Project Summary
Some people write essays to argue a point. We’re not doing that. Instead, you’ll build a 10-slide, 10-minute presentation designed to persuade me to either agree or disagree with one of my “hot takes.” These are bold statements, deliberately provocative, and ripe for debate. Your mission is to change my mind using visuals, storytelling, and your presentation skills.
You can use any media that you legally have access to: royalty-free images, graphics, type, shapes, charts, even memes (if they actually make a point). The goal is not to drown me in text, it’s to deliver a clear, punchy argument with visuals that back up what you’re saying. And remember: in the real world, persuasive design and presentation skills are gold. Advertisers, marketers, politicians, and even UX designers spend their lives trying to change people’s minds.
Creative Focus
The creative heart of this project is persuasion through design. Can you take a statement and visually build a case around it? This means thinking about hierarchy, tone, and emotion in your slides. It means finding visuals that resonate, pairing them with short, sharp text, and delivering them in a way that feels professional and confident.
Great design convinces. Apple convinces you their phones are magical rectangles worth a paycheck. Nonprofits convince you to care about their cause. Politicians convince you to believe in their vision (or at least their haircut). In this assignment, you’ll get to practice that art of persuasion, but with a topic that’s fun, ridiculous, or controversial enough to keep it interesting.
hOt tAKes fRom GD
Anime is not good. The art is lazy and overproduced, the animation isn’t very well created, the storylines are copy-pasta one to the next, and there is no creativity in the medium. Humans need to find something of a higher quality to obsess over.
“Souls Like” games are not good. They are not fun, they do not generally have good storylines or good writing. They are just overhyped Guitar Hero games with better graphics.
Pasta is just flat out better than Rice. Rice dishes are all too similar, share too many of the same ingredients, look the same, taste the same, blah, blah, blah. Come get me, world! [insert evil laugh here]
Battle Royal games are just plain bad. They are just lazy game design. The people who produce them just code in rules for how characters work and equipment, then say “you make your own fun, we aren’t building any real game mechanics.”
Don’t add anything to coffee. If you need to “fix” coffee in order for you to drink it, just go get a milkshake instead. If you don’t like the taste, then just drink something you do like and stop trying to put pumpkin spice in the perfect cup of black coffee.
Super Hero movies/shows are bad. They didn’t have to be, and they didn’t used to be. Now they are just shameless cash-grabs produced at break-neck speeds in order to keep the perpetual hype train going, and give no care or attention to the actual product. Thanks for ruining it, Marvel.
Video Game Consoles need to go away, forever. PC gaming is just flat out superior on all levels. There is nothing that a PS or XBox can do that PC can’t. Don’t get me started on “I am better with a controller”.
Star Wars content should have stopped after the original movies. The entire franchise has been cheapened to the point where I just don’t care anymore. I don’t care about the five hundred shows, movies, bad games, Lego toys… I could go on and on forever.
PC is strictly better than MAC. There can be no debate. PC’s are less expensive, more powerful, more customizable, and are the go to platform for peak gaming. MAC needs to stop trying to convince us they are worth it.
Pineapple does not belong on pizza. Period. If you want pineapple fruit, just eat it over there… away from the delicious savory culinary perfection of a pizza. Not everything in this world requires copious amount of sweetness.
Project Requirements
- Final Deliverable:
- A 10-slide Google Slides presentation.
- 10-minute in-class presentation to argue your chosen hot take.
- Slides may include royalty-free images, graphics, shapes, colors, charts, memes, or text.
- No copyrighted or AI-generated images allowed.
- Slide Structure:
- 1 Title Slide with your name, the hot take you’re arguing, and your stance (agree or disagree).
- 8 slides developing your case (organized however you see fit — evidence, humor, logic, design).
- 1 Closing Slide with your “mic drop” moment — your strongest point or takeaway.
- WordPress Portfolio Requirements:
- Embed the final Google Slides presentation in your portfolio.
- At least 1 Project Type selected.
- Add 5–10 Tags (examples: persuasion, design presentation, hot take, argument, Google Slides, portfolio project).
- A unique Featured Image.
- Write a project explanation (250–350 words) that covers:
- Which hot take you chose and why.
- How you built your argument visually.
- What strategies you used to persuade (logic, humor, emotion, etc.).
Project Grading Rubric
This project is a test of understanding both the principles of design, but your knowledge of common online presentation software. You will be awarded points for your project based on the following criteria as listed below.
| Criteria | Description | Points |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress Portfolio Post | Intro, unique title, tags, featured image, clean layout | +5% |
| Visual Design | Slides are clean, intentional, and support the argument visually | +5% |
| Persuasion Factor | Argument is clear, creative, and actually tries to change my mind | +5% |
| Presentation Delivery | Embedded Google Slides, in-class delivery is confident and engaging | +5% |
| Effort & Execution | Shows extra effort beyond minimum; thoughtful choices and clear intent | +5% |
| Fun Factor | Presentation shows personality, humor, or cleverness in approach | +5% |
| Total | 30% Extra Credit |
OCP & Standard Alignments
01.06 – Use appropriate communication skills to interact effectively with others. …because persuasion requires clarity, tone, and audience awareness.
02.01 – Apply knowledge of design elements and principles. …because visual hierarchy and design choices directly impact persuasion.
02.04 – Demonstrate knowledge of composition. …because slide layouts, spacing, and structure matter in building a case.
04.01 – Use multimedia terminology and concepts to create presentations. …because you’ll use visuals, text, and media together effectively.
04.03 – Create a digital portfolio to showcase multimedia projects. …because the final presentation must be documented on WordPress.
04.04 – Prepare and present projects using effective communication skills. …because standing in front of a room and persuading an audience is a skill designers use constantly.
Digital Media & Multimedia Design 