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How To Make Diagrams Awesome For your slides
How To Make
DiagramsAwesome
For your
slides
Me
Enrique García CotaI do software at Splendeo
@otikik
Disclaimer● I'm not a designer.
● I've just done lots of diagrams in presentations.
● These guidelines work for me.
● “Right” and “Wrong” are used in that context. Don't take them personally.
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1. Lines
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Never use 0pt line width
Wrong
Right
Visible from the far end of the room
Have consistent line width
0.10'' 0.32''
Wrong
0.06''
Right
Maybe two very different widths; not more
0.06''
0.06''
0.32''
Use only one line ending
Wrong
Right
People at the far end won't see the difference
Use one dashed style
Wrong
Right
Guess
Arrows instead of lines
vs.
When? See example on next slide
Use connectors, not straight lines
With lines
With connectors
Shapes instead of lines (sometimes)
Phase 3Phase 2Phase 1
Phase 1
vs.
Phase 2 Phase 3
They look better on simple workflows
Colors instead of outlines (sometimes)
vs.
Useful to reduce the number of colors
2. Shapes
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Use a grid
Wrong
Right
Align when possible
Wrong
Right
Size means Importance
Wrong Right
NotImportant
NotImportant
VeryImportant
VeryImportant
Size means Hierarchy
Wrong Right
Face
Eyes Nose Mouth
Face
Eyes Nose Mouth
Size means Relative Size
Wrong Right
Elephant Duck ElephantDuck
Size doesn't mean “long name”
Wrong
Right
A
A B*
* Long Name
A
Long Name
Long Name
A ...
Long Name
Different Shape = Different Type
OK
?Yes No
Better
Yes No
?
Maximum number types: 4
If you need more, use images
OK
A B C
Better
Warning! Finding appropriate images takes time
Transparencies, Shadows & Gradients
Don't
They take a lot of time to get right, andmost projectors won't show them anyway
3. Nesting©
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One nesting level per slide
Wrong
Unique slide
Right
Slide 1
One nesting level per slide
Right
Slide 2
One nesting level per slide
Right
Slide 3
One nesting level per slide
Right
Slide 4?
Is this level really needed?
One nesting level per slide
Yes, it will.But less than nested shapes.
But, won't adding slides increase the presentation complexity?
Nes
tin
g →
Co
mp
l ex
ity
→
Slides →
1 slide /1 nesting level
If you need everything in one place
You are not making a presentation
Consider other formats
4. Color©
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Color count
Fill + Text + Lines - Background
Hi
Bye!
Fill = Green + Red = 2Text = White = 1Lines = Black = 1Background = White = -1
2 + 1 + 1 – 1 = 3
Color count should be ≤ 3
The magic of combinatory
threeonlyI'm
still colorsbut here
using
can make many combi-nations
When in doubt, use Primary colors
Red#c5000b
Yellow#ffd320
Green#008000
Blue#0084d1
These are awesome for diagrams
In LibreOffice: Chart 11, Chart 3, Green, Chart12
Color is great for Stress or Status
Wrong Right
OK OK Alert
Alert OK OK
OK Alert OK
OK OK Alert
Alert OK OK
OK Alert OK
OK OK Alert
Alert OK OK
OK Alert OK
Color is not great for lines
Wrong Right
More easily seen from far away
Use bright background colors
Some projectors don't handle dark slides well
Wrong Right
Don't use pale colors in foreground
Wrong Right
Gray 10% Gray >20%
To projectors, any pale color = white
Printing: Black and White
OK OK Alert
Alert OK OK
OK Alert OK
OK OK Alert
Alert OK OK
OK Alert OK
Black and White = information loss
Printing: Graceful Degradation
OK OK Alert
Alert OK OK
OK Alert OK
OK OK Alert
Alert OK OK
OK Alert OK
OK OK Alert
Alert OK OK
OK Alert OK
OK OK Alert
Alert OK OK
OK Alert OK
Use contrast and borders to compensate
5. ext
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First and foremost:
Are you an
optometrist?
Then don't make us feel like this.
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Smallest font size:
20pxOtherwise it's impossibly difficult to read from far away
Only one font
Wrong
a a a aRight
a a a a
Exception: Typographic diagrams
Nice Yuck
Bigger shape ⇒ Bigger or equal text
A
Wrong
LettersA
Letters
Right
Otherwise text size contradicts shape size
Italics: Don't bother
a aWrong Right
No one will notice the difference
Bold: Don't mix it
a
Wrong
aa a
a a
Right
Again, the difference is hard to notice
Use horizontal text
Oblique
ofte
nha
rdto
text is
read
,especiallywhenupsidedow
n
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and
small font.
with
a
That was it!
© E
nrique G
a rcía Co
ta
Now GoAnd
Make
Awesome
Diagrams!
Some
Now
Make
Some
Diagrams!
Go
Awesome
Thank you!
© E
nrique Ga rcía C
ota
