

A slide deck with a light background in a webcasting environment.īoth are good, but I still like the light one for virtual presentations and webcasts. A presentation with a dark background in a webcasting environment. If you use it too, you might recognize the layout. For illustration purposes, I laid out the image in the same way as the webcasting program that I use the most. To help you judge for yourself, I did a quick mock up of a webcast showing a slide with a dark background and one with a light background.Īdmittedly, all webcasting programs and collaboration programs are different and have different backgrounds. Personally, I like light color backgrounds. Dark or Light PowerPoint Background in Remote Presentations?įor remote (or virtual presentations) go with what you think is best. Use this if you want a more formal feel, but be aware that it may draw attention away from the presenter. The dark presentation stands out more in a light room. Use a light background in your PowerPoint files when you are working in a well-lit room, a small room or want to convey a less formal style of presentation. You can also use a light background to convey an informal feel. Use a light background whenever you are presenting to a smaller room or in a well lit space. When to Use a Light Background for Your Slides Now, let’s take a look at how slides come across in smaller rooms and lighter spaces.

This draws my recommendation towards a dark PowerPoint deck for large rooms and dark spaces. We want to keep the focus on the presenter and what they are saying.

To which one do you pay attention? When you have a light background in a dark (or large) space, it draws the eye away from the presenter.

Instantly you will see that the slide competes with the presenter for the slide. You can see above how your eye is drawn towards the presenter and then to the slide to see supporting information.Ĭonversely, let me illustrate what a light image looks like in a large or dark room. When presenting in a dark room, use a dark presentation to keep the audience more focused on the presenter. This is to quickly show you how the eye is pulled by the presentation. For illustration purposes, I made a couple of images of a presenter beside a slide. Use a dark background for your slides whenever you are presenting in a dark room or want to give a more formal feeling to your presentation. A dark background one for where they are presenting and a light one for the handouts When to Use a Dark Background for Your Slides Some people even keep two copies of the deck. Knowing the environment where you plan to present allows you to optimize for the space. There may be times that you want the deck as your focal point (such as in a heavily technical discussion) but generally, you want the attention on the presenter. It is much better to have the audience focusing on you and your message rather than what is on your slides.Ī PowerPoint deck should be about supporting your message rather than the focal point of your presentation. This is because when you put too much in a slide, or make the slides too predominant, the audience splits their attention and focuses on your slide. When you present to a group, it is best to keep the attention of the audience on you. Why Worry About Choosing a Dark or Light PowerPoint Background? That said, I will be referring to the slides mostly as PowerPoint because that is what I use.
Light blue background slides software#
It is easy to state these guidelines, but further below I will illustrate the principles and discuss my reasoning for this advice.Īs a note, this post applies no matter what presentation software you are using (Google Slides, Keynote, Libre Office Impress or anything else). For a smaller or informal space, go with a light background. If you are in a large dark space, go with a dark background. The quick answer is that it depends on the environment you are presenting in. In this article we discuss when you will want to use a light versus a dark background on your presentation deck. Ever find yourself needing to make a presentation and you are wondering should I use a Dark or Light PowerPoint Background.
