Mindflash

The task of keeping online training lively and memorable requires the constant application of great design, clear, clever writing, and engaging visuals, so it’s easy to end up in a design rut. To help spark your creativity, I’ve gathered 3 free PowerPoint templates, available for download in this post.... Read more »

What’s standing between your Trainees and your training objectives? Oftentimes it’s complexity. Whether it’s the volume of information or a SME who thinks everything is important, there is usually more information to convey than is practical. Combine that with a short timeline and you’ve got a classic training conundrum. Enter the infographic. Well-designed infographics convey messages in a way that eases comprehension; they capitalize on our innate understandings of the world around us to help build context and retain information.... Read more »

Have you ever found yourself struggling to find a stock image with a transparent background?  Or, maybe you’ve wasted hours of your time trying to remove the background from an image? While there may not be a silver bullet, there are plenty of cool shortcuts, tricks, free tools, and tutorials. In this post, I provide ratings and video tutorials for 5 great tools that I commonly use.... Read more »

Like other visual design elements, the right font has the power to grab your audience on an emotional level while reinforcing your message.   But unlikeother visual elements such as color scheme, photos, or clip art which are readily translated from inspiration to application, a stylized font can be harder to replicate and integrate into a design. ... Read more »

We’ve all seen (or designed) training that looked like the clip art version of a ransom note. So it’s with great surprise that I find myself intrigued at the idea of revisiting clip art in training design (minus the infamously over-used screen beans). But with clip art’s rep as a visual clutter magnet, is there a surefire way for a non-designer designer to use it well?... Read more »

Emphasis is an important element in graphic design because it’s the way you direct your audience’s attention. Designers know that well-placed emphasis is a powerful tool for making their message sticky, so it only makes sense that we should use emphasis in training design to make our online training sticky.... Read more »