contrast meaning in powerpoint presentation

Using Contrasts in PowerPoint: 3 Different Types of Contrasts with Tips and Tricks!

The goal of your PowerPoint presentation is always to skillfully convey your content to the audience. Surely, you are aware that the design of your slides plays an essential role in this. Visual aspects should always be well thought out.

Consider using contrasts in PowerPoint effectively. With the right implementation, you can skillfully emphasize important elements and make a strong impact. We will show you the different types of contrasts and how to use them effectively.

What are Contrasts?

In visual design, contrasts refer to distinct differences between various elements . In PowerPoint presentations, different types of contrasts can occur, such as differences in colors, sizes, fonts, shapes, or movements.

Why are contrasts in PowerPoint that important?

When you strategically incorporate contrasts into your presentations, they significantly contribute to improving the visual impact and comprehensibility of your content . Contrasts create distinct differences between elements such as colors, sizes, shapes, and fonts , directing the audience’s eyes to important information.

With contrasts, you can also establish clear hierarchies and structure your content effectively. Additionally, they enhance the readability of texts and give your presentation an aesthetic and professional touch .

Examples: A well-chosen contrast between text and background enhances readability, while a size contrast helps highlight important elements and establish visual hierarchies. Color contrasts can evoke emotional responses and support the message of the presentation.

Three types of contrasts in PowerPoint

Fundamentally, three main types of contrasts can be distinguished:

• Color Contrast: Refers to differences between colors and can direct attention to important information or distinguish various content areas from each other.
• Size Contrast: Involves differences in the size of elements and allows you to highlight important elements or establish visual hierarchies.
• Font Contrast: Involves combining different fonts and font sizes to achieve better readability and a clear visual structure.
• Other Types of Contrast: These include shape contrast, texture contrast, and motion contrast, each producing different visual effects.

How can you skillfully implement these contrasts in PowerPoint? We’ll show you now.

The Color Contrast

When it comes to color contrast, there are several aspects to consider. For a good color contrast, ensure that you choose colors that harmonize well together and provide clear differentiation between various elements.

Tip: Use colors from the color wheel to create contrasts, such as combining complementary colors.

When editing your backgrounds, ensure an appropriate contrast between background and text colors . Light text on a dark background or vice versa allows for clear separation and improved readability. It is advisable to choose contrasting colors without becoming too bright or straining to the eyes.

Consider these color combinations for selection:

• Warm-Cold Contrast – Combination of warm and cold colors
• Monochromatic-Polychromatic Contrast – Combination of polychromatic and monochromatic images
• Light-Dark Contrast – Combination of intense and lightened color tones
• Quantity Contrast – Combination of large and small color elements

Caution: Consider color blindness as well when making choices to ensure a more accessible presentation.

Avoid using too many different colors as it can quickly distract from the essential content. Decide in advance which colors you will use and consistently apply them in a targeted manner.

The Size Contrast

By using different sizes, you can highlight important information, headings, or key images in your presentation, creating a clear visual hierarchy that makes the main message of the presentation more accessible. Through the use of various sizes, you can skillfully develop hierarchies and emphasize important aspects.

Example: Headings, main points, etc., can be highlighted as significant using larger elements. Smaller elements can support these main points and complement details.

Caution: It is essential not to use too many elements of different sizes to avoid cluttered visuals and instead focus on highlighting the essentials.

Tip: Use size contrasts to create a connection between text and images . For instance, if a statement or heading needs visual emphasis, it can be presented in combination with an image or graphic that is larger than the rest of the content. This establishes a strong visual connection, anchoring the message more effectively in the audience’s memory.

The Font Contrast

With font contrast, you influence the readability and visual impact of your PowerPoint presentation. Choose only appropriate font styles that match the message and theme of your presentation (tips on this are available in the article “Fonts in PowerPoint”).

When using different font styles (e.g., for headings, body text, and bullet points), you create clear hierarchies . Ensure that your font sizes provide adequate readability .

It is also crucial to have an effective font-color contrast to ensure that the text stands out clearly from the background. If the background is dark, the text should be displayed in a light color, and vice versa. This improves the readability of text content, allowing the audience to grasp the information more easily (see Color Contrast).

To create a clear visual distinction between headings and body text, you can employ font contrast. Headings should be larger and more prominent than the body text to establish a clear visual difference. This way, the main themes of the presentation can be recognized more quickly.

Contrasts in Slide Elements

Images and contrast.

Images speak louder than words, and the same applies to presentations. Therefore, never forego enhancing your statements with images. When using images, pay attention to contrasts as well. Additionally, you can create contrasts through the placement of images . By linking them sensibly with the content of the slide, you ensure an engaging and contrast-rich presentation that impresses the audience and effectively conveys the message.

The selected images should be clear and easily recognizable to enable clear communication and enhance the contrast with other presentation elements. In some cases, you may need to edit the images to adjust the visual contrast. For example, you can adjust brightness, contrast, and sharpness.

Caution: When editing, make sure the images still look realistic and appealing without appearing overly exaggerated.

Using Contrasts in PowerPoint for Data Visualization

Diagrams and charts are essential when seeking an effective way to present complex data vividly. When using diagrams and charts in a presentation, it is often necessary to highlight specific data points or results . This can be achieved through different colors, markers, or labels . Create contrasts in this regard:

Use colors deliberately to clearly convey the information. Choose contrasting colors to make the distinction between data categories visually apparent.

Contrasts in PowerPoint Animations

Using animations or other interactive elements keeps the audience engaged. Even in animations, you can consciously pay attention to contrasts. Skillfully using contrasts in animations increases visual dynamics and livens up the presentation.

You can find many ideas for animations and interactive elements in our blogs “ Animations in PowerPoint ” and “ Interactive Presentations “.

For instance, utilize effective object fade-ins and fade-outs . These create a clear visual contrast between the state before and after the animation. A gentle fade-in can draw the audience’s attention to the element, while an abrupt fade-out signals a significant change. There are numerous animation options available for contrasts in PowerPoint:

Another approach is using animated size contrasts. Here, you skillfully direct the focus to specific elements in the presentation. Animated size contrasts create visual focal points and thus support the communication of your message.

For example, a crucial text section or a key image can be enlarged during the fade-in to emphasize its importance.

Also, use colors as contrasts in animations. By using contrasting colors, you create a vibrant and dynamic representation (e.g., color changes, gradients, striking colors), adding an appealing visual aesthetic to the PowerPoint presentation.

What to Consider When Using Contrasts

• Consistency in the Use of Contrasts

When using contrasts, ensure that they are applied consistently throughout the entire presentation. This includes using similar color palettes, font sizes, and styles, as well as size contrasts for similar elements.

Maintaining consistent contrast usage creates a harmonious and professional overall look and avoids visual clutter or confusion for the audience.

• Moderation in Using Contrasts

Although contrasts have a strong visual impact, it’s essential to use them with moderation and thoughtfulness . Too many contrasts can overwhelm the presentation and distract from the actual content.

Focus on using contrasts for relevant elements that need to be highlighted. Less is often more , and a targeted use of contrasts leads to a clearer and more impactful presentation of information.

Extra Tip: Black and White Contrasts in PowerPoint

One of the most well-known contrasts is the black and white contrast . When creating a presentation, the question often arises whether to use a white background with black text or a black background with white text.

The convention is to read dark text on a light background . A black background is often associated with a heavy mood , but that doesn’t have to be the case.

A black background is equally suitable as a background as a white one. After all, black clearly highlights other colors and makes contrasts highly visible . With a dark background, you can, for example, emphasize your company logos. Additionally, black adds a touch of elegance and variety to your presentations, which often feature the standard white background.

If you choose a dark background, keep in mind that white or light text may be more challenging to read . Also, using bold formatting with white or light text can sometimes be risky, as the letters may blend together and become difficult to read.

An advantage of using a white or light background is that you have the opportunity to use a wider range of colors . Particularly saturated, bright colors appear more contrasting on a white slide background and may get lost on dark backgrounds.

In contrast, unsaturated and pastel colors are better visible on a black background . Therefore, consider the color palette you want to use for your presentation and adjust it accordingly based on your background.

The same applies to the integration of graphics, icons , etc. A white or light background often works better in such cases. Often, these elements have a white frame on a dark background, which can be challenging to remove without proficient editing skills.

Black or white? Our recommendation: Both options work, but the choice depends on your presentation design and your industry. White tends to represent clarity, structure, and purity, making slides with a white background a good choice for academic and scientific presentations. Black, on the other hand, exudes elegance and modernity, making it a more fitting trend for business, marketing, and corporate presentations.

Conclusion: Skillfully Using Contrasts in PowerPoint

Contrasts are versatile and can be used effectively in presentations. Use the contrasts that suit your content and skillfully emphasize your messages. Give it a try today.

If you have any questions about contrasts in PowerPoint, feel free to contact us at [email protected] . We’re here to help!

Are you looking for visually supportive and professionally designed slide templates ? Take a look at our shop. We have numerous slides available for download on various (business) topics. Check it out today! ► Shop

You may also be interested in these articles:

• PowerPoint Layout: Proper Layout Design for Your Slides
• Preparing PowerPoint Presentations – 11 Tips
• Fonts in PowerPoint

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Oct 08 2012

• PowerPoint Design Principle #3: Contrast

Have you ever sat through a PowerPoint presentation and the presenter had to apologize to the audience for not being able to read text on the slide? That’s what I experienced on my business trip. Often it is due to the font size being too small, but just as frequently it can be caused by sloppy color contrast . While the most common application of contrast in PowerPoint is color, contrast can be created by having different object shapes, object sizes, font types, font sizes, alignment, etc. The principle of contrast is dependent upon the surrounding elements being noticeably different from the focal point . Contrast fails when the difference is too subtle or weak.

There are lots of different ways of showing contrast besides color.

The Projector Curve Ball

I’d like to share three common scenarios where poor color contrast can ruin PowerPoint slides. I’ll start by sharing the two contrast-related mistakes I witnessed on my recent business trip along with a third one I’ve seen on several occasions.

Gradient steps or blends

When you have a process or flow diagram, it’s common to color the objects with different gradients – going from light to dark. Problems occur on the side with the lighter gradients if you’re using a light text color consistently across all of the objects . The light font will have good contrast against the darker gradients, but against the light gradient it can become ineligible, especially when you throw the projector brightness wildcard into the mix.

As you can see below, the light gradient with light text was too difficult to read even with the text shading. Unfortunately, the presenter had to pause and explain to the audience what the label was on the first object when he realized it couldn’t be read. If you’re using gradients, you either want to ensure you start darker on the light side or have darker text on the lighter objects (switching to lighter text on the darker objects).

This is the picture I took with my iPhone when I spotted this contrast issue. On the far left, the text was impossible to read because the white text didn’t contrast with the light gray object.

On a laptop screen, the text on the left is still legible, but once it is projected then the white text doesn’t stand out enough to be read against the light gray object. Either the background color on the object needs to be darker or the text needs to be darker — more contrast is required!

When using a PowerPoint template with a white background, you should avoid using certain colors for text. I’ve found that green or light green are not handled very well by a lot of projectors . There’s probably some technical reason for this, but I’ve learned over the years that this particular color is problematic. In the presentation below, the title of the slides and key metrics were in a lime green color. While it looked okay on a laptop screen, it became almost invisible when projected onto a screen. As a result, the presenter had to explain the purpose of each slide to the audience and verbally highlight key metrics that couldn’t be seen.

Be careful about the text colors you choose, especially for key text such as slide titles or data points. I would recommend never using green text due to how unreliable it can be with some projectors. If you’re using a template with a white background, use only dark colors for text.

Here’s another snapshot I took with my iPhone. This meeting was actually before the previous one, and the disruption to the presentation was more dramatic.

The lime green was visible on a laptop screen, but disappeared when projected. Not good if it’s used for the slide title or a key metric.

Colors on a dark background

My last real-world example comes from the Sunday school teacher at my church who uses PowerPoint presentations for her gospel lessons. She has a tendency to use red or blue text on a black background, which causes the text to be washed out and almost indistinguishable from the dark background . If you’re using a template with a dark background, don’t use standard colors such as blue, green, or red because most projectors struggle to project those colors with the same vibrancy as what you see in your laptop screen. If you’re using a dark background, always try to use light colors that will stand out when projected. Don’t be tricked by your laptop or desktop screen that the colors will display the same way when they’re projected.

Okay, no iPhone snapshot for this one so I’ve tried to reproduce what happened. While the colored text looks vibrant on your laptop (left), it can appear washed out when projected (right).

Don’t make your presentations hard to read; use appropriate levels of contrast for your text. There’s nothing wrong with black text on a light background or white text on a dark background. I know it might be a little boring but better boring than baffling (it seemed to work for Steve Jobs ). If you’d like to get creative with your text try a different font or more expressive language—but don’t use font colors that won’t provide enough contrast.

You can also run into color contrast problems with other parts of your presentation besides text. For example, I was saddled with a corporate template (white background) which used a light faded orange color for its bullets. What might have looked stylish on the designer’s laptop, failed in execution. Simply because a brand designer failed to consider how the light-colored bullets would look on most projectors, hundreds of employees were communicating less effectively with their bullets (except for a rogue PowerPoint ninja who edited his version of the corporate template to include bold orange bullets). Be kind to your audiences and remember the PowerPoint design principle of contrast!

• PowerPoint Design Principle #1: Consistency
• PowerPoint Design Principle #2: Control
• Background Basics for Effective Corporate Templates
• Book Review: The Non-Designer’s Design Book
• 10 Ways to Spot a Lame Corporate PowerPoint Template

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• Why Color Contrast Matters in Your PowerPoint Presentations

by Stephanie Ivec | PowerPoint Graphics , PowerPoint Tips | 0 comments

Have you ever been sitting in the back of a conference room and unable to read a presentation because the text color was too light or the text was blending into the background? Frustrating, right?

An important part of creating a good presentation is ensuring that your content has enough contrast.

What is contrast?

As a principle of art, contrast refers to the arrangement of opposite elements and effects. For example, light and dark colors, smooth and rough textures, large and small shapes. Contrast can be used to create variety, visual interest, and drama in an artwork.

Aside from adding visual interest, contrast is also essential for content visibility and legibility. If there isn’t enough contrast between your text and the background or enough color contrast between lines on a graph, your audience is going to have trouble reading and understanding your content.

Did you know there are actual rules about color contrast? 

There’s a set of guidelines called the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) that web developers follow to ensure their content can be accessed and read by as many people as possible, including those with visual, auditory, or physical impairments. We’ll be focusing on color contrast today, but WCAG covers many more topics. 

If you work for the government or government contractors, you might be more familiar with Section 508 rules. 

According to Section 508 rules, designers and developers must ensure all text elements have sufficient color contrast between the text in the foreground and background color behind it.

How do you know if you have sufficient color contrast?

There’s a fairly technical explanation involving “luminance” or perceived brightness of colors, but all you really need to know is the contrast ratio that has been set down in the standards. 

Three success criteria in WCAG 2 address color contrast ratios:

• The visual presentation of text and images of text has a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1. This is the bare minimum and some viewers may still experience difficulties distinguishing color differences.
• Requires 7:1 contrast for normal text and 4.5:1 for large text.
• The visual presentation of user interface components and graphical objects must have a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 against adjacent color(s). This consideration was added in 2018.

One additional success criterion, Use of Color, dictates that color is not used as the only visual means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visual element.

Section 508 outlines the same contrast ratio guidelines. 

Here’s a good example of some excellent color contrast, both in the text versus background color and in the row shading of the table graphic. This template is part of the Montserrat design series in our PowerPoint graphics library.

But I’m creating PowerPoint presentations, not websites. Why do I care about color contrast?

You never know who in your audience might have a visual impairment. In addition, your audience doesn’t have the luxury of holding the screen two inches from their face. Your content needs to stand out to everyone, whether they’re sitting at the front of the room or way in the back.

There’s one last consideration that we haven’t talked about yet.

Projectors. 

If you are giving a presentation using a projector, it’s a good general rule to assume the colors are going to be projected 20-30% lighter than what you’re looking at on your computer screen. 

Not sure if your color scheme has enough color contrast?

Lucky for you, there are tons of color contrast checkers available online. Put in your colors and the magic of computers spits out your contrast ratio.

Here’s a color contrast checker from WebAIM that I like.

When in doubt, you really can’t go wrong with black and white. I know that may sound boring, but if you look at some of our PowerPoint templates , you’ll see that you can create many exciting designs using a lot of black and white. 

Plus, we’ve already done all the color contrast head-scratching for you in our PowerPoint templates! 

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The Power of Color: How to Apply Color Theory in Your Presentations

Stop putting your audience to sleep with boring presentations learn how to apply color theory for a more impactful and engaging design..

In the digital age , presentation skills are more important than ever . With countless slideshows, webinars, and virtual meetings happening every day, it’s easy for your message to get lost in the noise. That’s where color theory comes in.

Color theory is the science and art of using color to create a harmonious and impactful visual experience . By understanding how colors interact and how they affect our mood and perception, you can take your presentations from boring to brilliant.

In this article, we’ll explore the basics of color theory and how you can apply it to your presentations to create a lasting impression on your audience. We’ll cover everything from color psychology to color combinations and show you how to use them to create compelling and effective presentations.

First, we’ll dive into the psychology of color . Did you know that different colors can elicit different emotional responses from your audience? For example, red is often associated with passion and energy, while blue is often associated with calmness and trustworthiness. By understanding the psychological impact of colors, you can use them strategically to enhance your message and connect with your audience on a deeper level.

Next, we’ll explore color combinations . Choosing the right colors can make or break your presentation. We’ll teach you the basics of color harmonies and show you how to create eye-catching color schemes that are both aesthetically pleasing and effective at conveying your message.

We’ll also cover practical tips on how to use color in your presentations , such as how to choose the right font color, how to use color to highlight important information, and how to avoid common mistakes that can detract from your message.

By the end of this article, you’ll have a solid understanding of color theory and how to apply it to your presentations . You’ll be able to create stunning visuals that capture your audience’s attention and leave a lasting impression. So, whether you’re a seasoned presenter or a beginner just starting out, this article is for you. Get ready to take your presentations from boring to brilliant with the power of color theory.

Psychology of Color

Color has a powerful impact on our emotions and perception. Understanding the psychology of color can help you use it to your advantage in your presentations, making them more engaging, memorable, and effective.

Let’s start with red. Red is a high-energy color that is often associated with passion, excitement, and urgency. It can stimulate the senses and increase heart rate and blood pressure. That’s why you’ll often see it used in advertising and marketing to grab people’s attention and create a sense of urgency. However, too much red can be overwhelming and even aggressive, so use it sparingly and strategically.

These are just a few examples of how color can affect our emotions and perception . By understanding the psychology of color, you can use it to your advantage in your presentations, creating a visual experience that not only looks great but also resonates with your audience on a deeper level and create the mood and atmosphere you want. So, choose your colors wisely and get ready to make an impact with the power of color psychology. Remember to balance colors appropriately and use them strategically to enhance your message and connect with your audience on a deeper level.

Color Combinations

Choosing the right color scheme for your presentation can be a daunting task, but it’s essential to creating a cohesive and impactful visual experience for your audience. Here are some tips on how to explore color combinations and choose the right colors for your presentation.

Start with a color wheel

A color wheel is a great tool for exploring color combinations. It shows the relationship between primary, secondary, and tertiary colors and can help you create complementary, analogous, or triadic color schemes. Play around with different combinations to see what works best for your message and brand.

Consider your brand

If you have an established brand, you may want to use your brand colors in your presentation to reinforce brand recognition. If not, consider the values and message of your presentation and choose colors that reflect those. For example, if your presentation is about nature, you may want to use green and earth tones.

Think about the mood

Different colors evoke different emotions and moods. Consider the mood you want to create in your presentation and choose colors that reflect that. For example, if you want to create a calming and peaceful atmosphere, you may want to use light blues or soft pastels.

Use contrast

Contrast can make your presentation more visually interesting and help important information stand out. Choose colors that contrast well with each other, such as black and white or red and green. But be careful not to use too many contrasting colors, as it can be overwhelming for your audience.

Keep it simple

Too many colors can be distracting and take away from your message. Stick to a few main colors and use them consistently throughout your presentation. This will create a more cohesive and professional look.

Consider accessibility

It’s important to choose colors that are accessible to all individuals, including those with color blindness. Avoid using color alone to convey important information and use high-contrast color combinations to make it easier for everyone to read and understand.

Test it out

Before your presentation, test out your color scheme on different devices and screens to ensure it looks good in all environments. You can also ask a few colleagues or friends for their feedback on the color scheme and adjust as needed.

In summary, exploring color combinations and choosing the right colors for your presentation takes some thought and consideration. Use a color wheel, consider your brand and the mood you want to create, use contrast, keep it simple, consider accessibility, and test it out. By following these tips, you can create a visually appealing and effective presentation that connects with your audience on a deeper level.

How to Choose the Right Color s for Presentations

Using color effectively in your presentations is an important part of creating a visually engaging and impactful experience for your audience. Here are some practical tips on how to use color in your presentations.

Choose the right font color

Font color is crucial for readability, so it’s important to choose a color that contrasts well with your background. For example, black or dark gray text works well on a light background, while white or light text is better on a dark background. Avoid using light-colored text on a light background or dark-colored text on a dark background, as it can be difficult to read.

Use color to highlight important information

Color can draw attention to important information and help it stand out from the rest of the content. Use a contrasting color to highlight key points, such as statistics or quotes. But be careful not to overdo it, as too much color can be overwhelming and detract from your message.

Create a consistent color scheme

A consistent color scheme can make your presentation look more polished and professional. Choose a few main colors and use them consistently throughout your presentation. This includes font color, background color, and accent colors. Use shades of the same color to create depth and interest.

Avoid common color mistakes

There are a few common mistakes that can detract from your message. For example, using too many bright or clashing colors can be distracting, while using too many pastel or muted colors can be boring. Avoid using neon colors, as they can be difficult to read and can give your presentation an unprofessional look.

Consider cultural differences

Different cultures can associate different meanings with colors. For example, in Western cultures, white is often associated with purity and innocence, while in some Asian cultures, it’s associated with mourning. Be mindful of the cultural context of your audience and choose colors that are appropriate.

Use color in charts and graphs

Charts and graphs can be made more visually appealing and easier to understand by using color to differentiate data sets. Use consistent colors throughout the chart or graph to create a clear visual hierarchy.

In summary, using color effectively in your presentations requires some thought and consideration. Choose the right font color, use color to highlight important information, create a consistent color scheme, avoid common color mistakes, consider cultural differences, and use color in charts and graphs. By following these practical tips, you can create a visually engaging and impactful presentation that resonates with your audience.

Tips and Tricks: How to Make Your Presentation Look Professional

Applying the theory of color to your presentations can take your design game to the next level. Here are some tips on how to apply color theory effectively in your presentations , along with some modern design tips to enhance your visuals .

Understand the basics of color theory

Understanding color theory is essential to using color effectively in your presentations. It’s important to understand the different color schemes, such as complementary, analogous, and monochromatic, and how they can be used to create visual interest and harmony. Additionally, knowing the emotions and associations that are commonly associated with certain colors can help you create a mood or convey a message.

Choose a color palette

Once you have a basic understanding of color theory, it’s time to choose a color palette for your presentation. You can choose a color palette based on your brand colors, the theme of your presentation, or the emotions you want to evoke. Stick to a limited color palette to keep your design cohesive and avoid overwhelming your audience.

Create visual interest with contrast

Contrast is important for creating visual interest and directing the viewer’s attention. Use contrasting colors to create a hierarchy of information and draw attention to important elements. This can include using a bright color for headings or important text, or using a contrasting color for buttons or calls to action.

Use color blocking

Color blocking is a modern design trend that involves using large areas of color to create a bold and impactful design. Use color blocking to create a strong visual hierarchy and make important information stand out. For example, you can use a bright color for the background of a slide and use a contrasting color for the text.

Consider typography

Typography is an important part of design, and it’s essential to consider the relationship between your font and your color palette. Choose fonts that complement your color palette and create a harmonious design. Use a bold font for headings and a more subtle font for body text. You can use a free tool like Google Fonts to search for the right font.

Add texture

Texture can add depth and interest to your design, and it can be achieved through the use of patterns or images. Use texture sparingly, as too much can be overwhelming. Consider using texture to add visual interest to backgrounds or to create contrast between different elements. Also, you can use our free backgrounds to enhance your slides.

In conclusion, applying the theory of color to your presentations requires a basic understanding of color theory, the ability to choose a color palette, creating contrast, using color blocking, considering typography, and adding texture. By following these tips, you can create a visually engaging and modern design that effectively communicates your message to your audience.

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Helping you with presenting, PowerPoint, and speaking

Use contrast to make your text and colors pop!

May 6, 2021 by Ellen Finkelstein 1 Comment

One has to do with increasing contrast between the background (of the slide or a shape) and the text. When you do this, your colors become richer and your text is much more clear. This helps your viewers to focus on your content.

PowerPoint 365 now gives you hexadecimal stats for colors. Hexadecimal is the system used for websites. It’s similar to the RGB (red-green-blue) system that PowerPoint has used for years. I say this because the service that you can use to measure contrast uses hexadecimal notation.

How to check for color contrast

Here are the steps to check for color contrast between the text and its background and to adjust colors if the contrast isn’t enough:

• In the pane that opens, under the Fill & Line icon, open the Fill section.
• If you see a Hex box, copy and paste that into Accessible-Colors ( Accessible-Colors.com ​/) where it says, “My background color is…”
• If you don’t have a Hex box, you need to convert the RGB color to hexadecimal format. Go to https://www.rgbtohex.net/ and input the red, green, and blue values you see in the Colors dialog box. Click Convert to Hex to get the hexadecimal value and input it at Accessible-Colors.com as I just described.
• Now you need to get the color of the text. Select the text and on the Home tab, click the Font Color drop-down arrow and choose More Colors. Use the same procedure you did for the background and put the hexadecimal value into the Accessible-Colors website, where it says, “My text color is…” You can also input the font size and weight.
• You can then see the result for the default system of measuring contrast (called AA). If the contrast isn’t enough (4.5 is the required minimum), the site will suggest a new background AND a new text color and you can choose to choose either the background or the text color.
• Go back to PowerPoint and change either the background or the text. If you don’t have a Hex box in the Colors dialog box, use the https://www.rgbtohex.net/hextorgb/ website, which will give you the RGB values you need in PowerPoint.

​You’ll see your colors pop and your text be much more legible. You’ll have a new appreciation for the value of color on your slides.

For example, you could change this, from some Smart Art using one of PowerPoint’s “colorful” suggestions…

Do you see how the text pops because of the increased contrast?

You can also change the text color, so you could change this…

Contrast is not only for accessibility

Of course, you should think about making your slides easy to read for people who do not see contrast well, but with greater contrast, you’ll find that your slides are more compelling for everyone.

Check the contrast of some of your slide text with its background. Duplicate the slide and increase the contrast where appropriate on the copy. Compare the original and the duplicate. Can you see how the slide pops?

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1 Leave a Reply

The information you shared is awe-inspiring and helpful. Texts styles and contrasts are very important to expose the ideas to the audience effectively. SlideEgg predesigned templates with colored caption editable options help in adding colors for an impressive look

Save with our subscription plan and access an extensive collection of PowerPoint templates.

The importance of contrast in PowerPoint presentation

People who are making a PowerPoint presentation should know the basic principles of design. In the following article we are going to overlook the main principle of the contrast. This information can be very helpful and will save you from ruining the overall effectiveness of your PowerPoint slides. As most resources about PowerPoint consider contrast issues unnecessary to be mentioned, we are going to review this topic and pay attention to some vital points.

During our University years and at work we see different kinds of PowerPoint presentations. Have you ever heard presenters apologizing for not being able to see properly the text on PowerPoint slides? Many people from the audience can’t see it as well. So why does this happen to us? In most cases the reason is in the size of the font which is too small. However the same problem can happen due to the sloppy color of the contrast. The most common contrast’s application in PowerPoint is the color. Alternatively the contrast can be made with the help of different shapes, sizes of your objects, types and sizes of your fonts, alignment and so on. You should remember that the contrast principle depend on all the surrounding elements. They should be different from your focal point. Your contrast will easily fail if your difference between the objects is either too weak or subtle.

Let’s focus on the contrast besides colors. The easiest and the most effective way of showing the contrast in your PowerPoint presentation is by using different colors. You should involve and play with the difference in darkness and lightness between the selected colors. The colors of your presentation background and foreground should be different as well. If you need the strongest contrast you should use black and white colors. Always try to remain mindful in applying these basic principles in the design of your future PowerPoint presentation. You should be very careful using hues on your ppt slides. And keep in mind that some people from your audience may have color blindness issues. A person with a normal sight can see a perfect contrast between green and red. However someone from your audience can perceive the difference of these colors. Study carefully the basic attributes of colors, such as saturation, hue and lightness. This information may be very handy.

As a designer of PowerPoint presentation you should always have an extra curve ball that can be thrown at them. Nowadays there are lots of modern and highly effective LCD displays or projectors. Such devices can lighten or alter the colors of your presentation slides while projecting them. You may spent lots of time selecting the best and the most matching combinations. But if your projector is old, everything can be spoilt. Too light meeting room is also not the best place for a successful presentation. There is one strict rule of thumb which you should follow – all the colors of your PowerPoint slides will be seen around 30% lighter comparing to what you see on your PC.

Here is the list of common scenarios of ruining your PowerPoint slides:

Gradient blends and steps

If you use gradients, it is recommended to start with the darker on the lighter side. Your dark text on the slides should be on lighter objects.

Green-colored text

If the color of your background is white, it is necessary to avoid some text colors. As practice shoes green is not the best choice as it may be handled by projectors quite badly. There must be some technical reasons but for sure green is very problematic on white background of your PowerPoint template. Therefore you should always be very careful choosing the text colors for your titles, the main data points and the rest of the key text. Select much darker colors for text with a white-colored background.

Colors on dark ppt background

Avoid using blue or red text color on a black ppt background. Your text may be washed out or indistinguishable to your audience. Standard colors such as blue, red, green should be avoided. Always use light colors for dark backgrounds. They will surely stand out while projecting your presentation.

The final tip is to be always kind and attentive to your audience!

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Colour Contrast and how it Applies to PowerPoint

• Fiona Walsh
• July 9, 2021
• No Comments

When you create slides in PowerPoint, do you consider colour contrast? A recent poll conducted on LinkedIn showed that only 5% of people use a contrast tool to check how easy it is to read their content.

I don’t know about you, but recently I have seen some very hard to read PowerPoint slides. Imagine losing out on business because a potential customer couldn’t read your slides, or social media posts, for that matter ! This is why colour contrast is so important. What do we mean by colour contrast? How easy it is to see text, depending on the colour of the text and background. The image below shows some examples.

I’ve always had an interest in colour. Many years ago, I worked in the automotive industry. My job was to colour match the fabric for the interior of cars. When a new roll of material arrived on site, I had to assess it to ensure the colour was within tolerance. The company made interior parts for companies including Rover, Land Rover, Toyota, Ford and Jaguar. These companies did not want the fabric on one door to look different from another door.

Colour Tests

On my first day on the job, I was introduced to the Farnsworth Munsell 100 hue colour test. The test consists of 4 trays containing 85 removable colour reference caps of incremental hue variations spanning the visible spectrum. The colour caps were removed and put in random order. The test involves putting the caps back into hue order between two fixed hues. This is repeated for each of the four trays.

I passed with zero errors. I had an eye for colour! My boss, a man, told me that he rarely saw this result. Why is it important to say to you my boss was a man? Because men are more likely to experience colour blindness than women. According to X-rite, a manufacturer of spectrophotometers (scientific equipment to measure colour), 1 in 12 males has a form of colour blindness compared with 1 in 225 women; a big difference! I worked in a male-dominated environment. Perhaps that was why my boss had never seen anyone get a perfect score before.

If like me, you’re curious, you can take an online test on the X-rite website . Here’s an example of the test before and after completion. On the left is the test before you start and on the right is the completed test.

And, here’s the result below. Although I now wear glasses, my colour assessment is still as sharp as twenty-something years ago!

What does all this have to do with PowerPoint slide design?

We perceive colour differently, and what’s more, some people with colour blindness only see in black and white or greyscale. The most crucial aspect to consider when creating a presentation is our audience, so how can we cater for colour disabilities when we design PowerPoint slides?

One way is to consider the contrast between the colour of your text and the background colour. There are several online tools you can use. The assessment is based on the  Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 .

These tools allow you to enter the colour of your text and background using various colour measurements units. If this is all new to you, start with Contrast Checker because this tool allows you to use RGB colour units (Red, Green, Blue) used in PowerPoint. Below is the output from Contrast Checker. As you can see, this combination ticks all the boxes.

The pass or fail criteria are based on different font sizes, the brightness and colour difference and how readable your text is in greyscale (for people who cannot see in colour). 

Others tools available are  WebAim  and  Coolors . 

I’d love to hear your feedback on these tools and if you’d like to know more about how I can help you with your PowerPoint slide, check out my  Services  page! 

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• Presentation Design

Measuring Contrast Ratios in Your Presentation Design

• By: Amy Boone

Contrast. It grabs and directs attention. It highlights what’s important. And it is, without a doubt, one of the most important things in your presentation design. So how do you make sure you have the right contrast ratio in your presentation design? You measure it.

Today we’ll share why contrast is important, and then we’ll show you how to use Adobe’s free contrast checker to make sure your slide deck passes the test when it comes to contrast.

Why is Contrast So Important in Slide Design?

Accessibility.

The main reason we need contrast is so that people can easily view and understand the elements in our design. Without the appropriate amount of contrast, our eyes lose the distinction between colors and elements start to blur together. You can check out your own contrast sensitivity using the Pelli-Robson test here .

The Web Accessibility Initiative has published some standards when it comes to contrast ratios that can be seen by most people. While there are different levels (A, AA, AAA) for contrast, we’d suggest adopting the AA level minimum standards whenever you are designing. For successful contrast at this level, you’d need a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1. There are a few exceptions: large-scale text and images of large-scale text can have less contrast (3:1) due to their size, and text that doesn’t offer any meaningful information is purely decorative or that is part of a logo doesn’t legally have to meet the 4.5:1 ratio either. But great designers aren’t clinging to minimums. They are figuring out how to use high levels of contrast to insure all their users can easily navigate their designs.

Aesthetic Attention

The other main reason for using high levels of contrast is that it grabs and directs audience attention. Designers make use of something called preattentive attributes all the time. Expert in data visualization Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic explains these well. She says that preattentive attributes are “elements like ​color, size, and position on page. [They] focus your audience’s attention on the most important parts of your data. These are visual cues that ease the processing of the information. When done well, there should be no question on the part of your audience when it comes to what is important or where they should focus their attention​—it is obvious.” While contrast is not specifically named as a preattentive attribute, it is the foundational principle that underlies many of them as you can see below in this example from  Callum Ballard of Towards Data Science .

Measure Contrast with the Adobe Contrast Checker

So how do you know if you’ve met the minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1? Let’s look at an example. We recently wrote about Pantone’s 2023 Color of the Year, Viva Magenta (hex code #BB2649). If you missed that blog, you can check it out here . Proactive Creative says, “The complementary color for Viva Magenta is Mountain Meadow. This fresh green shade is also known as the opposite color as it’s directly across on the color wheel. So, these two colors have a strong contrast and are eye-catching when used together. The hex code for Mountain Meadow is #26BB98.” And sure enough, these colors look great together. But do they really offer enough contrast? Let’s use the Adobe Contrast Checker to make sure.

You can access Adobe’s Contrast Checker Tool here. Once on that screen, you can enter the hex code for your text color (Mountain Meadow) and your background color (Viva Magenta), as shown below.

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Day 11: Use Color Contrast in PowerPoint

Design a short PowerPoint presentation with accessible color contrast to enhance readability for everyone, especially people with color blindness. (About 300 million people globally have color vision deficiency!)

To investigate and improve color ratios, use the Microsoft Color Contrast Analyzer within the Accessibility Checker. Large, bolded text needs a color contrast of at least 3.0 and small text requires a contrast of at least 4.5 to pass the color contrast test.

Check if your content passes this accessibility test by following these steps in PowerPoint:

• Navigate to the “Review” tab. 
• Select the option to “Check Accessibility.”
• The “Accessibility Pane” will open to the right.
• Within the “Accessibility Pane,” navigate to the list of “Inspection Results.”
• Look for a “Warnings” item in the list of “Inspection Results.”
• If the “Warnings” item is present, click its arrow button to swing out the results. 
• Look for “Hard to read text contrast.”
• If present, click the “Hard to read text contrast” arrow button to show a list of slides that need attention, as per the two example slides further down this page.

Note: The color contrast analyzer tests only text objects with a fill color applied to them. Text objects that are placed over separate images or shapes will not be tested. In these scenarios, contrast levels should be tested manually by saving screenshots and using the following hyperlinked online tool: Color Check for ADA Image Compliance .

Most color contrast errors can be solved by simply enlarging the text in question or changing the fill color to be lighter or darker, depending on text color.

To help mitigate color contrast errors, follow these best practices:

• Try to refrain from placing text over images.
• Avoid using color for body copy text.
• Resist applying a fill color on text objects.

Let us know what you learned today by posting on social media with #ABD21DayChallenge and #AccessibleByDesign.

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Use contrast in the middle of a presentation to transform

Nancy Duarte

Doing a quick internet search for “Tips for the beginning of a presentation” and “Tips for presentation endings,” will serve up thousands of relevant results. But just try looking for tips on how to write the bulk of your presentation — the middle, and you won’t find much. That’s because most people don’t understand the significance of the middle of a presentation, and in turn, tend to overlook it — even though it has the power to be the most persuasive part.

The middle is the longest section of the presentation and the place where you can persuade an audience to your position on how to solve a problem. The middle is also where you can give your talk a narrative structure, based in story frameworks, that creates suspense to hook your listeners, which can make your talk riveting.

How do I write an effective middle of a presentation?

Use story archetypes and make your audience the hero

Write your talk as if the audience is the hero of your idea who will help you make it a reality.

To effectively shape the middle of a presentation around your listeners, get to know them well enough to craft content that feels relevant. Create an Audience Needs Map™ so you can better understand who they are and what will speak to them.

Once you’ve investigated things like audience fears, goals, hopes, interests, daily roles, responsibilities, and more, try to anticipate their resistance to the ideas you are presenting. Or, predict the obstacles they might encounter while trying to adopt them.

Write the middle of a presentation as a story about overcoming that resistance or surpassing those obstacles. Stories are inherently about overcoming hardships to get to a desired goal. A presentation utilizing this structure will feel familiar to them and help them digest the information you have to offer.

A great example of a talk that portrays the audience as hero is Bill Gates’ 2009 TED talk, On Mosquitoes, Malaria, and Education . Gates describes several global issues his foundation is trying but struggling to tackle (i.e. rampant malaria and poor education). He then defers to audience members as the brilliant minds who can help him fix the problems.

By outlining potential solutions and predicting possible hurdles, Gates paints a clear picture of what would be needed from listeners to help reach his goals and inspires them to take action.

Capture and keep attention by weaving in contrast

Contrast is key when it comes to creating a compelling middle of a presentation. Infuse contrast into the middle so it grips and holds people’s attention. You can:

• Juxtapose “what is” vs. “what could be”: Describe your hero’s current state with the one they could reach if they support your idea or do what you’re urging. Create contrast by describing a not-so-great present that will make them see the need for change. Then, talk about a potential much-better future if they take action on your ideas. Contrasting the present and the possible future is a powerful technique for creating suspense and propelling listener’s mindsets forward.
• Incorporate emotional and analytical content: Stories trigger emotional appeal. Facts can work to convince through logical appeal.Throughout the middle, alternate emotional narrative elements with illustrative facts and stats. Contrasting the type of content you deliver keeps an audience from feeling your content is mundane. It also helps you appeal to a variety of listeners: those who prefer creative, story-like content, and then those who are more analytical-brained and need cold, hard data to be persuaded.

Step in and be the mentor they can trust

When listeners feel you relate to them, you can more easily demonstrate empathy, and studies show that empathy directly generates feelings of trust.

When the audience trusts you, you can influence the audience at critical junctures. Just like the mentor in stories, you appear in the journey to help them move past blockades of doubt and fear.

Explain how the ideas and beliefs you are presenting help them get unstuck. Be authoritative and knowledgeable about how and why. As a trusted guide, you can convince listeners that your ideas are worth adopting, and then inspire them to heed your call for forward movement.

A successful talk has three parts — each of which has a job. Your beginning may start you off on the right foot and your closing can hammer home your message. But the middle of a presentation is where the action really happens.

Write the bulk of your presentation as if it is a story about a heroic audience member who struggles — but succeeds — at their mission. You’ll have them lured into a story about how they can improve their present situation and inspire them to adopt new behaviors that help them (and you) reach their goals.

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How to Change Picture Brightness or Contrast in PowerPoint

Change the Brightness or Contrast of Images in PowerPoint (2 Ways)

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated September 10, 2023

Applies to: Microsoft ® PowerPoint ® 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 365 (Windows)

In PowerPoint, you can change the brightness or contrast of a picture using picture correction tools in the Ribbon or in the Format Picture task pane.

Note: Buttons and Ribbon tabs may display in a different way (with or without text) depending on your version of PowerPoint, the size of your screen and your Control Panel settings. For PowerPoint 365 users, Ribbon tabs may appear with different names. For example, the Picture Tools Format tab may appear as Picture Format and the Drawing Tools Format tab may appear as Drawing Format or Shape Format.

Recommended article: How to Make a Picture Transparent in PowerPoint (3 Ways)

Do you want to learn more about PowerPoint? Check out our virtual classroom or in-person classroom PowerPoint courses >

Adjust picture brightness or contrast using the Ribbon

To adjust picture brightness or contrast using the Ribbon:

• Select the picture you want to adjust.
• Click the Picture Tools Format or Picture Format tab in the Ribbon.
• In the Adjust group, click Corrections. A drop-down menu appears.
• Under Brightness/Contrast, hover over the thumbnails to preview the effect and when you find the setting you want, click the thumbnail.
• Thumbnails on the left show less brightness and thumbnails on the right show more brightness. Thumbnails on the top show less contrast and thumbnails on the bottom show more contrast.

The Picture Corrections drop-down menu appears as follows in the Ribbon:

Adjust picture brightness or contrast using the Format Picture task pane

You can use the Format Picture task pane for more control over brightness and contrast settings.

To adjust picture brightness or contrast using the Format Picture task pane:

• Click More Picture Corrections Options. The Format Picture task pane appears. At the top of the task pane, the Picture icon should be selected.
• Click the arrow beside Picture Corrections to expand the area (if necessary).
• Drag the slider beside Brightness and / or Contrast to change the settings. You can also enter a number in the box next to the slider.

The Format Picture task pane appears as follows:

In PowerPoint, you can also remove the changes by clicking Reset in the task pane.

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How to Rotate Objects in PowerPoint (4 Ways)

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Picture Correction in PowerPoint [Brighten, Sharpen, Contrast!]

By: Author Shrot Katewa

A picture enhances the engagement of your content, so PowerPoint makes sure that the pictures in your presentation are well-integrated with your slides. Once you have added pictures, Powerpoint allows you to brighten, sharpen and adjust the contrast of your pictures, offering both preprogrammed and manual options.

To correct pictures in PowerPoint, right-click on the image and click on “Picture Format”. Then, from the “Format Picture” panel, click on the “Picture Correction” option, and adjust the brightness, sharpness, and contrast values of the image by moving the slider or typing the desired value.

Powerpoint also lets you make your picture fade by adjusting its transparency and increasing saturation to adjust the amount of color in your picture.

Do you want to learn step-by-step about picture correction in Powerpoint? This article will show you how to use Powerpoint picture editor for the purpose of picture brightness, sharpness, and contrast.

Let’s give it a try!

1. How to Sharpen Images in PowerPoint?

The sharpening effect in Microsoft PowerPoint can be applied to any picture inserted into a slide. To sharpen an image using the preset options in PowerPoint, follow the 2 simple steps.

Step-1: Click on the “Picture Format” tab

In the PowerPoint slide, you have to first click on the picture that you want to sharpen. Then click on the “Picture Format” tab in the menu ribbon located at the top of the screen.

Step-2: Click on the “Corrections” option

In the “Adjust” group of the “Picture Format” tab, click on the “Corrections” button. Now all you have to do is click on your preferred sharpening option from the “Sharpen/Soften” section of the dropdown menu under the “Corrections” option.

2. How to Increase Brightness or Contrast in PowerPoint

Using the “Picture Format” tab in Microsoft PowerPoint, you can quickly change the brightness or the contrast of a picture inserted into the slide. To increase the brightness or the contrast of a picture using the preset options, follow the 3 quick steps.

The first step is to click on the picture on the slide. Then click on the “Picture Format” tab in the menu ribbon.

Step-2: Click on the “Corrections” button

The next step is to click on the “Corrections” option in the “Adjust” group of the “Picture Format” tab. This will open a dropdown menu containing the preset brightness and contrast adjustment options.

Step-3: Click on your preferred brightness or contrast preset

In the “Brightness/Contrast” section of the dropdown menu under the “Corrections” option, you can hover your pointer over the presets to see the brightness and contrast settings for each. Then click on your preferred preset.

3. How to Manually adjust the Sharpness of Picture in PowerPoint?

In Microsoft PowerPoint, you can manually adjust the sharpness of a picture rather than using a preset option. To manually adjust the sharpness of an image in PowerPoint, follow the 3 easy steps.

Step-1: Click on the “Format Picture” option

In the open slide, “Right Click” on the picture. Then click on the “Format Picture” option from the right-click menu. This will open the “Format Picture” sidebar.

Step-2: Click on the “Picture” icon

In the “Format Picture” sidebar on the right side of the screen, click on the “Picture” icon at the top. Then click on the “Picture Corrections” option.

Step-3: Click on the “Sharpness” box

In the “Picture Corrections” section, click on the “Sharpness” box. Now you can enter any number between “-100” to “100” . You can also drag the “Sharpness” slider left and right to decrease or increase the picture sharpness.

4. How to Manually Control Brightness or Contrast of an Image in PowerPoint?

In Microsoft PowerPoint, you can adjust the brightness or contrast of an image using the presets available. However, there are a limited number of presets, and for more options, you have to do it manually. To control image brightness and contrast manually, follow the 4 quick steps.

The first step is to “Right Click” on the image inserted into the slide. Then click on the “Format Picture” option.

In the “Format Picture” sidebar at the right side of the screen, click on the “Picture” option which is the last icon at the top. Then click on the “Picture Corrections” option to expand the picture correction options.

Step-3: Click on the “Brightness” box

In the “Picture Corrections” section of the “Format Picture” sidebar, click on the “Brightness” box. Now you can type in any value between “-100” to “100” to set the brightness. You can also drag the “Brightness” slider to adjust the brightness of the picture.

Step-4: Click on the “Contrast” box

The next step is to adjust the contrast of the picture on the slide. Click on the “Contrast” box in the “Format Picture” sidebar and type in a contrast value between “-100” to “100” . You can also drag the slider to adjust the contrast.

5. How to Fade an Image in PowerPoint?

In Microsoft PowerPoint, you can adjust the transparency of a picture to fade it. To fade a picture in a slide, follow the 3 simple steps.

The first step is to click on the picture inserted into the slide that you want to fade. Then click on the “Picture Format” tab in the menu ribbon located at the top of the screen.

Step-2: Click on the “Transparency” option

In the “Adjust” group of the “Picture Format” tab, click on the “Transparency” option which is the last option in the group. In the dropdown menu under the “Transparency” option, click on your preferred transparency preset to fade the image. You can also click on the “Picture Transparency Options” option to manually set the transparency.

Step-3: Click on the “Transparency” box

In the “Format Picture” sidebar on the right side of the screen, click on the “Transparency” box and enter your preferred transparency value. You can also drag the “Transparency” slider to the right to increase the transparency to fade the selected image.

6. How to Increase Picture Saturation in PowerPoint?

Picture saturation is what controls the amount of color in a picture. When you insert an image in PowerPoint, you can adjust the saturation to match the presentation theme.

I’ve covered the topic of how to change picture color in PowerPoint in great detail in another article. Make sure you check that out as well!

To increase picture saturation, follow the 3 easy steps.

In the open slide, you have to first “Right Click” on the picture that you want to change the saturation for. Then click on the “Format Picture” option in the right-click menu. This will open the “Format Picture” sidebar.

Step-2: Click on the “Picture Color” option

At the top of the “Format Picture” sidebar, click on the “Picture” option which is the last icon. Then click on the “Picture Color” option in the sidebar.

Step-3: Click on the “Saturation” box

Under the “Picture Color” section in the “Format Picture” sidebar,  click on the “Saturation” box. Then type in a value between “0” and “400” in the box. You can also drag the slider to the right to increase the saturation of the selected picture in PowerPoint.

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8 Ways to Use Contrast in Your Speeches

What quality both sharpens the attention of your audience and makes them understand you better?

In this article, we’ll define contrast, explore its benefits, and examine many strategies for using contrast in your next presentation.

What is Contrast?

Contrast is a very broad term referring to any difference–usually a large difference–between two or more elements. The elements being contrasted might be anything: words, phrases, concepts, anecdotes, story characters, sounds, actions, shapes, visuals, or emotions.

There are several degrees of contrast available to you, and each can be effectively used in speeches and presentations:

• Opposite pairs of elements may be contrasted against one another, each helping to define the other through their differences.
• Two or more elements which are not commonly associated with each other may be juxtaposed in surprising ways.
• Two or more elements that belong in the same category are examined to highlight their differences.

Contrast is Ubiquitous

Contrast is everywhere, so our brains are hard-wired to recognize it and seek it out. Don’t believe me? Let’s consider just two examples, one contemporary and one from over 150 years ago.

For a lyrical example of contrast, consider the chorus for John Legend’s 2013 hit “All of Me”:

‘Cause all of me Loves all of you Love your curves and all your edges All your perfect imperfections Give your all to me I’ll give my all to you You’re my end and my beginning Even when I lose I’m winning

In eight short lines, five contrasting pairs of words (me-you, curves-edges, perfect-imperfections, end-beginning, lose-winning) create wonderful balance and evocative imagery.

Arguably the most famous use of literary contrast is found in the opening lines of A Tale of Two Cities  (1859) by Charles Dickens:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way —

Benefits of Contrast in Your Speeches

The first benefit of using contrast is that it sharpens the attention of your audience. Contrast surprises your audience and draws them into your presentation because contrast is appealing. The more you are able to capture and sustain your audience’s attention, the more likely they will remember your message.

In her excellent book Resonate ( Six Minutes review ), Nancy Duarte expresses this idea powerfully:

Presentations with a pulse have an ebb and flow to them. Those bursts of movement result from contrast—contrast in content, emotion, and delivery. […] Contrast […] is at the heart of communication, because people are attracted to things that stand out.

The second benefit of using contrast is that it adds precision to your words and ideas by placing them next to contrasting words and ideas. This, in turn, helps your audience understand your message.

In Writing Tools  ( Six Minutes review ), Roy Peter Clark conveys this benefit succinctly:

Put odd and interesting things next to each other. Help the reader learn from contrast.

How to use Contrast in Your Presentation

If contrast is so vital, how can you incorporate it into your speeches and presentations? There are numerous ways to inject contrast into both your content and delivery. Let’s examine just a few.

1. Contrasting Concepts

Organizing your overall presentation around contrasting themes is one of the most reliable techniques you can choose. For example, consider the following common speech organization patterns:

• Advantages versus Disadvantages
• Status Quo versus Proposed
• Risks versus Opportunities
• Past/Present versus Future
• Problems versus Solutions

When you organize your speech around contrasting concepts, you create a natural cadence as you shift between the two poles of the argument.

2. Contrasting Viewpoints

Within a presentation, you can study a topic from two or more contrasting viewpoints. For example, consider three diverse speech topics–mass transit, corporate restructuring, and after-school programs–which can be presented using a contrasting viewpoint strategy:

• Consider the impact of mass transit design on local residents, commuters, and tourists.
• Analyze the impact of corporate restructuring on engineering, accounting, and service teams.
• Study the impact of after-school programs on students, staff, and parents.

By contrasting several different perspectives (e.g. local residents, commuters, and tourists), the salient qualities of each perspective are clarified and amplified.

In addition, when you devote time to contrasting perspectives, you are generally seen as being fair, balanced, and comprehensive.

3. Contrasting Phrases and Words

An easy technique to make your words more memorable is to employ contrasting phrases and words in close proximity to one another. In his TED talk, Dan Pink ( watch and read review ) uses contrast wonderfully, including this memorable line which he repeats four separate times:

There’s a mismatch between what science knows and what business does .

In  Speak like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln  ( Six Minutes review ), James C. Humes writes:

If you want to coin your own Power Line, try pairing […] antonyms. Take one word for the first part of the sentence and then its opposite for the second part.

Two of the antonym pairs mentioned by Humes (end-beginning; win-lose) are employed in the John Legend lyrics quoted earlier in this article.

4. Contrasting Visuals

Yesterday, I saw a television commercial which depicts a healthy, prosperous family having a delightful lunch in a park. All seems normal until the parents hand their children bottles of (very) dirty water. The commercial achieves its purpose—to highlight the lack of clean drinking water for 1.1 billion people—by using a contrasting visual scene to surprise the viewer.

You can trigger emotional and cognitive responses in your audience by employing contrasting slide visuals in a variety of ways, including:

• Juxtapose objects which don’t “belong together” into a single image, like the dirty water bottles in the park scene described above.
• Use a pair of contrasting images on the same slide.
• Use a series of slide images to set a pattern, and then follow them with a highly contrasting image to create visual tension.

5. Contrasting Voice

Monotone speaking is sure to put your audience to sleep, so effective speakers incorporate a healthy dose of vocal variety into their delivery. In particular, contrasting vocal qualities can be used strategically as you present:

• Speak louder or quieter — Variations in volume should be used sparingly as you don’t want to seem like you are yelling or whispering for the bulk of your presentation. However, when used to emphasize special words or sentences, the contrast in your voice will immediately heighten the attention of your audience.
• Speaking faster or slower — As with volume, your regular speaking rate should allow your audience to understand you comfortably. In small doses, however, altering your rate is powerful. Slowing down signals that you are delivering a key message that you want your audience to remember. Speeding up, on the other hand, conveys heightened emotion and energy.

6. Contrasting Gestures

One of my personal speaking challenges is to avoid the repetitive “arm thrust” throughout my talk. It’s not that the action is necessarily negative when used in isolation, but any gesture that is used too much weakens its effectiveness and leads to audience boredom. Instead, using varied gestures is more effective.

There are many types of contrasting gestures that complement your message effectively. For example:

• Left versus Right – You can indicate the passage of time by gesturing to the audience’s left (past) or right (future).
• Down versus Up – You can emphasize the contrast between something short (by gesturing down) and something tall (by gesturing up).
• Small versus Large – If you use smaller, constrained gestures (i.e. gestures close to the body) for most of your presentation, you can generate huge impact by using a larger gesture (i.e. gesture with arms extended).

7. Contrasting Movement

Just like contrasting gestures, contrasting full-body movement can be very effective in accentuating your message and maintaining audience attention. There are infinite possibilities for full-body movements; if you choose movements which are unique, you will achieve the desired contrast.

Note that the contrasting movement does not need to be relative to yourself. If you offer movements which contrast other speakers at the event, the effect can be just as positive. For example, if all other speakers at the event speak from a stationary position behind a lectern, you have a great opportunity for contrast simply by venturing away from the lectern.

Beware of a pitfall when it comes to body movement. Avoid pacing methodically left and right, or rocking forward and backward. Even though these are technically “contrasting movements”, the effect you will produce is one of a swinging pendulum which will slowly soothe your audience to sleep!

8. Contrasting Emotions

I once attended a conference with a fabulously inspiring keynote speaker. Later at the conference, I asked the speaker what she thought was the most important quality for a keynote address. She said that her goal is always to make the audience laugh several times, cry several times, and end with a smile. This reinforces the importance not only of connecting emotionally with an audience, but also offering the audience contrasting emotions.

An entire presentation which evokes the same emotion throughout — whether it be sorrow, joy, empathy, humor, love, or anything else — can be very flat and one-dimensional, just like a monotone voice. On the other hand, a presentation which offers an array of contrasting emotional cues creates an exciting cadence or rhythm that draws in audience members.

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Contrasting emotions can be achieved in a variety of ways mentioned earlier, including your speech themes, words, vocal variety, gestures, and visuals.

Questions for You

What examples of contrast have you observed in your favorite presentations?

How can you use contrast in your next speech?

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Awesome post after such a long time. Thank you, Andrew.

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Comparison & Contrast PowerPoint

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Comparing and Contrasting

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Comparing and Contrasting. What’s the difference?. Student Learning Goal. Understanding comparisons and contrasts is noticing the similarities and differences between two or more subjects. I ask myself, how are things alike or how are they different?. How do you compare and contrast?.

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Comparing and Contrasting What’s the difference?

Student Learning Goal • Understanding comparisons and contrasts is noticing the similarities and differences between two or more subjects. • I ask myself, how are things alike or how are they different?

How do you compare and contrast? Point out the similarities and differences between two or more subjects. Compare • Pointing out similarities Contrast • Pointing out differences

What do you compare and contrast? • You may be asked to compare and contrast any of the following elements: • characters • theme • tone • subjects • perspective • main idea • setting • author’s purpose

Comparison Words and Phrases • also • likewise • same as • in the same way • too • both • accordingly • resemble • similar to

Write down the comparison signal words used in the following text… Donkeys are very similar to horses. Like horses, donkeys are equines. Equines resemble each other physically and they share many similar behaviors. Equines were historically prey animals, and accordingly, they behave in the same way in response to threatening situations, usually running away to evade the perceived threat.

Contrast Words and Phrases • better/best • on the contrary • instead • unlike • worse/worst • harder/hardest • on the other hand • yet • differ • however • easy/easiest • different from • but • while • more/less

Write down the contrast signal words used in the following text… English is one of the hardest languages for non-native speakers to learn. Unlike Spanish, in which words are generally pronounced as they look, English has many words with silent letters that aren’t pronounced. English is also different from Spanish in that it does not use written accent marks, whereas Spanish uses many accents to show readers how to pronounce words.

Example of a Venn Diagram Film Drama actors dialogue set costumes directions

Why should we compare and contrast information? • Seeing how things are alike and different helps you gather information and draw important conclusions.

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