JimLiu-baoyu-skills/skills/baoyu-slide-deck/references/design-guidelines.md

Design Guidelines

Detailed design principles for slide decks.

Audience Guidelines

Design decisions adapt to target audience. Use --audience to set.

Audience	Content Density	Visual Style	Terminology	Slides
beginners	Low	Friendly, illustrative	Plain language	8-15
intermediate	Medium	Balanced, structured	Some jargon OK	10-20
experts	High	Data-rich, precise	Technical terms	12-25
executives	Low-Medium	Clean, impactful	Business language	8-12
general	Medium	Accessible, engaging	Minimal jargon	10-18

Audience → Density Mapping

Recommended density dimension based on audience:

Audience	Recommended Density	Rationale
executives	minimal	One insight per slide, respect time
beginners	minimal → balanced	Single concepts, build understanding
general	balanced	Accessible but informative
intermediate	balanced	Standard information density
experts	balanced → dense	Can handle more data per slide

Automatic Density Selection:

• If --audience executives → default to minimal density
• If --audience beginners → default to minimal or balanced
• If --audience experts → allow dense density
• Otherwise → default to balanced

Audience-Specific Principles

Beginners:

• One concept per slide
• Visual metaphors over abstract diagrams
• Step-by-step progression
• Generous whitespace

Experts:

• Multiple data points per slide acceptable
• Technical diagrams with precise labels
• Assume domain knowledge
• Dense but organized information

Executives:

• Lead with insights, not data
• "So what?" on every slide
• Decision-enabling content
• Bottom-line upfront (BLUF)

Visual Hierarchy Principles

Principle	Description
Focal Point	ONE dominant element per slide draws attention first
Rule of Thirds	Position key elements at grid intersections
Z-Pattern	Guide eye: top-left → top-right → bottom-left → bottom-right
Size Contrast	Headlines 2-3x larger than body text
Breathing Room	Minimum 10% margin from all edges

Content Density

See references/dimensions/density.md for full density dimension specs.

Level	Description	Use When
High	Multiple data points, detailed charts, dense text	Expert audience, technical reviews
Medium	Key points with supporting details	General business, mixed audiences
Low	One main idea, large visuals, minimal text	Beginners, keynotes, emotional impact

High-Density Principles (McKinsey-style):

• Every element earns its space
• Data speaks louder than decoration
• Annotations explain insights, not describe data
• White space is strategic, not filler

Density by Slide Type:

Slide Type	Recommended Density
Cover/Title	minimal
Agenda/Overview	balanced
Content/Analysis	balanced or dense
Data/Metrics	dense
Quote/Impact	minimal
Summary/Takeaway	balanced

Color Selection

See references/dimensions/mood.md for full mood dimension specs.

Content-First Approach:

1. Analyze content topic, mood, and industry
2. Consider target audience expectations
3. Match palette to subject matter
4. Ensure strong contrast for readability

Quick Palette Guide:

Content Type	Recommended Mood
Technical/Architecture	cool
Educational/Friendly	warm
Corporate/Professional	professional
Creative/Artistic	vibrant
Scientific/Medical	cool or neutral
Entertainment/Gaming	dark or vibrant

Typography Principles

See references/dimensions/typography.md for full typography dimension specs.

Element	Treatment
Headlines	Bold, 2-3x body size, narrative style
Body Text	Regular weight, readable size
Captions	Smaller, lighter weight
Data Labels	Monospace for technical content
Emphasis	Use bold or color, not underlines

Font Recommendations

English Fonts:

Font	Style	Best For
Liter	Sans-serif, geometric	Modern, clean, technical
HedvigLettersSans	Sans-serif, distinctive	Brand-forward, creative
Oranienbaum	High-contrast serif	Elegant, classical
SortsMillGoudy	Classical serif	Traditional, readable
Coda	Round sans-serif	Friendly, approachable

Chinese Fonts:

Font	Style	Best For
MiSans	Modern sans-serif	Clean, versatile, screen-optimized
Noto Sans SC	Neutral sans-serif	Standard, multilingual
siyuanSongti	Refined Song typeface	Elegant, editorial
alimamashuheiti	Geometric sans-serif	Commercial, structured
LXGW Bright	Song-Kai hybrid	Warm, readable

Multilingual Pairing:

Use Case	English	Chinese
Technical	Liter	MiSans
Editorial	Oranienbaum	siyuanSongti
Friendly	Coda	LXGW Bright
Corporate	HedvigLettersSans	alimamashuheiti

Visual Elements Reference

See references/dimensions/texture.md for full texture dimension specs.

Background Treatments

Treatment	Description	Best For
Solid color	Single background color	Clean, minimal
Split background	Two colors, diagonal or vertical	Contrast, sections
Gradient	Subtle vertical or diagonal fade	Modern, dynamic
Textured	Pattern or texture overlay	Character, style

Typography Treatments

Treatment	Description	Best For
Size contrast	3-4x difference headline vs body	Impact, hierarchy
All-caps headers	Uppercase with letter spacing	Authority, structure
Monospace data	Fixed-width for numbers/code	Technical, precision
Hand-drawn	Organic, imperfect letterforms	Friendly, approachable

Geometric Accents

Element	Description	Best For
Diagonal dividers	Angled section separators	Energy, movement
Corner brackets	L-shaped frames	Focus, framing
Circles/hexagons	Shape frames for images	Modern, tech
Underline accents	Thick lines under headers	Emphasis, hierarchy

Consistency Requirements

Element	Guideline
Spacing	Consistent margins and padding throughout
Colors	Maximum 3-4 colors per slide, palette consistent across deck
Typography	Same font families and sizes for same content types
Visual Language	Repeat patterns, shapes, and treatments

Dimension Combination Guide

When combining dimensions, consider compatibility:

Audience	Recommended Dimensions
Executives	clean + neutral + geometric + minimal
Beginners	organic + warm + humanist + minimal
General	any texture + any mood + humanist/geometric + balanced
Experts	grid/clean + cool + technical + balanced/dense

Content Type	Recommended Dimensions
Tutorial	organic + warm + handwritten + balanced
Technical	grid + cool + technical + balanced
Business	clean + professional + geometric + balanced
Creative	organic + vibrant + humanist + balanced
Data-heavy	clean + cool + technical + dense