Choosing a Background

Every piece of presentation software comes with it's own set of templates and backgrounds.  The completed templates and backgrounds are a great option when you're short on time and need to create a presentation quickly.  However, I have a better idea, instead of spending valuable time choosing the perfect template, use a BLACK or WHITE background.

There are 3 reasons why I recommend sticking to BLACK and WHITE.

1.  You will avoid creating busy and visually confusing slides, many backgrounds take up space on your slide and don't leave you enough room for what really counts, your content and message.  Your slides will appear clean, simple, and professional.

2.  It's much easier to tell what you can or can't see on a black or white background.  Busy backgrounds are much more difficult to work with.  If you have a hard time reading the slide on your screen, so will your audience.

3.  Using a black or white background is a great compliment to the other elements on your slide.  The two background colors allow your pictures, charts, graphics, and text to present themselves to your audience without any unnecessary clutter and visual distractions.

BONUS CONTENT
If you'd like to use something other than black or white, follow the two rules below.

When using a dark background, use a light color for your text.  When using a light background, use a dark color for your text.  In other words...
Dark Background = Light-Colored Text          Light Background = Dark-Colored Text

Take a look at the sample slides below and judge for yourself.  Which slides would you use in a presentation?  Which slides hurt your brain?

In case you're wondering, I would use slides 1, 3, 4, 6 and 10.
Slides 2, 5, 7, 8, and 9 all made my brain hurt.