CSCW'98 Author Kit: Visual Aid Guidelines

Author Kit

CSCW'98 Benefactors:

CSCW'98 Sponsors:

Guidelines for Effective Visuals

When you are preparing to present at CSCW'98, please keep the following objectives in mind.

Be sure that your presentation is easy to understand for the entire audience, including non-native English speaking attendees.
Communicate the main points of your accepted submission.
Make the presentation interesting and valuable to the audience.

The basic rule for visual aids is: Keep It Simple.

Visual aids work best when used to highlight your main points.
Try to use the suggested formats. Use large fonts (suggest 20/24 point minimum) so that people in the back of the room can read your visuals, too.
The best readability comes from high contrast of intensity rather than by clashes of color. Dark background with light lettering generally works best for 35 mm slides. Limit the number of colors to 3 or fewer per slide. Do not use combinations of red/green or brown/gray. Avoid red letters all together.
Clearly number your slides. This will make recovery much easier if they are dropped. Label your slide carousels with the order in which you want them mounted. Write your name on each slide to help us reunite you with them if they are misplaced.
You will have 1 or 2 screens available for your use; try to use each one for only one type of visual aid. A common mistake made by presenters is trying to use too many different visual aids. Use as few types of visual aids as you can.