The ABCs of Beautiful Slides - Jörn Dinkla's Blog

“Slide:ology: The Art and Science of Presentation Design” is a very well-designed and easy-to-read book. It definitely lives up to its subtitle.

I particularly like the scientific and methodical approach. For example, the elements of diagrams are listed, and no fewer than 12 examples are given for circular elements alone (p. 44ff).

Also very nice is the section on simplifying charts, the composition of colors, transitions between slides, animations, etc.

There are, however, a few points of criticism; for instance, it bothers me when people tell me that I must not use a computer in order to be creative (p. 26).

Then there are a few places where the author seems somewhat naive outside of her area of expertise. On page 9, for example, she claims that the great presentations of a hardware company’s CEO ensured high sales. But the CEO is unknown to most consumers; they pay attention to advertising and their environment. So it was likely the company’s marketing that was good. And a politician like Al Gore (p. 86) is no “environmental angel” either, but a businessman who makes money from environmental protection.

I also found the following tip amusing: “do not use clip art ever ‘ hire a local illustrator ‘” (p. 172). Probably only larger companies can afford that.

And finally, we also learn how we can make the world a more beautiful place (p. 221): “Removing clutter ‘ It will also make the world a more attractive place to live”.

But a very good book nonetheless.

Nancy Duarte
Slide:ology: The Art and Science of Presentation Design
O’Reilly
2008