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In order for the specified font to appear on the computer, the font has to be font loaded on your computer. So you may have a really super and trendy font you think will set off your text just right, but if you present your PowerPoint presentation on a computer that doesn't have it, the audience won't see your hard work in the design format you intended. To make matters worse, the default in the software program will substitute a font that may be larger or smaller than your original choice. So, then what? Well, your text may be improperly aligned on the slide or perhaps run over the slide edges and not be seen at all. There Are No Absolutes.

Getting Started Creating a Well Designed PowerPoint Presentation

If you want to display anything other than straight text going from the left side of the page to the other you have to decide what you want to change. And that goes for everything. bolding, italicizing, ~~strikethrough~~, ^superscript, _subscript,
new paragraph breaks,
aligning to the right,
or the center,

making certain words underlined, or putting a break in the middle
of a sentence or even a wo
rd, changing the color, size or face of the font in use. All these formatting options and more are available.

Size matters!

No smaller than 24 point font size.
24 + point font size for presenting to a large audience.
This is an example of 36 point.

Two Text Families

Serif and Sans Serif. A serif is the little tail like extensions that hangs off some letters in some fonts. Times Roman (newspaper) and Courier (typewriter) have serifs. Comic Sans MS or Arial do not.

The safest font choices for PowerPoint presentations that are going to be delivered from computers other than the one the PowerPoint was created on are Times New Roman or Arial. They are considered safe fonts. The fonts below can usually be relied upon to translate from computer to computer.

Serif	San Serif	San Serif
Times New Roman	Arial	Verdana
Courier New	Arial Black	Trebuchet MS
Georgia	Comic Sans MS	Impact

Simplify the Font Face

Times New Roman font face provides the benefit of the serifs supplying an implied line. The implied line guides the reader's eye smoothly from left to right. Serif is best used with projects requiring a lot of text.

Arial font face gives a clean contemporary style to your presentation. Without the implied line an abundant amount of text may create a textured appearance to the reader and interfere with the reading process. San serif is best used with less text.

Example of 12 point Serif Times New Roman and San Serif Arial

Read along these two identical writings. Ask yourself which is easiest to read? Does the implied line created by the serif font make a difference is the ability to follow the text?

Serif Times New Roman

x
Roald Dahl (1916 – 1990)

Roald Dahl truly had an overflowing imagination. When he was at school Roald Dahl received terrible reports for his writing - with one teacher actually writing in his report, “I have never met a boy who so persistently writes the exact opposite of what he means. He seems incapable of marshalling his thoughts on paper!”
After finishing school Roald Dahl, in search of adventure, traveled to East Africa. In Africa he learnt to speak Swahili, drove from diamond mines to gold mines, and survived a bout of malaria where his temperature reached 105.5 degrees.
With the outbreak of the World War II Roald Dahl joined the RAF. But being over six feet tall he found himself squashed into his fighter plane, knees around his ears and head jutting forward. Tragically of the 20 men in his squadron, Roald Dahl was one of only three to survive. Roald wrote about these experiences in his books Boy and Going Solo.

San Serif Arial

x
Roald Dahl (1916 – 1990)

Roald Dahl truly had an overflowing imagination. When he was at school Roald Dahl received terrible reports for his writing - with one teacher actually writing in his report, “I have never met a boy who so persistently writes the exact opposite of what he means. He seems incapable of marshalling his thoughts on paper!”
After finishing school Roald Dahl, in search of adventure, traveled to East Africa. In Africa he learnt to speak Swahili, drove from diamond mines to gold mines, and survived a bout of malaria where his temperature reached 105.5 degrees.
With the outbreak of the World War II Roald Dahl joined the RAF. But being over six feet tall he found himself squashed into his fighter plane, knees around his ears and head jutting forward. Tragically of the 20 men in his squadron, Roald Dahl was one of only three to survive. Roald wrote about these experiences in his books Boy and Going Solo.

Simplify Font Face Selection

Continuity establishes a visual rhythm. Rhythm is conducive to learning. It establishes a psychologically safe learning environment. We learn best when we feel safe.
Software programs may choose default fonts.

Italics and Underlining

Use italics instead of “quotation marks” and underlining text when possible.
Eliminates visual buzz.
Easier to read from a distance.

Capitalization and Word Break Choices Matter:

So Met I Mes
SOMETIMES
Sometimes

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