We've never intended Configurative to be a replacement for PowerPoint®, in fact we frequently produce presentations using Microsoft's ubiquitous tool. But there are certain jobs that PowerPoint just can't fulfil, and that's why we resolved to develop a specialist system to go a step further.
...the system we use to deliver most of our presentations. Based on the the industry standard Adobe Director executable it allows us to create stunning, impactful presentations that can be edited and customised by our clients.
The finished presentations run on 32 Bit Windows systems and, optionally, Apple Macintosh. They are completely self-contained and don't rely on any pre-installed software
The majority of the presentations we develop are built using our own Configurative system. Below we set out the rationale behind its development, and why it works for our clients.
PowerPoint comes with a great range of pre-set animation effects. But try to shift a sizeable chunk of pixels and, on any but the quickest machines, the result is usually disappointingly jerky. And if you're aiming for something more ambitious, for instance 3D animation, your only real choice is to output to video and import it into your presentation. Configurative's animation engine takes us far beyond these constraints, with native 3D and smooth, slick movement all blended seamlessly into the production.
If you need to keep total control of your content then PowerPoint comes up short on protection. You can password-protect the files, but it takes five minutes or so to download a free password cracker and all of your content is there to edit.
But it's not unauthorised editing that's usually the problem; it's your own presenters who can create chaos. Sales operatives love to personalise their presentations, not always with the most appropriate material. While we've built a powerful editing system into many of our Configurative presentations, we set access limitations according to how the client wants to use it. That means that your own staff can make only the changes you've authorised, and your customers will have no editing access whatsoever.
If you understand object linking and embedding then you'll have no problem inserting a graph into your PowerPoint presentation. But most of us mere mortals don't know how to do it, and we frequently struggle to get the results we want.
The Configurative grpahing systems can take data from anything from simple text files to live updates from your Website. Add to that smooth anti-aliased lines and slick animation and you have the ingredients for perfect graphical presentations.
Keeping your presentations current can be a major headache. Where updates are foreseen we'll often develop a presentation with its figures, text (and sometimes images) held in a self-contained database. The system can then automatically sense updates and download them via a Web link. It then updates the information in the background without requiring any input from the presenter.
While this is theoretically possible with PowerPoint, it's a fairly limited and complex procedure that requires an understanding of OLE objects. With Configurative it can happen all by itself.
We want to be completely clear when we say that Configurative isn't a replacement or a competitor for PowerPoint®. When the client's requirements call for it we're more than happy to deliver great-lookig presentations developed on the world's most widespread and familiar presentation platform. Here are the criteria that might suggest this choice.
Contrary to poular opinion, PowerPoint doesn't have to look like PowerPoint. The reason most presentations look the way they do is because people don't know how to get the best from their toolkit.
How your presentation looks is down to the quality of design behind it. Aesthetics aren't a factor in deciding which platform to use. We'll design and build you a PowerPoint presentation that looks every bit as good as its Configurative sibling.
While by no means everyone can use it well, at least the basic skills to use PowerPoint are already there in your company. If you want everything to be editable then PowerPoint is almost certainly the right choice. We'd recommend Configurative only when you want to lock off some areas from modification.
So again if PowerPoint is the right solution, that's what we'll be using to create your presentation.
If you want to run your production as part of a multi-presentation event then PowerPoint may be the easiest option. A/V companies will always provide the PowerPoint runtime player, and you can be sure that their projectors will be set to the right resolution.
That said, you should always check your presentation on their equipment beforehand: there are so many different PowerPoint versions that you could still get some nasty surprises. And while you're checking you could just as easily try your Configurative presentation.
Not surprisingly, the jury's still out.
PowerPoint is a great product, and it's unmatched for putting together and changing your own presentations. Where it fails to deliver is where the Configurative system steps into the breach.
Making the right decision actually isn't that tough though. We're a specialist presentation company that uses all the tools in the box to deliver what you want from us.