slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations,   ISBN:9780596522346

Customer Rating: 

I work for a school district and I do quite a bit of staff development. Nancy Duarte's book has helped me to rethink how to plan for my presentations; she has helped me to create ideas not slides. Creating this type of presentation takes time, but the end product is well worth the effort. I recommend this book to anyone who does presentations.

Customer Rating: 

When you boil any form of communication down -- a conversation, an article, a book, a presentation -- it's really just a story. This is one of the guiding premises of Nancy Duarte's book, slide:ology. Interestingly, the story that she tells in this book is about how to tell a better story orally and visually. Because of the challenges of writing about a presentation instead of giving one, this book reaches beyond the realms of traditional books. The striking full-color volume is packed full of diagrams, examples, and case studies, as well as more traditional descriptions of what to do and why. The book is also accompanied by a helpful website and a free 45 day access to the online edition of slide:ology through Safari Books Online. The book itself is part speech coach, part visual design instructor, and all inspirational. The bulk of it deals, unsurprisingly, with designing slides: layout, templates, color and diagram choices, etc. Each chapter deals first with the theory, explaining why color choices matter and how the audience perceives what is being presented. The overriding theme is clarity and simplicity, which is emphasized through the design of each page, with plenty of white space ("visual breathing room") and examples. Most chapters include at least one case study, describing successful presenters who have used the techniques outlined (often clients of Duarte Design), and most case studies include online links where the reader can actually watch the presentation being presented instead of described, or download PowerPoint templates, allowing the reader to use the techniques themselves. slide:ology was both an informative and enjoyable read. Duarte has a way of being encouraging and inspiring, even while pointing out errors that are made countless times. Especially geared toward professionals who are giving presentations regularly, this book is worth a look by anyone who might be watching or giving a presentation in the future. The biggest downside: you'll never be able to sit through a traditional PowerPoint presentation again!
For a full Review go to: Interface, Berglund Center for Internet Studies

Customer Rating: 

This book really is great. I have a new found respect for slide show presentations and it's inspired a lot of practical ideas that I hope to use in my creative endeavors outside of work. However, I originally got this book because my boss asked me to make a presentation for corporate that will review our branch's progress, struggles, and future. Our executives are dinosaurs and the book didn't discuss so much on how to work with this sort of audience but I feel like it gave me enough design knowledge to get me thinking on my own and fill in the gaps. I didn't have any access to expensive design software (not that I even had the experience for it) and there wasn't a budget to hire an professional illustrator (which the book suggested getting) but based on what I learned from the book about type, flow, presentation, and colors I was able to put together a minimalistic but professional presentation that thoroughly impressed management. This book gave me real direction and it's also going to help me make the case to the company of the importance of good design and to pay for more design training and software.

Customer Rating: 

If you are trying to develop a presentation for business, school, or communicate anything to anyone then you need this book.

It's far more than a guide. It delves into the deeper design & psychological understandings.
Why are you making the presentation?
Who is your audience?
What do you need to convey in the simplest form?
How does design effect the message?
How should it be laid out, what effect does color and design do to the flow have on the person receiving this visual message?

I read the reviews of others who said it was not worth the cost, to those I can only say they missed the point or did not read the book in it's entirety.

In examining other books on the market this one is the most comprehensive and best written. One key element for me were the examples, the design implementation and process's that were shown in a well designed fashion.

For me this is a must have design & business library book.

If you follow and learn from the book I believe you would be guaranteed a well designed and conceived presentation.

Robert
NY

Customer Rating: 

I'm amazed by the negative reviews of this book. I think they must be written by people who want to know how to create slides without understanding communication.

I read a review of slide:ology in Communication Arts magazine and knew I had to have it. It's easily the most valuable book I've purchased this year.

Presentations are not about slides. They are about connecting and communicating with an audience. Communication rarely comes from a singular source, but rather a dynamic package of messages. Slideshows exist to enhance the dynamic package ... not BE the dynamic package.

Nancy Duarte gets it. She does an incredible job of teaching the intracacies of different elements to create a supportive enhancement of whatever message you want an audience to leave your presentation with.

I've been a creative Powerpoint user and speaker for many years. I use slide:ology frequently as a reference tool and for creative inspiration. I recommend it frequently to others as the ultimate reference on communicating with a slideshow.

I don't even have a recommendation on how to make it better. That is very rare for me!