PowerPoint Example: Future Proofing the Cloud… Thanks to PowerPoint
Professional PowerPoint Design Supports Director’s Keynote Speech.
IT executive’s PowerPoint design supports speech at Cloud World Forum in London.
As Director of Marketing for GTT, Ann Rote sees opportunities everywhere. So when she learned of 8,000 estimated attendees at the London-based 2014 Cloud World Forum, she jumped at this opportunity. Indeed, GTT is all about the cloud. And who better to share GTT’s advice to CIOs on how to future-proof the cloud, than GTT’s Managing Director Andy Johnson. This PowerPoint example tells the story of this presentation design.
A skilled writer, Rote easily crafted Johnson’s tech-heavy talk. But Johnson’s home-spun presentation visuals were flat, bland, and lackluster, hardly representative of GTT’s world-class brand. So Rote engaged a nearby company, Washington, DC-based Presentation Team to create a world-class professional PowerPoint presentation.
The three-week engagement came together steadily and professionally, ultimately supporting Johnson with top-quality visuals in his world-class delivery at the Forum, and paving the path for a solid Return on Investment on the presentation.
A Clean and conservative design style, supported by a focused message
The Presentation Team started the PowerPoint development process by designing an “Intelligent PowerPoint Theme” integrating GTT’s existing brand and style from their printed brochure. This theme included pre-defined layouts, fonts, animation, and formatting for efficient and consistent presentation development. Design style was clean and conservative, respectful of margins and white-space.
The graphical approach featured a minimal use of minimized text/bullets, aiming to support the speakers’ story. Key messages were supported by graphics, brief- but bold- headlines and bullets, iconic illustrations and animations. To reduce time and costs, lead presentation designer Kevin Lerner integrated stock images from istockphoto.com, brandsoftheworld, and other photo sources, rather than taking time on custom illustrations.
A Clean and conservative design style, supported by a focused message in this PowerPoint example.
The Presentation Team started the PowerPoint development process by designing an “Intelligent PowerPoint Theme” integrating GTT’s existing brand and style from their printed brochure. This theme included pre-defined layouts, fonts, animation, and formatting for efficient and consistent presentation development. Design style was clean and conservative, respectful of margins and white-space.
As shown in this PowerPoint example, the graphical approach featured a minimal use of minimized text/bullets, aiming to support the speakers’ story. Key messages were supported by graphics, brief- but bold- headlines and bullets, iconic illustrations and animations. To reduce time and costs, lead presentation designer Kevin Lerner integrated stock images from istockphoto.com,
Working process on-time and within budget
Presentation development can often be time and labor-intensive. Thanks to the oral scripting and initial presentation draft, GTT’s scope was clearly defined. Budgeted at 28 hours, the presentation came together in just under two weeks with 16 iterative drafts. Rote and Lerner spoke daily; her management approach was professional and clear, setting expectations and deliverables. Conversely, Lerner’s regular emails and phone calls helped raise issues and concerns that were easily managed by GTT.
One of The Presentation Team’s design strategies was the development of several options & variations of slides, often showcasing various options of colors, graphics, or positions. GTT was able to review, compare, and contrast the options, ultimately making an informed selection.
That’s not to say there weren’t a few bumps in the road. Rote was in Hawaii for a week, delaying feedback and edits. And when she returned, Lerner was in the clutches of a fierce cold. In all, everything was delivered on-time, and within 10% of the original estimated time.
Message supported by clear graphics and case-studies
An essential component to the success of GTT’s presentation was to feature Case Studies. Lerner encouraged GTT to find 3 examples of real GTT network scenarios that would help Johnson’s audience to better connect with his message. Johnson spoke of three GTT clients, supported by slides featuring maps and key benefits.
Aiming for a ROI through rich content and effective delivery
Like most presentations, Andy Johnson’s cloud presentation was delivered to a satisfied audience. But Ann Rote plans to lengthen the presentation’s shelf-life, by posting it online, and converting it to a video. The time and money GTT invested in this presentation design and presence at the Cloud Forum may not be immediate, but the presentation quality, information, and enduring legacy will help to maintain GTT’s visibility as a leader in cloud-based architecture and networking.
