How to Wow with PowerPoint (Paperback)

~ (Author), Scott Rekdal (Author)
Key Phrases: clip art, blank presentation, new slide, Slide Master, Avoid Bad Slides, The Key (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Go Beyond The Ordinary With Your Next Presentation...
…provide a well-designed and rich multimedia experience!

Wouldn’t it be great if you could have two of the most sought-after graphic design professionals sitting next to you at your computer as you navigate through the infinite possibilities of your next important presentation? How to Wow with PowerPoint is the next best thing. It’s the brainchild of Richard Harrington and Scott Rekdal, who have developed an incredible way to help you reach your full creative potential. A book for non-designers, Richard and Scott guide you step by step through realworld projects with an emphasis on cutting through the clutter and focusing on good design principles as a more effective way to build presentations. You’ll receive tips and techniques on everything from selecting and preparing images to integrating sound and motion. Whether it’s adding effective transitions to your slides or making the presentation technically sound and mobile, you’ll be given the tools at every stage of the creative process in order to learn How to Wow!

We begin with the important essentials of typography, layout, and design, and move on to creating tables, charts, graphs, and custom templates. Next comes the fun stuff, with projects focusing on audio and video files and integrating Flash. Finally, there is a chapter devoted to exporting and publishing, including how to create handouts, upload to the Web, and other ways to share your presentation. On the How to Wow CD-ROM is everything you’ll need to complete the projects.

The How to Wow CD-ROM Makes it a Snap!
The How to Wow with PowerPoint companion CD at the back of this book contains all the files you’ll need, including:

• Easy to use PowerPoint templates for each chapter to help you navigate through these projects and learn essential techniques. And you can modify the templates later for your own presentations.
• PLUS all the photographs, video and audio files used in the projects! Follow along with the lessons to dramatically increase your understanding of how these features are used and how they can be applied to your work, everyday!
• Extra presentation goodies that are ready to use such as stock photos, fonts, backgrounds, extra templates, and checklists to help you wow your audience.
  

About the Author

Richard Harrington is an expert in motion graphic design and digital video. His skills were recognized by AV Video & Multimedia Producer magazine, naming him one of the Top Producers of 2004. A member of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals Instructor Dream Team, Richard is also a popular speaker. His previous books include: Apple Training Series: iWork '06 with iLife '06; Photoshop for Video, 3rd Edition; and Understanding Adobe Photoshop.

Scott Rekdal has worked in the advertising, design, and marketing fields for nearly 15 years. He has directed creative teams for Fortune 500 and government clients from the initial pitch to hands-on strategy and design. He has also produced PowerPoint presentations for advertising pitches, CEO speeches, and annual meetings.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press (February 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 032149573X
• ISBN-13: 978-0321495730
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #183,519 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Definite Wow, June 3, 2007

By	Joy Schwabach - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

We looked at several books on using PowerPoint, and by far the best is this one from Peachpit Press.

"How to Wow" is lavishly illustrated with examples of the authors' best presentations, and you can duplicate any of them by using the templates in the DVD that comes with the book. One of the things that impressed us was the techniques for bringing YouTube videos and Internet Web content into your presentation.

Bob Schwabach and I are syndicated newspaper columnists who write the "On Computers" column, distributed by Universal Press Syndicate to 16 newspapers around the world.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than just a Powerpoint tips book, February 2, 2007

By	Manny Hernandez "Author of Ning For Dummies" (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

The How to Wow series has never missed a beat, and this title focused on PowerPoint is no exception to this. The book does cover a lot of detail on making the most out of the 2007 version of the Microsoft legendary presentation software. But Richard Harrington and Scott Rekdal offer the reader more than just a primer on the topic: they go beyond by offering some very useful tips to make the most out of your presentations (tips that you can use equally with PowerPoint, Keynote or any software or manual technique you choose for putting together your presentations). The end result is a title you are bound to be satisfied with almost regardless of your software choice, which makes it a book to have sitting by your side whenever you are gearing up for making a first impression with a presentation.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the book you are looking for..., April 13, 2007

By	M A "Matt" (Fairfax, VA United States) - See all my reviews

I have been really pleased with this book. I am not "new" to PowerPoint or computers. I know how to "use" the features of PowerPoint, and did not need a primer on the product. What I wanted to know was how to make presentations that had some "pop". I've seen a LOT of presentations. Most of them are dull. Some of them are amazing. I wanted to make an amazing presentation. I don't have a graphics art department.

This book helped me to understand how to make those amazing presentations. The book presents its concepts quickly and efficiently. I was able to read the book while developing content. I was able to create a presentation where people said "wow". Better yet, I think I learned some really good lessons that will serve me well for a long time. My presentations will be very different from now on.

This book is very customized for PowerPoint 2007. I have this, so I was happy to be able to use the new features it offers (which I believe are extensive).

This book delivered to me what I wanted. I would recommend it to others.