Visual Stories and Examples
The New York Times has become a leader in visual explanations, rich in data and highly interactive. A recent example, Where the Heat and the Thunder Hit Their Shots. A classic—How Shifting Plates Caused the Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan
Slideshare is a social network of presentations and closely connected to LinkedIn.
Visual.ly offers a marketplace for visual designers. . Whether for inspiration or purchase, it offers access to contemporary presentations and visualization.
Google’s finance page deserve a thorough look for their ability to present and convey significant amounts of information. A company stock page, such as Comcast’s, packs in stock prices, news, related companies and related graphics.
Edward Tufte’s work remains a seminal source for visual explanation. His laceration of PowerPoint, though several years old, remains a good read. His one day course, next nearby in New York on February 3 and 4, 2013, is a very special experience for both presentation and content.
Stock Photos and Illustrations
Clip Art in Microsoft Office is old and tired. Many sites offer professional graphics for purchase, with strong indexing. They are not free, but can be purchased for prices ranging from low to moderate. iStockphoto offers an especially broad and well-indexed collection.
Whimsical illustrations, such as the one on the first page , enliven a presentation or handout. I enjoy the work of Tom Fishburne, “Marketoonist.”
Graphic Tools
For word clouds, the free Wordle site works very well. Though the developer calls it a “toy”, Wordle can be a very effective tool for illustrating concepts and data.
Geolocation can be explored in depth at BatchGeo, which offers significant free capabilities, amplifying the value of Google Maps and Google Earth, as well as paid premium capabilities when needed for industrial strength presentation.
Beyond PowerPoint
Prezi is the new kid on the block for presentations. While I have only touched it, I am not yet certain that it will be effective in illustrating the issues that matter in the practice of law. It may be worth the free exploration.
MindJet has a strong following as a brainstorming and outlining tool. It can also be used for presentations.
On (and off) an iPad
Apple’s presentation program Keynote utilizes the iPad very well, and can transfer presentations back and forth to PowerPoint. The fluidity of illustration on the iPad is very attractive, and Keynote shows that well.
iPad apps offer a wide range of capabilities for illustration. Some of the more informal ones can be very effective. Paper by 53 offers a very intriguing and attractice drawing environment for sketching and illustrating ideas. Drawings can be exported and used inside and outside an iPad (Paper and PowerPoint, anyone?)
An iPad is a very portable presentation tool for one-on-one discussion. With the Digital AV Adapter or the VGA adapter, an iPad can be connected directly to a projector.