GE - Billy Blue Communication Design

Producing a presentation layout
is a matter of displaying information
• as simply as possible
• with utmost clarity
01
Section 01: Introduction 248.01.01
In an issue of Adweek magazine, Betsy Sharkey
wrote that desktop publishing on a personal
computer “conjures visions of graphics-laden
reports and in-house newsletters that have the
colorful panache of USA Today.”
The reality, however, is often quite different.
To fit as much information as possible on one page,
type is reduced or squeezed almost beyond
legibility. Boxes, borders, centered blocks, and
shadows abound. Headlines typeset in all capital
letters defy comprehension. Charts incorporating
the full gamut of crosshatch patterns do more to
aggravate astigmatism than clarify information.
“In the age of [the personal computer], everybody
is a designer—sort of,” said Mark Dolliver in the
same issue of Adweek. “People with no training in
graphic design are choosing headline typefaces
and page layouts for their reports, proposals, and
manuals.” The result? Eyesores and confusion.
When typewriters prevailed, reports and
presentations were limited to words, numbers,
and horizontal lines. The myriad choices of computer-generated
graphics were simply unavailable.
Today the push of a button produces a flashy
design. It’s easy to forget that “less decoration,
more information” still holds true.
Whether you use a computer or traditional means,
producing a presentation layout is not a matter
of letting your imagination run wild or slavishly
following rules; it is a matter of displaying information
as simply as possible with utmost clarity.
The following sections show typical pages,
overhead transparencies, and slides from GE
presentations. These materials provide examples of
the best practices for displaying information clearly
and simply. (Note: Details in these materials have
been changed to protect proprietary information.)
GE Identity Program 248, Presentations GE Identity Website: www.ge.com/identity