Computer Skills
Beginner
60 mins
Teacher/Student led
+65 XP
What you need:
Chromebook/Laptop/PC or iPad/Tablet
IWB/Projector/Large Screen

Design Principles: a Tour of Well-designed Presentations

Learn to spot four key design principles—Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, Proximity—across slide decks, videos, infographics and pitches. You'll analyse described real examples, then apply them to your own Something Real presentation project.

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    1 - Introduction ~5 mins

    Welcome

    Some presentations grab you and hold you; others lose you by the second slide. The difference is almost never luck. It's design principles working quietly in the background. Today you'll learn to spot those principles across every format a modern creator uses, so you can pull them into your own Something Real presentation (the one you'll use for your Vocational Education Task interview).

    By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

    • Identify design principles across slide decks, Canva pitches, infographics, and video
    • Recognise a hook within the first three seconds in short-form formats
    • Name Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity in real examples

    Warm-up

    Think of the last TikTok, Reel, or YouTube Short that stopped you scrolling. What happened in the first three seconds that made you stay? Hold that answer in your head, you'll use it during today's lesson.

    2 - Key Concepts ~10 mins

    Four principles turn up in every well-designed presentation, whatever the format. Designers remember them as CRAP: Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, Proximity. Learn to name them and you can copy what works in professional design instead of guessing.

    ConceptWhy it mattersExample
    Contrast — making different things look clearly different (big vs small, dark vs light, bold vs plain)Contrast tells the audience where to look first, so your main point lands before they lose interestA local GAA club fundraiser poster with the date in huge bold text and the small print underneath, so the one thing people must remember jumps out
    Repetition — reusing the same fonts, colours, and styles across every slide or frameRepetition makes your work look like one confident piece, not a random pile of slidesA creator's short-video series where every video uses the same caption font and colour, so followers recognise it instantly in their feed
    Alignment — lining elements up along invisible edges instead of scattering themWhen things line up, the page looks tidy and professional even to someone who can't say whyA CV where every heading starts on the same left margin, so it reads as organised the moment a work-experience employer glances at it
    Proximity — grouping related items close together and pushing unrelated items apartProximity lets the reader see what belongs with what, without reading a single wordAn event flyer where the time, date, and place sit as one tight block, separate from the ticket price, so nobody mixes them up
    The three-second hook — the opening moment of a short-form video that decides whether the viewer staysOn short-form video the platform shows more of what people watch, so a weak first three seconds kills your reach

    A tour of formats and the principle each one leans on

    Below are seven formats a modern creator actually uses. Each description names the visible feature you would point at as evidence. Read them now, because you'll use them in the guided task and again when you plan your own project.

    FormatWhat good design looks like here
    Slide deck (PowerPoint or Google Slides)The best slide decks lean on Repetition: the same title font, colour, and logo position appears on every slide, so the deck feels like one confident piece. Evidence: the title sits in the same spot in the same colour on slide after slide.
    Canva pitchA strong Canva pitch leans on Contrast: one huge headline number or claim per screen, with supporting text much smaller. Evidence: your eye lands on the big number first every time.
    InfographicA clear infographic leans on Proximity: each statistic sits right beside its own icon and label, grouped away from the next one. Evidence: related numbers and pictures cluster together so you never mix them up.
    Short-form vertical videoThis format lives or dies on the three-second hook: a question or bold claim appears on screen in the very first frame. Evidence: the first frame makes you want the answer, so you keep watching.
    Longer explainer videoA good explainer leans on Repetition: the same lower-third caption style, colour, and narrator tone runs the whole way through. Evidence: the on-screen text style never changes from start to finish.
    Podcast clipA shareable podcast clip leans on Contrast: bold animated captions in a bright colour over a plain background. Evidence: the moving captions stand out sharply against the still background.
    Instagram carouselA strong carousel leans on Alignment: text and images sit on the same margins on every card, so swiping feels smooth. Evidence: nothing jumps left or right as you swipe from card to card.

    3 - Step-by-step Task ~18 mins

    Work through the format descriptions above and record which design principle each one uses best. This walkthrough builds the exact page you'll then fill in for your own project.

    4 - Common Issues ~4 mins

    Common Issues

    IssueSolution
    I named a principle but can't say whyPoint at the actual thing on the example, e.g. "the headline is huge" (Contrast) or "the time and place sit together" (Proximity). If you can't point at anything, you've guessed the wrong principle. Re-read that format's evidence line in the Key concepts step.
    My table headings don't line up neatlyClick inside the table and drag the column borders so each column is wide enough. Do not press space or tab to fake the alignment, that breaks when the table changes.
    I can't find the Heading 1 styleIn Word Online it is on the Home tab in the Styles group; in Google Docs it is under Format then Paragraph styles. Look for the word "Heading".
    I'm unsure how to insert or format the tableUse {{menu:Insert -> Table}} and choose three columns by six rows. If your version looks different, hover over the table icon and drag across the grid to set the size. These are the same table skills you used in earlier lessons.

    5 - Portfolio Build ~15 mins

    Independent Practice

    Your goal: Turn the tour into your own design brief, so when you build your Something Real presentation (the one for your Vocational Education Task interview) you already know which principles and which format will make it land with an examiner.
    Time: ~15 minutes
    Task: Open the same {{code:sm2_design_principles_notes}} document you built in the guided task and add a new section below your table. In it, name at least three of the four CRAP principles and, for each, write one sentence on how you will use it in your own Something Real presentation. Then finish the page by naming the one format from today's tour you think best suits your project and why. Keep the evidence style you practised in the worked example: name the principle, then say exactly what you will do.
    Success criteria:
    • At least three design principles are named, each with a concrete plan for your own presentation rather than a definition
    • One format is chosen for your project with a clear reason it fits your topic and audience
    • The page reads tidily, with clear headings and a table or list that lines up
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