Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
without adequate use of constraints? I found a good description of how this kind of
complication feels in
Learning to See Creatively
by Bryan Peterson (Amphoto Topics,
2003). Peterson talks about how inexperienced photographers often snap photos that
have too many points of interest—too many elements that alienate the eyes, causing
them to move on. This lack of direction in the composition fails to engage or satisfy
viewers, causing them to look elsewhere. Viewers are left feeling a bit of confusion that
Peterson describes like this:
Imagine finding yourself lost on the open road. You finally see a
lone gas station up ahead, you're hungry to discover the route back
to the freeway. You ask the attendant for directions, and he begins
to offer plan A and plan B and plan C, each with varying degrees of
specific detail. Rather than finding the clear, simple, and concise
directions you were seeking, your brain is now swimming in a sea
of even greater confusion. Clear, simple, and concise directions
are all that you wanted.
We've all had a similar feeling while exploring a poorly designed Web site, using a
nonintuitive software application, or gazing at a confusing and cluttered deck of slides.
Learning to first see white space may be the first step toward designing effective visuals.
But restraint concerning what you add to that space is the second step. Learn to see and
then learn to preserve space, giving your visual messages more impact and greater
clarity.
Exercise: Less-Is-More Group Slide Activity
When I conduct day-long private training sessions at corporations in Japan and
other parts of the world, we do a group activity in the afternoon to get everyone
involved. I ask a few presenters from the firm (salespeople, researchers,
executives, etc.) to take us through the visuals used in an important talk. They do not
present—they simply show each slide on the screen, then explain the purpose of the
slide and attempt to justify the visual in terms of its effectiveness in a live talk. The
group then attempts to answer two simple questions:
1. Can we eliminate the slide?
2. If the slide is essential, what can we remove to make it more effective?
After spending the morning looking at design concepts and rethinking their entire
approach to presentations, the group is eager to critique their slides and the slides
created by others. Sometimes, the clutter and the superfluous are so obvious that
the slides evoke laughter from both the presenter charged with defending the older
design and the team members assigned with critiquing the design. Since we are
using actual slide decks from the participants, this critiquing exercise is very
effective for generating concrete recommendations for immediate use.
You can try this activity with your own group. Look for a presentation deck in your
organization that is typical of the kind used for live talks. As a group, sit down
