The Perfect Presentation

Presentation boards are your primary communication tool—the jury, client, or competition panel engages with your project through them. We cover different board types (concept boards for big ideas, technical boards for precision, narrative boards for storytelling), how boards must work without verbal explanation, and why every element should be carefully curated to tell your design story.

Three narrative strategies for different audiences. Clients want visuals they can understand—3D renders, concept diagrams, simplified plans. Juries and academic panels want technical accuracy, design complexity, and evidence of innovation. Competitions need both: bold visuals to grab attention quickly, plus technical depth to demonstrate feasibility.

Every presentation needs a beginning (context, concept, inspiration), middle (design development, technical drawings, diagrams showing how your design responds to brief and site), and end (final proposal, key renders). We explain how to use images, drawings, and concise text to build this narrative, guiding the viewer through your project's journey.

Deciding what to include—and what to leave out. Content types explained: conceptual sketches, site analysis diagrams, floor plans, sections, elevations, 3D renders, circulation/zoning diagrams, material boards, and precedent images. Different presentations emphasise different content: clients focus on visualisation, academics on conceptual development, competitions on impact and innovation.

Setting up presentation boards in InDesign. Format choices: ISO vs ANSI standards, portrait vs landscape, standard sizes for easy scaling. Layout elements explained: grid system (the invisible framework), columns, margins, gutters, and bleed for edge-to-edge printing. We set up a multi-column grid that gives you flexibility while maintaining consistency.

Guiding the viewer's eye through your board. The four tools: size (larger elements draw attention first), contrast (colour, light/dark, texture), position (viewers read in a Z pattern from top-left), and colour (accent colours highlight key areas). We explain focal points—don't overwhelm the board with too many large elements; create clear primary, secondary, and tertiary points of interest.

Choosing a colour palette: 2-3 main colours plus neutrals, matching the project's mood. Colour psychology explained—blue for calm/professionalism, green for nature/sustainability, red for energy (use sparingly), yellow for warmth, grey/black for sophistication. Texture and materiality in renderings and diagrams help viewers visualise physical qualities without relying on text.

Combining technical drawings, diagrams, renders, and photos into a cohesive board. Consistency is key: maintain the same visual style across all drawings (if black-and-white line work, keep it consistent), present plans/sections/elevations at consistent scales, and use consistent line weights and colour palettes. InDesign frame basics—frames hold content with their own properties for size, border, and fill.

Full InDesign walkthrough building presentation boards for a residential project. Setting up the parent page with margins, a multi-column grid, and rows. Using modular cell sizes to place content, remembering to leave whitespace around key elements. Importing assets, adjusting frames, and maintaining visual hierarchy throughout.

Final checks: alignment, visual cohesion across boards, proofreading text. Export settings for print: 300 DPI minimum, correct bleed settings for edge-to-edge elements, test prints for colour accuracy. Export for digital: high-resolution PDFs, testing on multiple devices for layout and colour consistency. Integrating boards into your portfolio with consistent formatting.