I am a pretty detail-oriented person … Wait, what am I saying? I’m actually a bit of a perfectionist! Consistency in e-Learning development, for me, is fairly important. I love when people in class ask, “How do I change my default font size and/or color?” because that means I may not be alone!
Design Themes
In the first day of training, we talk about Theme Colors in Storyline 360 and maintaining color consistency. By setting up your theme beforehand, you can ensure that each object you create can begin with the same color. In addition to Theme Colors, you also have Theme Fonts, which can ensure that each text object you create will be based on a font you’ve first decided in the Design Theme.
Here’s an example of a few objects and how they look if I were to use the Apex Theme Color and Open Sans Theme Font:
Creating Default Shapes
Although creating your theme allows you to have consistent color and font, quite often, I might decide to make all my caption bubbles a different color and font style. Or, I might make my buttons a different shade or font size. Format Painter is a huge life-saver, and if you’re not using it, you should be! It copies formatting; it copies states; it’s a home run!
However, what if you want some of your objects to have a certain look each time you draw them or use them? For example, I might like my caption bubbles to be white with black outline, no shadow, italicized, and use Bradley Hand in size 16 in a particular Storyline file.
Once you make your caption bubble (or text box, or button, or shape, etc.) look just the way you want, all you have to do is right-click on that object and choose Set as Default Shape (or text, etc.).
Then, viola! Every time you create that object in that Storyline 360 file, it will have those formatting attributes! These shortcuts not only help you become a consistent e-Learning developer, but a rapid designer as well!
“I don’t call it a shortcut. I call it being efficient!” ~Anonymous
~Stefanie
NEW! A new Articulate-360-exclusive feature, Text Styles, provides an additional new way to handle the text in your Storyline 360 course. Text Styles are also great for learners using screen reader technology. Learn more here!
Thanks Stefanie – a most instructive article.
Thank you for your comment, Dennis.
The reality is that you should be asking a different question: How do I get rid of text in my StoryLine lesson? So many SL2 developers come at the task of creating learning as if it were simply an advanced PowerPoint. But filmmakers and videographers know that words flatten out the experience and compel you to learn by reading. It is a far better and nobler thing to sling your arrows on the visual side of the brain. Let the images speak loudly, and you need few, if any, words!
Hello James,
That’s an “amazing” comment. (see what I did there) We whole-heartedly agree with your assessment regarding too many words. In our Rapid eLearning Course we communicate different ways of saying more with less words and creating discovery versus just covering content. That being said, our BLOG is designed to respond to the different types of questions that surface in our training classes from participants. And we get that question, often. There is always the struggle to build something that we believe is a “better” design for learning and get that approved by a stakeholder who values, or feels the need, to use more words. That’s part of the joy in the journey. No two courses or learners are alike. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.