At the beginning of this month, visual marketers, influencers, and graphic designers gathered for Canva’s Create 2022 conference. During that time, the design giant shared their latest changes and upcoming releases. Since we are a presentation design agency, we had our eyes on the changes they made specifically to their presentation platform, and we’re breaking those down for you today.
Whether or not you use Canva to create your presentations, these changes point to 3 specific trends in the field: increased cinematic features, built-in data viz capabilities, and methods for real-time collaboration. So, here’s what we learned from Canva’s Create conference about how presentations are changing in 2022.
1. Increased Cinematic Features
In the past, presentation design programs like PowerPoint, Prezi, and Canva have been pretty static. But now it seems like they are in a race to add cinematic features to their program offerings. For example, Canva now lets you format and control your presentation on a video timeline instead of the regular slide storyboard. This makes it easier to add, arrange, and sync multiple audio tracks, animations, and videos.
In addition, their addition of “Match and Move” lets you seamlessly transition from one page to the other. Similar to Prezi’s zoom reveal or PowerPoint’s slide transitions, this Canva tool points to one of the most important ways presentations are changing. We continue to move away from linear sequenced slide decks. In other words, instead of picturing slides in a line or sequence like pages in a book, we are seeing presenters incorporate movement that zooms in or out, or morphs from one screen to the next. So the presentation design is more like a movie and less like a printed page.
2. Built-In Data Viz Capabilities
Data visualization (data viz) is a growing field. We are all learning how important it is to present data in a way that makes sense for our audience. In Storytelling with Data, Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic says, “Good data visualization…is not simply a collection of facts on a given topic; good data visualization tells a story.” Presentation design programs know that presenters are working to improve the data viz in their slide decks. So they are building plug-ins which allow us to create smart charts from within the program rather than having to import data and charts from another program.
For example, the Elements tab in Canva now includes charts like progress rings and pictograms. This allows you to enter your data and quickly create attractive data visualizations within your presentation. Canva doesn’t have as many options as PowerPoint’s SmartArt feature. But the offerings Canva does have are more modern-looking and more user friendly. To find out how to use these new tools effectively, check out our 3 tips for creating better data viz in your presentations.
3. More Methods for Real-Time Collaboration
The last big presentation change we want to highlight is the incorporation of more tools that allow for real-time collaboration. Canva announced a feature which now allows you to “expand a slide into a Whiteboard to more extensively map out your ideas.” As we see it, this tool allows for two exciting possibilities. The first is for making notes as you create your slides, especially if you have a team who is collaborating remotely. If you work with others on your slide deck, this whiteboard tool allows you to make suggestions without actually altering the slides until you’ve come to a consensus.
The second is a creative adaptation for using the whiteboard. If you share the link of your presentation, you can create the potential for live interaction with your audience. Canva says, “to enhance real-life whiteboarding, we provide sticky notes, synced timers, diagramming and flowchart tools, name-displaying cursors, and new workshop templates.” For presenters looking for creative ways to gather audience feedback and input during the presentation, this new tool from Canva is an attractive offering. If you are looking for more ideas on how to make your presentations more interactive, we’ve got you covered.
Presentations (like the people who make them, use them, and view them) are always changing. Here at Ethos3, we are excited about the trends toward more cinematic, communicative, and collaborative presentations. And we are committed to designing presentations that use the best of both time-tested presentation theories and modern-day innovations.
When you collaborate with Ethos3, we can help take your presentation to the next level. Check out our presentation services now.
