create fancy looking presentations, without fancy design skills…
If you are not familiar with programs like InDesign and Illustrator, but you would still like to create documents that are appealing to the eye, and organized, use Powerpoint. While it is generally thought to be the software you use when you have to throw an in class group presentation together, Powerpoint can be used as a simple design program to go from a simple word doc, to a branded or themed document.
To begin creating a document, open a new presentation. I recently learned that you can select a vertical or horizontal layout [file-page setup-slides-vertical or horizontal].
It is good to figure out which fonts you are going to use. I would suggest not using more than two fonts. If you do not find any fonts that really stick with the message you are trying to present, download some new ones here.
If you have a logo, you will want to design your pages around the logo. If you don’t have a logo, pick three colors that you will use throughout the entire document and use shapes offered in the program [view-toolbars-drawing/picture].
For a simple and organized document, it is good to create a layout for the cover page, subtitle pages, and then general information pages. Use the three layouts for the entire document to streamline the information for your reader by placing information on the correct type of page layout. CLICK HERE to see my three layouts.
To save this as a document as a file that you can easily open, email, and print quickly, do the following:
+ File
+ Print
+ PDF (located on left bottom corner of print options window]
+ Save as PDF
…create your file name.
VOILA!
Any questions? Did that make sense/help?
Obviously this is the basic of all basics to designing a more professional looking document. This is not the only way, and in no way should you always stick to the three layout rule. You can create different layouts based on needs and length of the entire documents. In some cases, you may also want to create a layout for information that will also include images.
