Every design element in your presentation plays a vital role. The choice and use of fonts cannot be random.
Learn the best tips for using fonts in your Google Slides or PowerPoint presentations. With these simple tips, it will be easier for you to know which fonts to use on your slides, how to combine different types of fonts, and what techniques to follow to make your text stand out.
Choose an easy-to-read font
What font is best for presentations? Fonts that are 100% readable by your audience. Always prioritize fonts that are easy to read at a distance, as it is crucial that everyone can easily see the main content of your presentation.
When you edit your Google Slides or PowerPoint presentation, try to put yourself in the shoes of your audience. Ask yourself, “Will this font look right when I turn on the projector?” If you have doubts, abandon it and look for other alternatives.
Always use common sense. If you are presenting in class or at work, this is not the time to get creative and use fonts with unusual strokes that were designed for other uses.
Limit the number of fonts you choose
To make your design coherent, don’t use more than three different fonts in the same presentation! Using too many different fonts can distract your audience from how you organized your content and which parts you want to emphasize.
During the design process, open your favorite presentation editor and assign a specific purpose to each font. For example, if you like three different styles, you can use one for titles, one for subtitles, and one for body text.
Avoid using similar fonts
Fonts have a huge visual impact. They are able to highlight the most valuable content, which means that they are able to make one piece of information more powerful than another.
When we look at a slide, our eyes scan the information according to the order and coherence previously established by using different font combinations. For a cleaner design, you should not use fonts that are too similar to each other, but use a combination that contrasts and complements each other at the same time. (For example, applying a combination of Sans Serif + Serif)
Not sure which font creates a good balance? There is a popular combination of font styles: sans serif and serif.
Serif fonts are characterized by being more formal and elegant. You can recognize serif fonts by the small tails at the end of each letter. Some examples of such fonts are Times New Roman or Georgia.
On the other hand, we have the opposite: sans serif fonts. They are casual, informal and more modern. These fonts have simpler lines and are therefore more readable. In this category, we will focus on Helvetica, Optima or Futura fonts, as they are more widely used.
Although these two styles are very different, they complement each other very well! Try to introduce them in the same slide to create a contrast.
Create a visual hierarchy
Is all content of a presentation of equal importance? Of course not! In one slide, you can find several types of text depending on their function, such as chapter titles, subheadings, numerical data, definitions, clarifying data, results, reflections, quotations, and many other options.
Make use of different font sizes to highlight certain text excerpts by enlarging the font size. The clever application of various font sizes can draw the reader's attention to important text elements and guide the reader through the content hierarchy. However, it's not just about font size - the spacing between letters (called kerning) also plays a crucial role in optimizing readability and visual appeal.
Be careful when choosing colors
What’s the point of using the perfect font if the background color used cannot be seen clearly? As we pointed out before, the presentation must be visible at a reasonable distance and at the expected lighting level.
The different colors applied must meet the following requirements:
- They must be consistent with the design of the template. Apply colors that match your brand or fit into the basic structure of your presentation. If the template is minimalist with darker tones, there is not much point in using very vivid and colorful tones, and on the contrary, if the design is more colorful, we should not go beyond the pre-set scheme.
- Contrast is necessary. In what color is the text written? The content must have a color that stands out from a distance. On a gray background, it is not a good idea to use white text. However, do not overuse tones that are too different, as they can be very harsh.
- Keep in mind where you are going to give your presentation. The lighting, the location of the projector or the size of the room can work against you. Try to choose clear color combinations to reduce the risk.
Combine different text weights
Both PowerPoint and Google Slides have many tools for perfect text formatting. We recommend modifying the weight of your text to highlight keywords or concepts.
Remember that not all information is necessary. You must be able to synthesize content to avoid flooding your slides with text. Show the main points and point out the concepts you want your audience to remember.
Keep the harmony of design, subject and audience
Before you start designing a presentation or choosing a template, ask yourself a few questions: Who am I speaking to? What is the central theme of my presentation? These two ideas will help you focus on the entire design.
All elements of the presentation must be adapted to the target audience. If your main target is a university class, your choice of fonts and colors will be different than when you are lecturing in front of elementary school students.
In addition, the main subject of your presentation already limits the fonts to be used, since you will not use certain combinations, for example, when your company makes a formal presentation to investors.
With practice, you will internalize the tips in this article to show the best side of your work in your next presentation. Since time is of the essence, we invite you to try the presentation templates provided by Smallppt, where you will find templates with different font combinations that suit you.
