Drifting slide titles

A highly competent presentation designer asked me why I put my slide titles always at the same position (top left). Good question. My slide titles have started to drift, depending on the composition of the chart.

6 comments

Jan Schultink2011-03-10 10:49:16

Yes, I am moving away from the consistency point of view.

Posts appear randomly when I have time to write them, sorry.

Dave Marcus2011-03-12 18:59:50

I think that an inconsistency, a change in the rhythm, grabs a little attention - and is a good thing.

cmykdorothy2011-03-10 20:34:24

Nathan: There's an email signup in the right column and you can also follow (like many of us do) via an RSS feed/reader.

xo,
Tara

Nathans Schor2011-03-10 10:47:02

I don't get the message here. Is drifting a good thing? Seems like consistency would dictate that title remain in place, with an exception here and there.
Also, if you'll permit a suggestion then it would enhance the popularity of this blog if it had a way to inform its readers when new postings appeared. Many sites have that now.
Nathan [email protected]

Robert Lakin2011-03-10 11:40:02

Consistency creates a rhythm, at least for most business presentations. The Western-trained eye moves from top left to bottom right. Drifting may create too much work for your readers/audience because they unconsciously won't know where to look first.

Jim2011-03-10 20:50:04

I used to concentrate in keeping slide titles, and the bullet points in the same place, from slide to slide. I thought consistency was a good thing. That was in my bullet point days.

After learning from the masters - Garr Reynolds, Nancy Duarte, and yes, Jan Schultink - I remove the vast majority of text and practically banish bullet points. Sometimes the image dictates the placement of the limited verbiage. Sometimes, light of Robert's comment, I will position the word(s) relative to the image according to the order in which I want the information absorbed.