Monday, April 6, 2009

Better By Design?

Dan Meyer "stirred up trouble" the other day by asking people to rethink their slide decks and ask for public critique. He asked us to move outside our comfort zone and Dean Shareski responded with a thoughtful self evaluation of one of his presentations.

One of the main issues Dan raised was the over use of stock photography. Personal tidbits
are always good but sometimes you just can't get the right picture yourself.

I made the same slide three times with clipart, a stock photo, and a more candid shot. Is one more effective than another? I don't know, you tell me.




3 comments:

Donna DesRoches said...

Mark - I could not decide which one I liked better - I could see each one being used in a presentation about the balance between creativity and assessment but each with a different audience.

Dean Shareski said...

I almost always like using personal photos. I think it tends to draw people in more. Certainly it has to be of reasonable design but I think your audience prefers the trade off of a personal photo for a more professional one. The fact the you put the effort into creating or finding a personal image suggests that you can have put some effort and thought into your ideas. I also find the back story of how and where you take the photo can also enhance the ideas. Again, those are general statements that always have exceptions, but that's my first reaction.

Real Gary Ball said...

I like the picture from the first one the best but I think that the little note in the corner actually distracts from your message.