Infographics and Visually Appealing Slides

Abstract

Clients and employers are asking for infographics and visually appealing slides because they see infographics everywhere, and slides at conferences and meetings are looking different than in years past. They want graphical elements, short phrases, connections between ideas to be made clear, and to get to the point right away. Putting together these new deliverables means incorporating a few key elements and thinking differently about how you present data. The elements needed are visual (color coding, graphics, and icons), content (timeframes and timelines, statistics, and references), and knowledge (facts and deductions). Infographics come in different sizes: they can be an image of any size or shape, 1 or 2-page 8.5 by 11 sizes, or rolling infographics that are a standard screen width but any length (meant to be scrolled on a website). When creating visually appealing slides, use templates, icons, colors, and images to bring visual interest; put words into boxes, SmartArt, circles, shapes, charts, and graphics; and pare down the words and showcase certain words (often numbers or shorter phrases) with color, size, or space. Create infographics and visually appealing slides using sites or templates available from these sites and from PowerPoint Office 365 to make this process easier. Getting comfortable with these new visual formats might take some time, research, and exposure, but it can be a worthwhile addition to your skillset.