“A picture speaks a thousand words.” This old saying might be a bit of a cliché, but it’s also undeniably true. The human brain processes visual information an incredible#nbsp; 60,000 times faster than it processes text. So whenever and wherever you’re trying to convey a message, photos and graphics have a big part to play.
On the other hand, a bad stock photo, sadly, is worth a thousand giggles. But an image can be more than blatantly uncomfortable. It can overcrowd your design, distract from the overall tone, and lower the quality of the piece as a whole. In other words, the wrong images can clutter your slides and cloud your core message.
So how do you choose the perfect photos for your slide backgrounds — the ones that will complement and clarify your message, rather than muddling it? Here are our top tips.
We’re assuming you have access to a stock photography library online that isn’t Google. You can try Pexels, iStock, or Unsplash. These sites are loaded with plenty of high-quality images to browse through. However, keep in mind to use copyright images. This is the most important point to be kept in mind while choosing or picking up images from the internet. It is mandatory to have a proper license from the companies before downloading and using the images in your presentations. It is also important to give credit to the source of the images.
Use visuals or images that first support your content, and then add to the aesthetic value of the slide. At times, images are used just for filling up the white space in a slide, which is true. But they should always be relevant to the slide’s content and theme. It’s best to keep on your slides what you really want to say and the images that correspond with them as literally as possible. The images that you use just need to connect the “a ha!” synapses within your audience’s brain.
Make sure that the visuals you use in your presentation are clear and of high quality. Images should also be laid out such that everyone in the audience sees them. The image should be visible no matter how huge a room is.
If you want to add images to a slide, make sure you have consistent images, i.e., the same look and feel. Mixing a bright-colored image with a black and white is not a good idea to consider, especially when it is on the same slide.
Avoid using Clipart to give a clean and professional look to your deck. Clipart mostly looks cartoonish and won’t go along when you want to convey some important business message.
Images are used to tell the story of your slide. A kind of visual aid for the idea you are presenting. However, if it is going to pose as a distraction instead, you might as well do away with it. They might also shift away from the focus of viewers from the main message you are trying to convey.
Hopefully, these tips will help you choose better images for your next PowerPoint presentation. Also, keep in mind the best practices while using those images:
— Use high-resolution images
— Avoid clipart
— Use legal images
If you want free images, use websites like Unsplash and Pexels. Master the art of visual communication and see your presentations become a visually engaging and rewarding experience for you and your audience.
