Technical Assistance Tip 5
Choosing the Right Font Size, Style, and Colors
Use an easy-to-read font in the right size and with highcontrast color in your presentation slides. Stay away
from serif fonts (e.g., Times New Roman, Book Antigua,
Courier, Footlight MT Light, Lucida Calligraphy, Script
MT Bold, etc.), as these fonts are harder to read on-screen.
Instead, use a sans-serif font (e.g., Arial, Calibri, Gill Sans),
as it will be more comfortable to read.
Since the amount of text included in the presentation
slides is limited, the text should be at a font size that people can see and easily read. Small font text can be used in
the handouts that are provided to the audience, but not
used in presentation slides (Figure 1). Also, avoid using a
mixture of fonts and complex fonts. Experts recommend
the following:
Serif
busy
Sans-serif
clear
• 36-point font in bold for the title slide of the
presentation, using initial capital letters.
• 28-point font in bold for the headline.
• 18- to 24-point font in bold for the body.
• 14-point font for the references.
You can always verify if the font size is big enough based
on the size of the screen and the size of the room.
Figure 1. Small font text can be used in handouts, but not in
presentation slides.
Source: Fishbone, S. 2008. Policy speech for CAS 100A for
Engineers. University Park: Penn State. Cited by Alley, M. and
M. Marshall. 2009. Rethinking the Design of Presentation Slides:
Teaching Slides and Exercises. Available at http://writing.eng.
vt.edu/teaching_slide_design.html. (Accessed December 15,
2010). (Modified).
A plain white background can be used for the presentation slides. If a
different background is used, do not use any color or decorative background,
as it will distract the audience from the message or information.1
If a corporate template is required, use a plain background based on the
corporate colors and create a color palette based on the corporate logo—or
on a photo that is representative of your field or project.2 Also, consider using
light backgrounds for talks in smaller rooms and for teaching, and dark blue
or black backgrounds for talks in a large room. Some combinations that
usually work well are the following:3
• Light blue, light green, light gray, or white backgrounds with black, dark
blue/navy, or dark green text.
• Dark green, dark purple, or dark blue/navy with white or yellow text.
Some experts indicate that the color combination that is read most quickly
is not black on white, but black on yellow. However, as shown above, there
are other options that can be used. Also, it is highly recommended that
combinations involving reds, some varieties of greens, browns, and cobalt
blue not be used because many people cannot distinguish those colors.
In addition, be careful when using background colors that can affect the
audience’s emotions, like “hot” colors such as red or orange. If you need
to use a background and text color combination different from those
recommended here, always verify if there is enough contrast by checking on
the Color Contrast Calculator Website4 or during your rehearsal. Previewing
the presentation in the scheduled room is also helpful, as you will be able to
see if the quality of the presentation slides has been affected by other elements
in the room (e.g., sunlight, type of overhead lights, room size).
1 Mitchell, O. 2009. How to make an effective PowerPoint presentation. Available at http://speakingaboutpresenting.com/design/
powerpoint-design-recommended-tips/ (Accessed December 15, 2010).
2 Mitchell, O. 2009. How to make an effective PowerPoint presentation: What about corporate templates? Available at http://
speakingaboutpresenting.com/design/powerpoint-design-recommended-tips/. (Accessed December 15, 2010).
3 Paradi, D. 2011. PowerPoint Effectiveness E-Course Lesson 2-Clean Slide Design improves presentations effectiveness.
4 Paradi, D. 2008. Color Contrast Calculator. http://www.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/colorcontrast.htm. (Accessed February 17, 2010).
Technical Assistance Tip 5: Choosing the Right Font Size, Style, and Colors
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