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Two Visual Design Tips for E-Learning
Why most slides have too much color
A slide with six different colors, two stock photo backgrounds, and three font colors is doing too much. The eye doesn’t know where to look, so it doesn’t look anywhere in particular. Two simple techniques can calm all that noise and make your content easier to follow.
I saw these examples from a weekly challenge we did a while back.
Tip 1: Greyscale background with one accent color
The idea is straightforward. Strip all color from your background image by converting it to greyscale. Then pick one accent color and apply it to your most important elements.
To make this work:
- Convert your background image to greyscale. Use any graphics editor or use PowerPoint or Storyline by adjusting the color settings.
- Choose one accent color. If you need a second, use a complementary tone from a color tool like Adobe Color.
- Apply the accent only to key elements, not every object on the slide.
The effect is immediate. Greyscale backgrounds stop competing with your content. The accent color pops because there’s nothing else fighting for attention. This approach works well for labeled diagrams, product demos, and any slide where you need learners to follow a sequence.
Tip 2: Silhouettes with bold backgrounds
This one is more eye-catching. It works best for title slides, key-point callouts, or moments where you need a strong visual impression.
Silhouettes are easy to create from any character or object image:
- Start with a bold, solid background color.
- Insert a character or object image on top.
- Adjust the brightness and contrast settings until the figure becomes a solid white or black shape.
One advantage of silhouettes over full-color photos is ambiguity. A silhouette of a person doesn’t have a specific race, age, or gender. That makes it a flexible choice for inclusive imagery. And it works if you have good images but bad quality or inconsistent lighting.
Key takeaways
These two techniques are worth keeping in your regular rotation, not just for special occasions. Greyscale-plus-accent works on almost any slide that has a photo background. Silhouettes work best in small doses. Try applying one of them to your next slide deck and see if the hierarchy becomes clearer.
