Known Users


Known Users

The Presentation Design Book



Author: Chris Reavis
Date: February, 1994
Keywords: Ventana Press review presentations graphic design
Text: The Presentation Design Book Book review By Chris Reavis,SMUG member Want to spice up your electronic presentations? The Presentation Design Book by Magaret Y. Rabb is a great place to start; it's filled with the basics of graphic design. Technical specifications are as follows: Hardware: Ninth grade reading level and an appreciation for icons needed. Sorry, no balloon help! Installation: The best I've seen, even though it doesn't use Apple's standard installer. Seriously, it gets the points across well and makes sense. My brain (access time specs unavailable) was consistently able to retrieve information the book presented at a later date - a presentation book that presents itself well! No known conflicts, but you never know... turn off your virus protection software just to be safe! Startup: Easy, fun reading from the start. Each chapter is comfortable as a stand-alone. Reading goes easily and quickly - which is nice when you want to review the book's points. This book is really GUI (Graphical User Interface), if I can use GUI to describe a book. (I just did, so I suppose I can.) It's well laid-out, and has excellent graphics and icons to carry the message. It's a solid piece of work. Much of the information is the basic components of graphic design. It does mention use of some specific programs to implement these designs, but not in any detail (i.e. PageMaker is for desktop publishing, PowerPoint is for basic slide shows). Although much of the book is old hat to me, the frameworks it gives for projects are excellent. Regardless of your expertise, it's quite a tool to have a well-composed channel to assimilate your creative juices. For me, the multimedia section was helpful in planning a interactive piece on the world religions. The only problem I have with the book is that it is a bit too general at times, bordering on insulting your intelligence. However, not everyone has the same background, and this weakness could also be a strength. That is, the background it gives on every topic is excellent. One of the biggest benefits of this book is that you'll never have to call technical support - listening to cheesy elevator music for two hours. With my background in design and graphics I would probably not have purchased this book, I'm glad I had the chance to review it. If you are interested in a schematic for your electronic presentations, it's well worth the $24.95 price tag. The Presentation Design Book, (Second Edition, 1993, Margaret Y. Rabb, 346 pages, $24.95. ISBN 1-56604-014-0) is available from: The Ventana Press POBox 2468 Chapel Hill, NC 27515

Copyright © february, 1994 by Chris Reavis


Return to:
Known Users archive