What is it that really drives our thoughts and actions? And how can knowing the answer to this help us become better presenters and designers? Presentation design isn’t just about making things pretty; it is understanding what moves and motivates us. Great presentation design takes into account the way humans process information, shapes, color, sequence, narrative, and more. So, there is a science of great design. And it’s influenced by other sciences, like psychology.
Today we want to show how knowledge of three big psychological principles on human motivation can help you create better presentation design. Let’s see how to create a slide deck that is more powerful, more pleasing, and more meaningful.
Powerful Presentation Design
Frederich Nietzsche (and later Alfred Adler) believed that humans are oriented towards power. This “will to power” meant that humans ultimately desire to obtain and maintain power. And psychologists who ascribe to this believe that power is what drives our thoughts and behavior.
If Nietzsche was on to something, here’s how we use his theory in designing slides:
1. Offer clear direction and “flow” so that your audience has a sense of power. Slides without structure or sequence can leave your audience feeling confused and powerless.
2. Contrast draws our attention because it puts opposites together. Use this powerful design element in ways that capture your audience.
3. Design slides that allow the audience to do something, so they can play a part in the presentation. Check our tips for creating interactive presentations here.
4. Use Gestalt principles in your design, so that the audience maintains a sense of control as they process the visual information.
Pleasing Presentation Design
Sigmund Freud famously hypothesized that humans live their lives in an effort to increase their pleasure and reduce their pain. Don’t worry. You don’t have to lie down on a couch and be psychoanalyzed in order to use Freud’s “will to pleasure” in your presentation design.
If Freud was correct, here’s how we use that knowledge in our slide design:
1. Beautiful things move us. So make your design pleasing to the eye. Check out our 5 tips for beautiful presentation design here.
2. Avoid design elements that could be painful. Colors that are too bright, fonts that are hard to read, slides that are busy, and sounds that are too loud could all detract from the pleasure of the presentation experience.
3. Focus on relationships. Freud believed that relationships are a key element in human pleasure and pain. When you design, make sure to have clear relationships between design elements.
4. Because humans enjoy repetition and patterns, create design “threads” that run through your slide deck. And use the principles of visual hierarchy when arranging information.
Meaningful Presentation Design
Victor Frankl developed a theory called logotherapy after surviving time in concentration camps. He believes humans have a “will to meaning.” In other words, every person on the planet has a purpose, and it is his/her responsibility to find and fulfill that meaning. One of my favorite parts of Frankl’s theory is his belief that the personal freedom to choose should always be balanced with responsibility to others. So, yes, you have the right to make the presentation yours, but you have the responsibility to make it meaningful for others, as well.
Here’s how logotherapy can inform your slide design:
1. Keep focused on how the slide content directly influences the audience. Design slides that mean something to your audience. Cut out anything in the deck that is “extra.” If it’s not adding to the meaning, it’s probably taking away from it.
2. Use slides that show how the content details relate to the bigger picture. Prezi is a program that does this well with their zoom reveal function.
3. Use unique and innovative design elements. Don’t rely on tired templates. If every presentation starts to look and feel like every other presentation, we have a problem. Show the audience that your presentation matters because it is different from all the rest.
4. Design slides that connect information to purpose. In this way, statistics become parts of stories. Product specs are couched in the greater view of how lives can be changed. And color, shapes, and images all become part of purposeful narratives of meaning.
Hiring a Presentation Designer
If you want to take your presentation to the next level with powerful, pleasing, and meaningful slides, consider hiring a presentation design agency. Great presenters and designers understand why humans think and behave the way do. And they structure their presentations and their slide decks around these powerful motivators.
At Ethos3, our presentation design experts know how to create slides that will move and motivate your audiences. And they are ready to collaborate with you. Find out more now.
