FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Laura Carnes
(207) 799-4483
DesignSense for Presentations™ Trains PowerPointŪ Users How to Think Like Designers
New Graphic Design Training CD-ROM is First of its Kind
PORTLAND, MAINE (November 1, 1999) - DesignSense for Presentations™, a multimedia training program on CD-ROM, was rolled out nationally today. The product is the first of its kind to be offered to the business public and was created by Maine-based Proximity Learning, LLC. DesignSense for Presentations™ teaches users the necessary graphic design concepts and skills to create visually compelling presentations, using PowerPointŪ or other presentation software.
DesignSense for Presentations™, authored and developed by award-winning professional designer and graphic design instructor Margo Halverson, presents the principles of graphic design in an engaging, easy-to-use format. The product is targeted at presentation software users such as administrative assistants, managers, salespeople, business owners, and professionals such as doctors, lawyers and engineers. Users will learn the key concepts and skills known to all graphic designers, including how to lay information and images on a slide in an engaging manner, how to select and use type effectively, how to use color for greatest emotional impact and legibility, as well as how to work with images such as charts, graphs and clip art in order to support communications.
The product also provides sections that work to deepen the user's knowledge of the material, including various lesson exercises and reviews as well as a glossary of terms. In addition, purchasers of DesignSense for Presentations™ will receive PowerPointŪ tips and downloadable PowerPointŪ presentation templates and grid structures that were created using the concepts taught in the DesignSense™ CD-ROM.
DesignSense for Presentations™ is the brainchild of Proximity Learning's founder and president, Andrew Graham. The idea for the product was born as a result of more than 20 years of hearing his customers complain about not being able to create well-designed presentations. He searched the marketplace for design training products that would help them, but found nothing that spoke to the business layperson.
A frustration Graham has personally experienced is the way in which many software manufacturers promote their graphics packages. "No matter how sophisticated the software, if the user doesn't understand design concepts - doesn't, in fact, think like a designer - he or she won't be able to utilize that software effectively. It's like handing an expensive camera to someone with no prior fine arts experience and expecting them to shoot an award-winning photo," said Graham.
In preparation for the product's roll-out, the company beta tested DesignSense for Presentations™ at a number of corporations, including UNUM, the world's largest disability insurer, and Fairchild Semiconductor, a major chip manufacturer.
Available in both PC and Mac format, DesignSense for Presentations™ can be demonstrated as well as purchased on-line at Proximity Learning's web site: http://www.designsense-cd.com or by calling the company's toll-free number, 877-271-0336. Companies interested in volume purchases and discounts can contact Proximity Learning's Corporate Sales office at 877-271-0335.
Proximity Learning, LLC is a computer-based training product development company located in Portland, Maine, with sales offices in Austin, Texas. DesignSense for Presentations™ is one of a family of multimedia training products that the company will introduce in order to help businesspeople learn the design skills they need to visually communicate more effectively.
For additional information or to arrange an interview, please contact Laura Carnes at (207) 799-4483 or visit the Proximity Learning web site at: http://www.designsense-cd.com.
