Black and White and Red All Over  

Color is a powerful motivation and selling tool. We can also use color to improve people’s performance. Color is comprised of hue, value and saturation. When selecting a color scheme for a web site or slide presentation select a pastel background, then a complimentary or contrasting secondary color for accents. Select black or neutral text. Avoid the jelly-bean syndrome of contrasting, saturated, adjacent colors that fatigue the eye. Instead, use bright colors only for accents, not for major areas.

Lisberg, Beth Conney. STC Proceedings (1998). Presentations>Graphic Design>Design

Creating More Effective Graphs: Trellis Display  

Trellis display is a framework for visualizing multivariate data. The outcomes collected during an early agricultural experiment on the yields of barley are displayed using Trellis, which in the case study discussed revealed an anomaly in the data which was overlooked during many conventional statistical analyses of these data.

Robbins, Naomi B. STC Proceedings (1999). Presentations>Graphic Design>Charts And Graphs

Free PowerPoint Templates  

These Free Powerpoint Templates are a great choice for a wide variety of presentation needs.

Chaw, Brandy. Powered Templates (2006). Presentations>Graphic Design>International>Microsoft PowerPoint

Graphic Design  

A primary technique to achieve improved user-interface is clear, distinct, consistent visible language.

Deshpande, Shashank. STC India (2003). Presentations>Graphic Design>User Interface

The Graphic Design of Text: A Review of Research  

Technical communicators can make reading easier by using type-design principles proven to enhance reading performance. This paper, based on the author’s master’s thesis of the same name, revealed research related to the graphic design of text and concluded that further research is needed to measure the impact of typography on readers (expert, intermediate, and novice) and the ways in which they read (to do, to read to learn, to read to assess, and to read to learn to do).

Matis, David W. STC Proceedings (1996). Presentations>Typography>Graphic Design

ICC Color Management for Print Production  

An introduction to device-independent solutions for color management.

International Color Consortium. Presentations>Graphic Design>Prepress

Presentaciones Conceptuales

Las presentaciones tienden a ser más visuales y menos textuales. Convertir cada concepto en una imagen es el reto y, a la vez, la solución.

Dursteler, Juan Carlos. InfoVis (2003). (Spanish) Presentations>Graphic Design>Visual Rhetoric>Technical Illustration

Technical and Scientific Illustrations: From Pen to Computer  

A brief look at the 19th Century David M. Greene collection of engineering textbooks at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute reveals how illustrations (1) conveyed messages to a specific audience, (2) addressed a subject, and (3) were designed for specific viewing contexts. The technology of computer-aided drawing has reestablished the importance of visual language in scientific documents.

Powley, William. STC Proceedings (1995). Presentations>Graphic Design>History>Technical Illustration

Technical Illustration And The Video Camera  

A video camera is an excellent tool for preparing technical illustrations and procedures. A video tape of a procedure provides chronological information. It provides visual images that can be used as the basis for technical illustrations. Visual images and details are recorded permanently so that they are not forgotten. The research information can be passed on to another author. A case study illustrates how a video tape can be used to document a procedure and produce electronic illustrations.

Schneider, Livingston S. STC Proceedings (1994). Presentations>Graphic Design>Video>Technical Illustration

Understanding Data Flow Diagrams  

Data flow diagrams (DFDs) reveal relationships among and between the various components in a program or system.

Le Vie, Donald S., Jr. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Graphic Design>Charts and Graphs

Visual Communication: The Expanding Role of Technical Communicators  

Visual communication no longer refers only to illustrating verbal information but to all aspects of designing documents. To be effective as information architects, technical communicators must understand the opportunties and limitations of developing technologies, the basics of communication in general and of visual communication in particular, especially the principles of selection, design, positioning, production, and cost of graphics.

Rainey, Kenneth T. STC Proceedings (1995). Presentations>Graphic Design>Visual>Visual Rhetoric

Color, Contrast and Design in News Design

An online guide that explains color theory and shows how to use it in design through examples and exercises.

Adam, Pegie Stark. Poynter Online (2007). Presentations>Communication>Graphic Design>Color

A Periodic Table of Visualization Methods

An interactive presentation of a variety of visualization techniques used by graphic designers, technical illustrators and document designers to convey information.

Lengler, Ralph and Martin J. Eppler. Visual Literacy (2009). Presentations>Graphic Design>Technical Illustration>Visual Rhetoric

Ten Tips on How to Think Like a Designer

Below are 10 things (plus a bonus tip) that I have learned over the years from designers, things that designers do or know that the rest of us can benefit from.

Reynolds, Garr. Presentation Zen (2009). Articles>Presentations>Graphic Design

Eleven Ways to Use Images Poorly in Slides

As digital cameras have become ubiquitous, and cheap (or free) photo websites plentiful, more people than ever are using images in presentations. Images are not appropriate for every kind of talk, but even when images are appropriate (such as keynote/ballroom style presentations), people are still making the same common mistakes. So here are some things to keep in mind if you use images in your next talk.

Reynolds, Garr. Presentation Zen (2009). Articles>Presentations>Graphic Design>Visual Rhetoric