Multimedia Design Principles

Darnell Chance
August 2005

Multimedia Design Principles

Things to consider
Your Audience
Age level
Grade level
Reading level
Ethnicity
Etc., etc., etc.

What is the
eschatological
significance of
entropy?

Multimedia Design Principles

Things to consider
The Equipment
What equipment
do you have for:
Creating
Displaying
Transporting

Multimedia Design Principles

Things to consider
What will the cost be?

Multimedia Design Principles

Things to consider
What is your skill level?

Are you a super-Techie?

Or, are you a beginner?

Multimedia Design Principles

Things to consider
How much time do you have?

Multimedia Design Principles

Organization
Make detailed outline before you turn the computer on!
Order the information.
Chronologically
By development
According to topics
From general to specific
From problem to solution
Refine each section and subsection according to a
consistent pattern.

Multimedia Design Principles

Story Board
The purpose of the story board is to allow you to collect your
ideas, order the material, and make revision before investing a
great deal of time and effort in the mechanics of creating the
project. It is an essential step in the process.

Multimedia Design Principles

Story Board
Story Board
Begin with an outline.
Lay-out the macro order of the information - sections,
headings, etc.
Put the pages in sequence. (Index cards are very useful here.)
Sketch each page/slide/screen indicating text, graphics,
colors, and/or sounds.
Note any transitions and animations.
Make off-page notes where helpful.
Review and Revise (ad nausem)

It is much easier to make changes in sketches than after several

pages have been created in the application!

Multimedia Design Principles

Organization
Create a story board - be cryptic but complete.

Multimedia Design Principles

Design
Clean

Consistent

Contrast

The appearance of information (text or

graphics) effects the way we perceive it.
It impacts the content.

(My comments on design are based on the book The Non-Designers Web Book by Robin Williams
and John Tollett published by Peachpit Press.)

Multimedia Design Principles

Design
Consistent

Contrast

Clean
Keep it uncluttered.
Too much information
in a space is confusing.
The hierarchy should be easily seen.
More important material should be at
the top and/or the left.

Multimedia Design Principles

Design
Clean

Contrast
Consistent

The mind orders information based, in

part, on the perceptual environment.
Constantly changing environments require
constant mental adjustment.
This can interfere with the content.
TIP: To see the consistency of the entire
presentation, view it in the Slide Sorter View.

Multimedia Design Principles

Design
Clean

Consistent
Contrast

Variety within a consistent environment draws attention.

It emphasizes
Gives weight.
Creates interest in specific items.

Multimedia Design Principles

Basic Design Principles
Alignment - Horizontal
Left

Right
Dont mix alignments.
Center = balance

Center

Justified

Left & Right = movement.

Multimedia Design Principles

Basic Design Principles
Alignment - Vertical
Top

Middle

Bottom

We read from the top down.

Therefore the top is the most
important position.

Multimedia Design Principles

Basic Design Principles
Alignment - Horizontal - Text
Base line - the line that text and graphics sit on.

We the people

Multimedia Design Principles

Basic Design Principles
Proximity
Too close = cluttered, confusing.

Too far = weak, confusing.

Multimedia Design Principles

Basic Design Principles
Proximity
Proximity ties the various components together.

Multimedia Design Principles

Basic Design Principles
Proximity

Crowded

White space is the unused areas of a page or screen.

Graphic designers realized long ago that it is important for
clarity and appeal. Dont crowed your materials. Leave
plenty of open space.
Comfortable

Multimedia Design Principles

Basic Design Principles
Contrast
Guides the eye on ear.
Denotes important material
Creates focal points.
It can be accomplished
with text, color, shape
proximity, size, location, or
with any combination.

Multimedia Design Principles

Rules of Thumb
K I S S

Keep it simple stupid/sweetie.

Most multimedia presentations can be improved by
eliminating some elements or moving them to another screen.

Multimedia Design Principles

Rules of Thumb
Typography (fonts)
Serif fonts
A serif is a terminating mark
at the end of a letter stroke.

Sans-Serif fonts

Typography
Typography

Fonts without terminating marks.

Studies in perception indicate that when blocks of text are used, serif fonts
work best for the printed page and sans-serif are best for computer
monitors and projection.

Multimedia Design Principles

Rules of Thumb
Typography
Use only 2 (3 at the very most) fonts in any document.
Let size and style (bold, italic, underline) create contrast.
This is my great presentation. It took me a long time to create
this, and I want everyone to read every work and appreciate my

It is filled with
wonderful knowledge that you, my students, need to
know. It will make you better persons, and besides, it
will be on the test.
hard work, creativity, and profoundness.

Multimedia Design Principles

Rules of Thumb
Typography
Avoid the use of all caps.
We read as much by the shape
of the words as by the collection
of letters.
All capitalized texts have no
variety in shape. Therefore,
they are more difficult to read.

Excellence
Excellence
EXCELLENCE

Multimedia Design Principles

Rules of Thumb
Typography
Avoid all bold.
Constant emphasis
is no emphasis.
Connect the style
to the meaning of
the text.

This is my great presentation. It took

me a long time to create this, and I
want everyone to read every word
and appreciate my hard work,
creativity, and profoundness. It is
filled with wonderful knowledge that
you, my students, need to know.

This is my great presentation. It took

me a long time to create this, and I
want everyone to read every word and
appreciate my hard work, creativity,
and profoundness. It is filled with
wonderful knowledge that you, my
students, need to know.

Multimedia Design Principles

Rules of Thumb
Color
Color helps make the foreground/background distinction.
Light color indicates background while bold colors
indicate fore ground.
Avoid strong backgrounds. They put the background in your
face and de-emphasize texts and graphics which need to be
in the foreground.

Multimedia Design Principles

Rules of Thumb
THIS IS MY GREAT PRESENTATION
Everyone pay close attention to what I have done.
It is really, really good!

Isnt this cool?

Multimedia Design Principles

Rules of Thumb
Color
Limit your pallet to 3 or 4 colors. Like fonts, too many colors
will be distracting.
Some colors have inherent meaning.
Blue = comfort, clear, blue sky
Green = growth, lush, green forest
Red = danger, fire & red light
Blue is for baby boys.
Pink is for baby girls.

Multimedia Design Principles

Rules of Thumb
Color
Some colors work better together than others.
More importantly, some background colors
should not be used with certain font colors!

Please take note!!

Multimedia Design Principles

Rules of Thumb

Multimedia Design Principles

Rules of Thumb
Objects
Too many graphics can be
confusing.
They are inherently more
attractive than text.
Movement is even stronger.
Balance objects on the page.
Objects require much more
computer memory than text.

Multimedia Design Principles

Form and Content
Balance
The balance between form and content is an ageold issue in art and in communication.
For teachers:
Content is the material to be learned.
Form is the way in which that material is presented.

Multimedia Design Principles

Form and Content
Form should enable the content but not detract from it!
Form can engage learners but it must not distract
them from the content.
Content must have some form,
but there needs to be a
balance that allows the form
to focus attention on the
content.

Multimedia Design Principles

Tips & Techniques
Presentations: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
http://www.shkaminski.com/Classes/Handouts/powerpoint.htm
(especially the link "Graphic design tips)
Articles by Cliff Atkinson
http://www.sociablemedia.com/articles_norman.htm
Precision layout... http://www.presentations.com/presentations/creation/article_
display.isp?vnu_conten-id=1871209
PowerPoint for Teachers http://www.powerpoint4teachers.com/designtips.html

Multimedia Design Principles

Examples
BAD
http://www.spa3.k12.sc.us/power/Numbers_files/frame.htm
(use Explorer)
http://www.spa3.k12.sc.us/ArchPaige/sld001.htm
exemplary.ppt http://www.education.ucsb.edu/ucsbpt3/afield/teacher_projects/geometr
y_hunt/pp_examples.htm
beginning.ppt http://www.education.ucsb.edu/ucsbpt3/afield/teacher_projects/geometr
y_hunt/pp_examples.htm

Multimedia Design Principles

Examples
GOOD & BAD
PowerPoint Examples from Real People http://www.loyola.edu/education/PowerfulPowerPoint/ExamplesFro
mRealPeople.html
(cf. Medieval Music, Space Show, Multiple Intelligences)

Also - http://www.spa3.k12.sc.us/ArchPaige/sld001.htm

Multimedia Design Principles

Tips & Techniques
GOOD
Classical Guitar[very good] http://www.loyola.edu/education/PowerfulPowerPoint/Exam
plesFromRealPeople.html

Student examples

Multimedia Design Principles

FINALLY
Its not about you!
Your students do not need to know what your
favorite color is, or your favorite sport, animal, or
flower. Nor is it important what you think is pretty,
cute, or cool.

It is about the content!

What your students need is a learning experience
that is clean, clear and consistent.

Design for your audience not for yourself!