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。本文是写给做过PPT的人的。 无论你是学生、领导，还是自助团体，或者是薪水达6位数的企业高管，不管你喜欢与否，从你打开Powerpoint的那一刻起，你就成为了一名设计师。

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!如何培养出色的Powerpoint设计技巧?如果你还没得到建议的话，学学下面的十个技巧看看。等着瞧，如果你的同事注意到你的幻灯片开始变好，他们很可能会开始请你帮帮他们改进一下自己的幻灯片!

#1 Don’t Use a Built-In Theme#1 不要用内置样式

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。为了说明这一点，我打开Powerpoint，随手抓起一个实际的缺省样式然后随便在上面写点文字。这个流程跟无数PPT设计师的工作流程几乎完全一致，其结果就是我读书和工作时看过无数遍的一个典型的幻灯片。

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。这就是一个设计秘密，这个片子太恶心了; 跟你在Powerpoint里面发现的许多缺省样式一样的恶心。诚然，近些年来他们的货色已经有了明显的改善，但是你不该把这些视为核心手段，只能在时间紧迫万不得已时才用它们。

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，如果你不在幻灯片的美感上下点功夫，你的同事马上就能觉察出来。

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，让非设计人员抛开模板似乎有些激进，但是你可以的!只要你开始动手前把本文的其他技巧也读完。

#2 Use Quality Photography#2 使用有质量的照片

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。照片是独自就能令你的演示出彩的最佳手段之一。它同时也是孤身就能把你的演示搞砸的最佳手段之一。“白色背景下的商业人士”看起来不错，但有点夸张了，显得有点呆板老套。

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。还有，在白色背景下光溜溜地放一张照片并不意味着它就是好照片。不要为了放照片而把难看和不合适的照片放上去。记住，没有照片好过糟糕照片。

#3 Solid Colors Rock#3 单色系带来震撼

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。你不必总是要靠花哨的照片或者疯狂的自定义背景来让PPT显得专业。用一个强大的单色系调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?上面的片子就是一个极佳的例子，使用朴实无华的设计，毫无费力就创造出一个看起来棒极了的东西。无论你是否设计师你都可以做出来，对吧?

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。这里的关键在于必须非常谨慎地选择你的颜色。颜色太亮太搞笑的话会影响观众的眼睛。同时在辅助色彩要注意大量运用对比。在色彩理论上个速成班对你大有裨益。

#4 Typography Speaks Volumes#4 字体也有力量

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。记住，字体能够及时传达一种态度、一个观点，或任何其他因素。不要浏览字体列表去寻找“某个很酷的东西”，相反，你应该思考一下自己想要传达的信息是什么。

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。永远都不要对标准样子的字体感到恐惧。使用它们能帮助你确保设计保持专业整齐，远离丑陋和杂乱。

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。现在，请不要愁眉苦脸，我要说的是你不必100%地回避那些很酷的字体。有趣的东西总有机会发挥用武之地的，只需了解你应当明智而有弹性地运用这些字体即可。

#5 Watch Your Readability#5 注意可读性

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。在讨论排版这个话题的时候，你应当时刻留意演示文稿中字体的可读性有多高。有时候第二招(寻找高质量图片)会让你面临上图的问题。

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。此处我们有一幅很吸引人的图像，但它对文本的可读性造成了损害。甚至即使我们让字体加粗，并尝试不同的颜色，效果也不好。对于菜鸟设计师来说，这的确令人沮丧。

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。不过解决方案却相当简单：用第三招(单色系带来震撼)。只需在文字后面创建一个简单的彩色条块，我们就可以突飞猛进地增加可读性，同时还能保持幻灯片的时尚感。

#6 Simpler is Better#6 越简单越好

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。对于非设计人员来说这是一个主要的绊脚石。这个问题源于对PPT应该是什么样子的一个误解。大部分情况下，幻灯片不应该成为内容和信息的最终来源。相反，演讲者才是体现PPT价值之所在。应当由演讲者来提供绝大部分的内容、信息、观察，以及冷笑话等等。

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。毕竟，如果演示幻灯片把一切需要传达的信息都囊括了，那观众为什么还需要演讲者呢?你只需要给每个人提供一个下载链接，然后祝他们生活快乐即可。

The presentation should serve as a drastically simplified visual aid that, when flipped through, would present a rough outline of your speech。演示文稿应该充当极尽简化的可视化助手，当翻阅它的时候，它能够把你演讲的轮廓勾勒清楚。

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。让幻灯片内容保持简洁还能防止你偷懒，以为只需要照本宣科即可。用你的幻灯片的视觉效果来吸引和保持观众的注意力。听演讲大家都很容易感到无聊的，给他们看看漂亮的东西有助于集中精神。

#7 Avoid the Bullet Point Plague#7避免过度使用项目符号

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?对于把演讲最重要的部分传达出来而言，项目符号的确是非常棒的工具。这种格式大家都很熟悉，可以很清楚地将思路分开，也易于消化。那么问题出在哪里呢?

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。问题在于，像任何好的工具一样，项目符号也会被滥用。演示者常常会忘乎所以，又开始犯了上一招的错误，只不过换成项目符号的形式而已。

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。在一张幻灯片上放42个项目符号跟放几段文字无异;这么做会毁了幻灯片的可用性。记住，项目符号是用来传达重要信息的。为了有效地做到这一点，你必须切实地做出取舍，决定哪些是重要的，哪些应该留给你的演讲。

#8 Create Clear Focal Points#8 突出重点

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。留意一下下面的这张幻灯片，看看它是如何运用色彩来将你的注意力引导到特定区域的。黄色的文字在其他文字中间显得很突出，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。对于文本，你可以运用色彩、字体或粗细来创造出清晰的中心点。记住，一个主中心点后面跟着一两个不那么重要的次中心点是个不错的主意。

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。请注意，文字并非唯一能创造出鲜明的中心点的方式。照片和插图同样是将观众注意力吸引到特定区域的很好方式。留意下面这张片子里孩子的眼睛，看看他是如何真正抓住你的注意力然后慢慢地将你的视线引导到标题的。

#9 Create a Captivating Cover#9 设计引人入胜的封面幻灯

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。封面幻灯片往往不是被直接跳过就是惊鸿一瞥，一秒钟就一闪而过。然而，一个好的封面设计是树立整篇演示基调的极佳方式。

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。在封面放出来之前，观众都不知道能从你的可视效果辅助物那里期待得到些什么。创建一个漂亮的封面，然后在你介绍自己和演讲内容的时候让它停留在那里，这真的可以让你有一个积极的开端，可令观众发自内心地抬起头来，全神贯注，因为，他们即将看到一些出色的幻灯片。

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。如果你不是设计师，你可能会对设计出漂亮的封面望而生畏。这种情况下，你可以试试前面说过的第二和第四招，用专业的照片术和简洁的排版术这套组合拳帮助你处理设计工作。

#10 Make ‘em Laugh#10 让观众会心一笑

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。无论你对给大家带来幽默诙谐这一点感到头痛，抑或你天生就是喜剧演员，让你的幻灯片部分或都掺杂些幽默对于缓解压力来说是有帮助的。如此一来大家都觉得你幽默风趣，而不必总是要妙语连珠。

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!记住，你的目标不必是要让观众哄堂大笑。即便是少数观众偶尔一笑，此情此景也意味深长，因为这表明他们的确在专心听讲了!

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。在这方面，我的建议是幽默最好不要重彩浓墨。如果你看起来过度卖力，观众会觉察到的。找出讲演里面最乏味或最复杂的部分，把它们分成一两张有趣的片子。

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。在决定采用哪种类型的幽默时，一定要仔细考虑你的观众。得罪了观众远比令其乏味要糟糕。

Conclusion总结

To sum up, let’s take a quick look at all ten tips for designing presentations that don’t suck from both articles。总结一下，让我们快速回顾PPT设计上下两部的十招大法。

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. 不要用内置样式

2. 使用高质量的图片

3. 单色体系带来震撼

4. 字体也有力量

5. 注意可读性

6. 越简单越好

7. 避免过度使用项目符号

8. 重点要突出

9. 设计引人入胜的封面幻灯

10. 让观众会心一笑

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。我希望你们能觉得这些招式实用又好用。最后，我们的目的是好看又有效的PPT。