Design Corner: Enhancing Presentations with Formatting Effects

By adding special formatting effects such as AutoShapes, shadows, and line styles, you can greatly enhance your presentation. For example, you can take an existing presentation and within a few minutes add some pizzazz to enliven it. Or you can design a presentation from scratch with a goal of using special formatting to create something truly unique and customized. To understand what works and what doesn't, you need to experiment a little. Take a sample presentation and try out some of the various formatting techniques to find your favorites. One word of caution, though. It's easy to get carried away with special formats and effects. If you're creating a basic business presentation, you'll want to use these effects to enhance your presentation, not overwhelm it. Even if you're creating something other than a business presentation, remember to add formatting effects sparingly. In the example shown here, a somewhat bland presentation was made more visually appealing by adding lines and shadows, as discussed in this chapter.

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