and at the same time it is well structured and beautifully designed, it may well pull your defense up a point higher. Already at least due to the fact that it will be easier to find the necessary information on it both for you and for the listeners.
