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Subject:Serif for Power Point? From:Geoff Hart <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 25 Jun 2004 17:28:29 -0400
Lisa Nanette Kemp wondered: <<Can anyone point me toward some credible
resources that explain that sans serif fonts are preferred for power
point presentations?>>
There's a general rule of thumb that sans serif fonts are more readable
onscreen, particularly when projected. It's a nonsensical rule, since
it's trivially easy to find illegible sans serif and legible serif
type. If the proof of the pudding is in the eating, then the proof of
the typeface is in the viewing. Try a few typefaces and see for
yourself which ones work!
<<The marketing department at my company is claiming that there are
different standards for technical and marketing presentations.>>
The common standard for any presentation is legibility: if the audience
can't read what you're projecting, you might as well not project
anything at all. Beyond that, it's true that technical presentations
should emphasize legibility above all else, since flash distracts
attention away from the points you're trying to make, and the audience
expects meat, not just sizzle.
In marketing, on the other hand, the style of the presentation is a
large part of the message* and must be given considerable weight. Even
then, the type must support the message ("buy my product") rather than
distracting from that message.
* In incompetent marketing, it's the only message.
--Geoff Hart ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca
(try geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com if you don't get a reply)
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