design ideas for powerpoint presentations

This simplistic presentation example employs several different colors and font weights, but instead of coming off as disconnected, the varied colors work with one another to create contrast and call out specific concepts.

What I like: The big, bold numbers help set the reader's expectations, as they clearly signify how far along the viewer is in the list of tips.

10. “Pixar's 22 Rules to Phenomenal Storytelling,” Gavin McMahon

This presentation by Gavin McMahon features color in all the right places. While each of the background images boasts a bright, spotlight-like design, all the characters are intentionally blacked out.

What I like: This helps keep the focus on the tips, while still incorporating visuals. Not to mention, it's still easy for me to identify each character without the details. (I found you on slide eight, Nemo.)

11. “Facebook Engagement and Activity Report,” We Are Social

Here's another great example of data visualization in the wild.

What I like: Rather than displaying numbers and statistics straight up, this presentation calls upon interesting, colorful graphs, and charts to present the information in a way that just makes sense.

12. “The GaryVee Content Model,” Gary Vaynerchuk

This wouldn‘t be a true Gary Vaynerchuk presentation if it wasn’t a little loud, am I right?

What I like: Aside from the fact that I love the eye-catching, bright yellow background, Vaynerchuk does a great job of incorporating screenshots on each slide to create a visual tutorial that coincides with the tips. He also does a great job including a visual table of contents that shows your progress as you go .

13. “20 Tweetable Quotes to Inspire Marketing & Design Creative Genius,” IMPACT Branding & Design

We‘ve all seen our fair share of quote-chronicling presentations but that isn’t to say they were all done well. Often the background images are poor quality, the text is too small, or there isn't enough contrast.

Well, this professional presentation from IMPACT Branding & Design suffers from none of said challenges.

What I like: The colorful filters over each background image create just enough contrast for the quotes to stand out.

14. “The Great State of Design,” Stacy Kvernmo

This presentation offers up a lot of information in a way that doesn't feel overwhelming.

What I like: The contrasting colors create visual interest and “pop,” and the comic images (slides 6 through 12) are used to make the information seem less buttoned-up and overwhelming.

15. “Clickbait: A Guide To Writing Un-Ignorable Headlines,” Ethos3

Not going to lie, it was the title that convinced me to click through to this presentation but the awesome design kept me there once I arrived.

What I like: This simple design adheres to a consistent color pattern and leverages bullet points and varied fonts to break up the text nicely.

16. “Digital Transformation in 50 Soundbites,” Julie Dodd

This design highlights a great alternative to the “text-over-image” display we've grown used to seeing.

What I like: By leveraging a split-screen approach to each presentation slide, Julie Dodd was able to serve up a clean, legible quote without sacrificing the power of a strong visual.

17. “Fix Your Really Bad PowerPoint,” Slide Comet

When you‘re creating a PowerPoint about how everyone’s PowerPoints stink, yours had better be terrific. The one above, based on the ebook by Seth Godin, keeps it simple without boring its audience.

What I like: Its clever combinations of fonts, together with consistent color across each slide, ensure you're neither overwhelmed nor unengaged.

18. “How Google Works,” Eric Schmidt

Simple, clever doodles tell the story of Google in a fun and creative way. This presentation reads almost like a storybook, making it easy to move from one slide to the next.

What I like: This uncluttered approach provides viewers with an easy-to-understand explanation of a complicated topic.

19. “What Really Differentiates the Best Content Marketers From The Rest,” Ross Simmonds

Let‘s be honest: These graphics are hard not to love. I especially appreciate the author’s cartoonified self-portrait that closes out the presentation. Well played, Ross Simmonds.

What I like: Rather than employing the same old stock photos, this unique design serves as a refreshing way to present information that's both valuable and fun.

20. “Be A Great Product Leader,” Adam Nash

This presentation by Adam Nash immediately draws attention by putting the company's logo first — a great move if your company is well known.

What I like: He uses popular images, such as ones of Megatron and Pinocchio, to drive his points home. In the same way, you can take advantage of popular images and media to keep your audience engaged.

And if you want more templates and examples, you can download them here .

PowerPoint Presentation Examples for the Best Slide Presentation

Mastering a PowerPoint presentation begins with the design itself.

Get inspired by my ideas above to create a presentation that engages your audience, builds upon your point, and helps you generate leads for your brand.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in March 2013 and has been updated for comprehensiveness. This article was written by a human, but our team uses AI in our editorial process. Check out our full disclosure to learn more about how we use AI.

Don't forget to share this post!

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Home Blog Design How to Get Great PowerPoint Design Ideas (with Examples)

How to Get Great PowerPoint Design Ideas (with Examples)

Are you staring at that blank PowerPoint slide? Unable to decide which PowerPoint slide design is the best to make your presentation pop? The longer you look at that computer screen, the harder it seems to get PowerPoint design ideas, not easier. We’ve all been there.

You have your content ready. What you need now is a way to present this content in a way that leaves your audience impressed. Indeed, you don’t want your audience to feel bored when you present your ideas. 

5 PowerPoint Design Ideas to Craft the Perfect Presentation 

An excellent solution to this issue is to learn how to get Design Ideas on Microsoft PowerPoint. The good news is that these PowerPoint ideas have already been intelligently crafted for by the modern AI algorithms provided in Microsoft PowerPoint. Plus, combining them with visually appealing slides by SlideModel , you have the perfect toolset to make outstanding presentations .

When beautifully made PowerPoint templates already exist, there is no reason to spend your energy and the hours of your day creating a design from scratch.  

And so, without further ado, we present the creative presentation ideas to incorporate and execute stunning PowerPoint designs to ensure that your audience pays attention to you. Let’s dive in!

Presentation Idea #1: Employ existing PowerPoint themes from Microsoft PowerPoint

Your Microsoft PowerPoint comes with a number of presentation themes preinstalled that you can choose from. This way it reduces the amount of time you need to spend to choose from PowerPoint slide ideas. You can then proceed to edit and customize a presentation template per your requirements. Although they do not come with the necessary details to guide you through the editing process, this can be a good starting point.

Alternatively, you can browse some of our pre-designed PowerPoint themes examples to use in your presentations.

Presentation Idea #2: Incorporate the core design principles

With the task of creating a PowerPoint presentation, the presenter has to make sure the design elements within the presentation are attractive and draw attention. This involves a number of factors such as the alignment, color combinations, charts and graphs, fonts, animations, transitions, and many more. There is a science behind design which involves psychological principles. Each line style, font, color and graphic you use in your slides will ultimately influence the message you are conveying to the audience.

For instance, you may choose the font based on readability ( Verdana, Tahoma, Helvetica, Times New Roman ), category ( Serif, Slab Serif, Sans Serif ), purpose ( logo or text ), etc. You may choose the font size on accessibility (where a starting size of 12 points=16px is considered to be the most accessible). All the above mentioned fonts are ADA-compliant as well, which is a plus.

These core principles are a tenet of PowerPoint slide ideas, and are valid for short but also for long form PowerPoint style presentations.

Presentation Idea #3: Take the expert opinion 

A wordy slide will only make people switch off and turn to their phones. What is needed is to use as few words as possible to convey as much information as possible.

1. The 1-6-6 rule

The 1-6-6 rule is one of the few generalized rules that suggest that there ought to be one main idea for each slide, a maximum of six bullet points, and a maximum of six words per bullet point. You may also see this rule in the form of the 1-5-5 or the 1-7-7 rule. Therefore, employ this rule per your specific needs. 

2. Guy Kawasaki’s 10/20/30 rule 

Heed the words of Guy Kawasaki , the modern design evangelist. According to him, an average person can’t keep up with more than 10 concepts in a meeting. Therefore, a presentation should include no more than 10 slides, last no longer than 20 minutes, and use font not smaller than 30 points. This is known as the 10/20/30 rule by Guy Kawasaki, and some professional presenters take it in mind when preparing and designing their presentations.

Presentation Idea #4: A picture is worth a thousand words. A video a billion.

It’s not enough to be as succinct as possible because visuals are an even more effective medium to convey the necessary information. A visual can be a simple picture, graphs, charts, or a video that can ensure that the audience understands the point you are trying to make and support the message you convey to an audience. 

Converting your slideshow into a video helps you free yourself from constant clicking to get to the next point or slide. To achieve this, you can use the “Record” feature (in the Record tab) in PowerPoint to convert your presentation into a video. 

This also enables you to avoid reading your slides, which is discouraged most of the time. Have a monolog prepared for your presentation and let the slides speak for themselves in the form of a video. This way, you talk to the audience and actively engage with them. This makes you the best presenter bar none there and is one of the best PowerPoint ideas today. 

Alternatively, the PowerPoint Designer provides some attractive video presentation templates that you can use and incorporate in your slide shows. Check out some of them here:

To access these PowerPoint Design Ideas, simply go to PowerPoint’s Design tab in the Ribbon, and look for the Design Ideas button, as shown below:

Alternatively, to take advantage of video presentations, you can insert videos from the Insert tab.

Presentation Idea #5: Plot a Call to Action (CTA)

When you finish your presentation, your audience must have a purpose and a sense of direction to work towards that purpose. This requires some calls to action to be included in your presentation. These phrases will motivate and inspire your audience members and make them realize they have the drive to take the actions they need to take. 

Here are a few examples of such slides:

Creative PowerPoint Design Ideas from the PowerPoint Designer Slides

If you are looking for fresh design ideas to use in your presentations, PowerPoint Design Ideas can be helpful. Here are some examples of slide designs you can use and apply with the ease of a few clicks into your existing presentations. These designs change not only the appearance of your cover slide but also the internal slides.

Example 1: Blue PowerPoint Design Idea with Curved Lines

Example 2: A modern design idea with pastel colors

Example 3: Creative PowerPoint Design Idea with a colorful background

Example 4: Presentation Design Ideas with Creative Cover Slide Layout

Example 5: PowerPoint Design Idea Concept for Presentations

Example 6: Presentation Design Idea with diagonal lines

Example 7: PowerPoint Design Ideas with Bubble and Liquid Style

Example 8: Modern PowerPoint Design Idea Concept Template

How to use PowerPoint Slide Design Ideas to Enhance your Presentation

Microsoft PowerPoint comes with a significant number of features to create a custom slide that satisfies your design needs. This section will take you through the main methods to create a custom slide. Here we go!

1. The Home Tab

For both text and visual, the Home tab has a number of fundamental features to create an attractive slide. These features include the Layout, Alignment, Font, Font size, SmartArt, Arrange, etc. With the Arrang e functionality, you can create layers in your slide to give depth and a cooler format to the slide.

2. The Insert Tab

The Insert tab allows you to populate your slides with visuals from simple shapes to images and videos, thereby making the slide far more informative without the use of extra words. It includes the Table, Shape, Icons, Action, Equation, Audio, Video, etc. 

From this tab, you can insert a variety of visual graphics into your slides: pictures, shapes, icons, or even screenshots from your other apps.

Let’s take a look at the following quick example. Using the Icons tab, we can get access to a huge collection of Illustrations, Stickers, Videos and Cutout people. The illustrations can serve as a base point to decorate your presentation and produce visually appealing slides.

3. The Transitions and Animations tabs

Two of the most well-known features of PowerPoint, they not only allow beautiful effects to mesmerize the audience, but they are also necessary to order and arrange your text and data in a way that constitutes a narrative. Or in other words, you can use these features to support your speech and at the same time add some visual effects to your slides, while telling a coherent story. 

4. The Design and View tabs

The Design tab is the placeholder for the PowerPoint Designer feature. When you click on the Designer, it populates the right-hand side of the window with a pane that contains Design Ideas.

The Designer feature is available to those with an active Office 365 subscription. However, as a workaround, if you don’t have this version of PowerPoint, you can use the PowerPoint Online version.

When you add an image to the slide, the PowerPoint Designer automatically generates design ideas to help you create a professional-looking slide, create illustrations, convert text to a graphic, etc. You can choose from several generated layouts, which will also allow you to save a significant amount of time when you are creating a presentation.  

You can use the Slide Master and the Layout Master to make sure that all your slides contain the same font and images (e.g. logos). You will find these options in the View tab. 

In the View tab, we find options to optimize how the slide will look to the viewer during the slideshow. But another amazing feature that we briefly mentioned a bit earlier, is contained in this tab, the Slide Master .

When you choose a new layout for your slide, it has its own theme, i.e. its own way to arrange and show the text and graphics. With the Slide Master , you can make sure all your slides follow the same theme in terms of fonts and images. This in turn leads you to the Slide Layouts to modify each individual slide. 

With the Slide Master , you can modify backgrounds, rearrange placeholders, customize text format, etc. 

With the help of these feature-rich tabs, you will be able to customize and optimize your slides to your satisfaction. This will ensure that the presentation is so remarkable that the viewers can’t help but take note of the information that you wish to convey. 

It is important to remember that this is an iterative process for everyone. You might need a few trials to land on the perfect combination of color, text, alignment, animations, and the rest to get the results that you desire. 

With these tools in hand and the professionally designed templates from SlideModel, you can be sure that your presentation will never be boring again.

If you do not see the Designer feature… How to enable Design Ideas in PowerPoint?

As mentioned earlier, the PowerPoint Designer , for some known as PowerPoint Design Ideas, is an AI-powered feature within the Microsoft PowerPoint software (in the Design tab) that helps you generate slide design ideas automatically. 

However, if you do not see the Designer feature on your computer, just go to File -> Options -> General , where you will see the Automatically show me design ideas in the PowerPoint Designer section. Check this box and the Designer feature will start working. 

Let’s take a quick look at how to use the Designer feature. For the following example, we are going to simply put our text on a new blank slide and click on the “Designer” icon to get suggestions for creative slide layouts on the right. Simply click on the layout that suits your needs. The final slide will be a unique visual that you can use to get started with your presentation.

You can also go to the Designer after getting your text onto several slides to prepare a thematic slideshow. The more you experiment, the better the output. 

PowerPoint Design Ideas not working

Like any other software you’ve used for work, you may come across problems that keep you from using the Designer feature. On the desktop version, the PowerPoint Designer is only available to paid subscribers. However, the subscription for Office 365 Germany does not have this feature. On the other hand, for the web version it is available to everyone. 

Is the PowerPoint Design Ideas not working for you? There are a few reasons for such an issue to arise and there are appropriate solutions for each of them:

1. Unable to see the Design Ideas button

If you have bought the subscription to Microsoft Office but still don’t see the option to turn on Design Ideas in the Design tab, this is what you have to do to correct this error: 

• Turn on the Office Connected Experiences . Go to File > Account , and under Account Privacy , select Manage Settings :

• If your subscription is paid for by your organization, ask your IT department for it to be turned ON.
• You need to uninstall and then re-install Office if you have just upgraded to the Microsoft 365 subscription.

2. Unable to see any design suggestions

If you are able to turn on the Designer function but no new design suggestions are presented in the right hand side pane, this is how you solve this issue:

• Check to see if your internet connection is working.
• Use an in-built theme from Microsoft PowerPoint.
• Make sure your slide has the Title or Title + Content layout.
• Only use a maximum of four images of size greater than 200 by 200 pixels.
• Check to make sure no one else is co-authoring or working on this presentation.
• Check to make sure there is no shape or text box within the slide.

3. The Design Idea button is grayed out

Is the Designer functionality inaccessible or unclickable? Nothing to worry about; take the following steps to fix this problem – 

• As before, make sure your internet connection is working. Consider using a VPN service if you have any problems with access.
• Only select a single slide at a time and make sure that you haven’t clicked on another point, such as between two slides

How to Turn Off PowerPoint Design Ideas?

There are several ways to turn off PowerPoint Design Ideas, in this short tutorial we explain how to do it:

How to Turn Off PowerPoint Design Ideas using Ribbon?

The easiest way is to use the Ribbon, when you are in Normal View click on the Ribbon design option.

Then click on Design Ideas in the design option.

That’s it, that way you can turn the PowerPoint Design Ideas functionality on and off.

How to Turn Off PowerPoint Design Ideas using the Task Pane?

Another way to turn off PowerPoint Design Ideas in the normal PowerPoint view is to use the Task Pane.

Click on “Stop showing ideas for new presentations” at the top of the Design Ideas Task Pane.

How to Turn Off PowerPoint Design Ideas using PowerPoint Options?

The third option to disable the PowerPoint Design Ideas functionality is through PowerPoint Options.

Click on the file option in the Ribbon. Then the options box appears.

Click on General in the left menu.

In the right pane, uncheck “Automatically show me design ideas” and “Automatically show me suggestions when I create a new presentation”.

Click Accept.

Final Words

Once you apply these PowerPoint slide design ideas, the result will be a more engaged audience that holds on to your every word. These recommendations are the exact solution you need to refine your presentation. 

Now that you have the resources and the tools to perfect your presentation, there’s no need to wait any longer. Get started and show your audience what you can do! Let us know in the comments below how this guide has helped you create the ideal presentation.

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Presentation Ideas, Presentation Tips Filed under Design

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A step-by-step guide to captivating PowerPoint presentation design

november 20, 2023

by Corporate PowerPoint Girl

Do you often find yourself stuck with a lackluster PowerPoint presentation, desperately seeking ways to make it more engaging and visually appealing? If your boss has ever told you to "please fix" a presentation and you didn't know where to start, you're not alone. In this article, we'll walk you through a straightforward method to transform your PowerPoint slides into a visually captivating masterpiece. 

Let's dive right in! 

Clean up your slides 

The first step in this journey to presentation excellence is all about decluttering your slides and elevating their impact. Say goodbye to those uninspiring bullet points that often dominate presentations. Instead, focus on what truly matters – the key call-out numbers. By increasing the font size of these numbers, you ensure they take center stage, immediately drawing your audience's attention. 

To make those numbers pop, consider breaking the text after the numbers into the next line and adding a touch of color. The contrast created by pairing a dark color with a lighter shade, like dark teal and light teal or burnt orange with peach, can work wonders. This simple adjustment makes your data more engaging , enhancing the overall impact of your presentation. 

Add dimension with boxes 

Now, let's introduce an element of depth and organization to your slides. By adding boxes, you'll create a visually pleasing structure that guides your audience through the content. In the "Insert" menu, select "Table" and opt for a one-by-one table. Change the table color to a light gray shade, elongate it, and position it neatly to the left of your text. 

To improve readability and aesthetics, increase the spacing between text phrases. A small adjustment in the before spacing setting (setting it to 48) significantly enhances the visual appeal of your slides. 

Insert circles 

To further enhance the visual appeal and engagement of your slides, let's introduce circles. In the Insert menu, navigate to Shapes and choose the circle. Adjust the circle's height and width to 1.2, ensuring it complements your content seamlessly. Match the circle's shape fill color with the corresponding text color for a harmonious look. 

Avoid using colored outlines for the circles, as they may distract from the overall aesthetic. This simple addition of circles adds an element of visual interest to your presentation, making it more captivating. 

Choose icons 

Now, it's time for a touch of creativity. Selecting icons to complement your text can elevate the clarity and appeal of your slides. In the "Insert" menu, you can search for relevant keywords to find the perfect icon from PowerPoint's extensive library . 

For instance, if your text discusses investment portfolio yield, search for "growth" and choose an upward arrow growth icon. These icons add an extra layer of visual appeal and clarity to your content, making it more engaging and informative. 

Final touches 

To wrap up the transformation process, we come to the final touches that give your presentation a polished, professional finish. Align your icons with their corresponding circles and change the shape fill color to white. This simple adjustment creates a crisp, cohesive look that ties everything together seamlessly. 

In conclusion, by following these steps, you've embarked on a journey to enhance your PowerPoint presentation . These initial steps are just the beginning of your exploration into the world of design elements and styles that can cater to your specific presentation needs. The key to a stunning PowerPoint presentation lies in the details. By following these steps, you can turn a lackluster set of slides into a visually engaging and dynamic presentation that will captivate your audience. So, the next time your boss says, "Please fix," you'll know exactly where to start. Happy presenting! 

Related topics

How To Use PowerPoint Design Ideas - All Questions Answered!

Designing slides can take anywhere from several minutes (for knowledgeable designers) to several days (for design novices). If your design skills lie somewhere in between, that’s still a few hours you can put to good use if freed up. Fortunately, PowerPoint Designer or the Design Ideas tool is available to save the day!

In this blog post, you’ll learn everything about this incredible PowerPoint feature. From its technical requirements to how to enable or disable it and, most importantly, how to edit your Design Ideas .

Let’s get started!

What is the PowerPoint Design ideas tool?

Think of PowerPoint Designer or the Design Ideas tool as your personal presentation designer. Just type in a few lines of text to the slide, maybe an image or two, and voila! You have 8 different layout and design suggestions from PowerPoint.

The first time you use it, you’ll probably be amazed by the visual feast PowerPoint will serve right before your eyes. The suggestions are random but can be breathtaking .

If you have an Office 365 subscription, you can find it on the Design tab. The Design Ideas button should be on the right side of your screen like you see here:

Now, let me give you a quick peek into how this tool works!

Take a look at the screenshots below. I only wrote the word ‘Hello’ on the slide, and look at what the Design Ideas panel on the right side of the screen has come up with!

This is on PowerPoint (Mac):

This is on PowerPoint (Windows):

As you can see, the same text (Hello) generated vastly different design ideas. On Mac, the suggestions were visually captivating, with beautiful imagery used as background. On Windows, the suggestions were a bit basic, to be honest.

For the next example, I deleted a couple of characters from the ‘Hello’ text, and then retyped them again. I got the following design ideas:

As you can see, it’s still the same text, but different design suggestions. This is the beauty of Design Ideas – the suggestions appear to be random. So, if you’re not happy with any of the suggestions, you can give it another try, and you’ll get a bunch of new ideas.

This can even be your starting point to building amazing presentations as the professionals do:

What are the requirements for PowerPoint Designer?

If you don’t see the Design Ideas tab in your copy of PowerPoint, then you probably don’t meet the following requirements:

• PowerPoint on Windows/Mac – an active Office 365 subscription
• PowerPoint Online (web version) – you don’t need an Office 365 subscription, but you need a OneDrive or SharePoint Online account
• iOS – you need an iPad. This feature isn’t available on iPhones.
• Android – you need an Android tablet. This feature is missing on Android smartphones.
• Windows mobile – you need a Windows tablet to access PowerPoint Designer. This feature is not available on Windows smartphones.

Don’t have an Office 365 subscription but want to use PowerPoint Design Ideas?

An Office 365 subscription can go as low as $6.99 per month (or $69.99 per year) for the Office 365 Personal plan. Whether you want to invest the money or not is up to you.

Personally, I think the subscription is worth it because, in addition to PowerPoint, you do have access to the entire Microsoft Office suite. Plus, you also get 1TB of storage on OneDrive. However, if you’re only going to be subscribing just so you can use the Designer tool, then I suggest you follow this tip below instead.

Here’s a workaround if you don’t have a subscription but really really want to use the Design Ideas tool (I don’t blame you, it’s a useful feature!):

1.- Sign up for a free Microsoft account, which automatically comes with 5GB OneDrive storage.

2.- You can then go to Office.com and log in using your account credentials.

3.- Click on the PowerPoint icon to open the app on your browser.

4.- You’ll notice that when you go to the Design tab, you’ll see the Design Ideas button in there!

Here’s a screenshot:

And what’s really cool about using PowerPoint Online is that you get 10 design suggestions as opposed to the 8 on either Windows or Mac desktop app.

Here are a couple of ways you can go about taking advantage of the free Design Ideas tab on PowerPoint Online:

Method 1 : You can design your slides on PowerPoint desktop. Then upload your presentation file to PowerPoint Online and edit it using the Design Ideas feature.

Method 2 : Just go directly to PowerPoint Online and work on your slides there. The downside to this method is that the web app is not as robust or as full-featured as the desktop version (specifically, PowerPoint for Windows). But if you just want a simple presentation without putting too much effort into the design, then this method is a great workaround.

How to activate or enable PowerPoint Design Ideas on your computer?

If you have an Office 365 subscription, but your Design Ideas button is missing in the Design tab, then it’s probably not activated. Here’s how you do it:

PowerPoint Windows:

Go to File > Options . In the General tab, you’ll see the options for PowerPoint Designer. There are a couple of choices for you:

• If you want to automatically show design ideas every time you click on Design Ideas, then you should tick the option that says ‘ Automatically show me design ideas. ’
• If you want PowerPoint to automatically show you suggestions every time you open a new blank document, then you should tick the option that says ‘Automatically show me suggestions when I create a new presentation.’

PowerPoint Mac:

First, go to PowerPoint Preferences or press the command and comma keys simultaneously (command + ,). In Authoring and Proofing Tools , click on General . You’ll then see the options for PowerPoint Designer . Just like the Windows version, make sure you tick on the two options (see the above screenshot for guidance).

Still don’t see PowerPoint Designer? Try these fixes.

If you know for a fact that you have an active Office 365 subscription but still don’t see the Designer button in your copy of PowerPoint, then you should try these possible solutions:

• If you’re coming from a standalone copy of Microsoft Office (not Office 365) and have recently subscribed to the service, you will need to uninstall your old copy. Then, you’ll need to install Office 365.
• Check with your IT department if they’ve turned off the Designer feature (apparently, some organizations aren’t fans).
• Restart your copy of PowerPoint. If this doesn’t work, try restarting your computer.
• Check if you have the latest version of PowerPoint. With an active Office 365 subscription , you should receive the latest versions automatically. Unless, of course, you choose to manually disable updates for some reason.

Check your PowerPoint Windows version:

To turn on automatic updates for PowerPoint, go to File > Account . On the right side of the screen, you should see Office Updates . Click on Update Options , then select Update Now .

If you’re running the latest version, you’ll get this message on your screen:

Now that you have the latest version of PowerPoint, you should be able to access the latest features.

If, for some reason, the Designer button is still missing, check your version and build number. You can see this info in About PowerPoint , just below the Office Updates button.

As you can see, I am on the monthly channel and have version 1906.

If you no longer have an active subscription and can’t update PowerPoint anymore, you can check PowerPoint Designer’s requirements for Windows . Perhaps your version still gives you limited access to some designer features. Just scroll down the web page, and you’ll see a section for Requirements.

Here’s a screenshot of the page:

You can check your version and see what kind of design options are available for your copy of PowerPoint. For instance, if you only have Version 1511, you’ll get design ideas for a single photo only. You won’t get design suggestions if you have multiple photos. Neither can you convert your lists to SmartArt graphics.

If you have version 1603, you’ll get design ideas for a single photo as well as multiple photos. But it’s not going to convert your lists to SmartArt graphics. The requirements list is frequently updated, so make sure you visit that page regularly.

Alternatively, you can always upload your PPT file to PowerPoint Online. The web app has all the latest Design Ideas features, so if your desktop PowerPoint is outdated, try going online!

Check your PowerPoint for Mac version:

For Mac users, you can check for updates by going to the Help tab. Then click on Check for Updates . If your software is updated, you’ll see this message:

I also recommend that you tick the ‘ Automatically Download and Install ’ button, so you get all the latest features from PowerPoint.

There are not a lot of version requirements for Mac users. If you check the Requirements for MacOS , you’ll see this on your screen:

According to Microsoft, PowerPoint Designer is available on Version 15.26.0.160910 or later for Mac users. You can check your PowerPoint for Mac version by going to PowerPoint > About PowerPoint .

Here’s a screenshot of my PPT version:

I have version 16.26, which means I should have access to all Designer features for PowerPoint Mac.

Design Ideas button is grayed out, what to do?

Sometimes you do see the Design Ideas button, but it’s grayed out, then you may need to check your Internet connection .

Now, if you’re online and the button remains grayed out, then double-check that you’ve selected a single slide . Whenever you’re in between slides, your Design Ideas button will be grayed out.

Here’s an example:

Have PowerPoint Designer button, but no design ideas generated?

It can be quite frustrating to add content to your slides, click on Design Ideas, and see nothing but a blank panel. And, of course, the message “ Sorry, no design ideas for this slide. ” Try the tips below to see if any of these will solve your problem:

• The most likely culprit for this scenario is actually your Internet connection . PowerPoint Designer needs a stable connection to the web to function properly.
• Use a default PowerPoint theme , not one that you downloaded elsewhere. You can choose your theme by going to Design > Themes. Choose from any of the available themes that show up in the Office section. Here’s a screenshot:

• Perhaps someone else is editing the slide you’re working on. You can either wait for that person to finish or ask them to go work on another slide (this works if you’re the boss).
• If there’s no content on the slide. Add some text or photo, and let Designer do its magic!
• Maybe you’ve drawn a shape on the slide. As of this time, Designer (Windows/Mac/Online) doesn’t support shapes. But you can insert icons, SmartArt graphics , tables, and charts, and the PowerPoint Designer tool will give you several design ideas!

Pro Tip: If you absolutely must use a shape on the slide, I would suggest removing the shape first. Then select a new layout from the Designer panel. Afterward, you can insert your shape anywhere you want on the slide!

• There are too many images on the slide. Currently, Designer can only accommodate up to 6 images. If you insert 7 images, Designer will let you know there are too many images.

I find this is a super cool way to get your photos resized into several different layouts. You can do it with SmartArt too, but with Designer, there are no extra text boxes added. Just images. Check out this example:

Another pro is that you can insert all images into the slide all at once. No need to rearrange anything. The PowerPoint Designer tool will automatically do it for you!

If you want to add more images, I recommend inserting 6 images first. Then select the Designer layout you want to use. And finally, add all the other images you need to show on the slide.

This may take some maneuvering, but at least Designer gets you halfway there. You just need to make a few extra clicks depending on how many images you want to add! If you’re still unsure of how to do it, check out our guide for working with multiple images in PowerPoint .

• Maybe you’ve got too many charts on the slide. As of now, the Design Ideas feature can only generate ideas if you’ve only got a single chart on the slide. Otherwise, you’ll get the message, “ Having multiple charts isn’t supported right now. Design Ideas will appear here when you’re working on a slide without multiple charts. ”
• If there are too many elements on the slide, PowerPoint Designer isn’t going to work. Keep your slide simple at first, and once you’ve selected a layout, feel free to add more elements to the slide.

How to disable PowerPoint Designer?

The answer is you can’t. But turning off automatic Designer suggestions will do. Just head over to PowerPoint Options (on either PC or Mac) and untick the boxes in the PowerPoint Designer section.

You’re not going to get automatic suggestions, but you can still view the Design Ideas in the Design tab. You’re just going to manually click on the button to get some design suggestions.

How do you edit design ideas in PowerPoint?

So, you want to make changes to a Design idea, but PowerPoint doesn’t let you select any element in the slide? I got you!

Many users report this as an issue when working with Design Ideas, but here’s how to do it right:

1.- Select your Design Idea slide

2.- Go to the Home tab > Select

3.- Click on “Selection Pane”

Once you open the Selection Pane , you’ll see your slide elements as individual layers, and this makes it so much easier to manage them all. Now you can select, edit or delete them as you wish.

How to change the color of suggested design ideas?

Here’s where things get tricky. You might not be able to change the element colors of your Design ideas, but you can work your way through with these two methods:

• Method 1: Change the Background color of your Design Ideas If you want to modify the colors of your Design ideas, changing the background can make a huge difference to the overall appearance of your slides. Just follow these steps:

1.- Make sure your Design Idea slide is selected

2.- Go to the Design tab > Background

3.- Choose between a Solid color or a Picture

Voilá! Now, if you want all your slides with the same background, return to the “Background” option and click on “Apply to all”

• Method 2 - Redraw the elements of your Design Ideas Sadly, we cannot change the colors of each element directly. However, you can still have some kind of control over how your Design Ideas turn out. The easiest way is to redraw the shapes and use the colors you want. Here’s the step-by-step:

1.- Select your Slide

2.- Open the Selection Pane

3.- Delete or Hide the element you want to change

4.- Insert your shape

5.- Fill it with your favorite color

How do you change icons of suggested design ideas?

The Designer tool recognizes when you use lists on your slides, and it will create at least one Design idea with icons.

But if you’re not happy with the icons, you can change them very easily. Just click any icon, and a “Replace your icon” tag will appear. Open it so you can get multiple icon suggestions, then select the one you like the most.

How to apply the same design idea to all slides in PowerPoint?

Wish I could tell you there’s a specific button for that, but as of now, PowerPoint doesn’t offer that option. However, we can always rely on one of my favorite features. If you want to repeat a design idea on several slides, here’s what you need to do:

1.- Select your design idea slide

2.- Right-click on the slide and select Duplicate

3.- Repeat as many times as you need

Looking for more? Get a Fully Customized Presentation

The Design Ideas tool can speed up your workflow by not letting you worry too much about the design process. Sure, it’s not perfect by any means, but you can get inspiration to take your design game to greater heights!

However, there’s a downside to this when working with company presentations. Don’t get me wrong - I’m a big fan of Design ideas, but in the end, you’re giving up control over what you communicate visually .

Let me break it down: If you rely on presentations to bring value to the business, then you need slides that convey what your brand stands for. I’m talking about slides that make you memorable and help your brand get a top position in the minds of your prospective clients.

Chances are your business already has a brand style guide for client-facing collateral, or at least a logo and colors that identify it. Here’s where the “Design Ideas” falls short. As a tool, it can’t understand that your brand colors and elements should be applied in a certain way so that your work looks more professional - and distinguishes you from competitors!

Design Ideas might not help you with that, but professional presentation designers surely can . At 24Slides , we inject your brand’s visual identity seamlessly into any presentation. Whether it’s a stand-alone PowerPoint or several company decks that require a visual update, rest assured the 24Slides designers will get you impactful on-brand slides .

If you’ve noticed “Design ideas” can only get you so far, learn more about our custom presentation design service - or even better: Redeem this $1 try-out offer and send your first slide today !

Frequent Customer Questions

How many suggested design ideas will i get.

On PowerPoint for Windows and Mac, the PowerPoint Designer tool gives you 8 design layouts to choose from. However, on PowerPoint Online (the browser-based version of PowerPoint), you can have up to 10 design ideas. In case you’re wondering, the most common layouts suggested will include a graphic, an image, or an icon, even if there’s just text on the slide. So, if you have no time to look for images, just type your text on the slide, and see what PowerPoint Designer gives you!

How to make icons appear in my Design ideas?

If you type in a word or phrase that matches an icon from the Office 365 icons library, then Designer will add that icon to your slide. Say, for example, your topic is about computers. You can just type the word ‘computer’ on the slide, click on Design Ideas, and PowerPoint will suggest some layouts with a computer icon on it.

How many times can I use the Design Ideas feature?

PowePoint Designer is an AI feature, so it can come up with many different variations. Once you select a design idea, you can then use it to re-generate a new batch of design ideas! No one has come to a number yet, but I think is safe to say you can use it as many times as you need.

You might also find these articles interesting:

• PowerPoint 101: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners
• How to Create a Venn Diagram in PowerPoint
• How to Make a PowerPoint Slideshow that Runs Automatically?
• The Cost of PowerPoint Presentations: Discover the hidden expenses you might overlook!

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Create professional slide layouts with Designer

Designer improves slides for Microsoft 365 subscribers by automatically generating design ideas to choose from.

While you're putting content on a slide, Designer works in the background to match that content to professionally designed layouts.

Get design ideas

The first time you try Designer, a prompt might appear requesting your permission to provide design ideas for you. To use Designer, select Turn on . If you're not sure the feature is turned on, go to  File  >  Account , and under  Account Privacy  select  Manage Settings . Check the box to Turn on optional connected experiences .

Note:  Microsoft is committed to helping protect your security and privacy while using Designer. To learn more, see the Microsoft Privacy Statement .

Go to the  Designer pane on the rightmost side of the window and look through the design ideas

Select the design you want and your slide is changed accordingly. To exit Designer without making any changes, select the "X” at the top-left corner of the  Designer pane.

You can also select another idea from the pane or go back to your original slide design: Press Ctrl+Z to undo a design change you've just selected.

Explore Designer

Learn more about the different features in Designer, to elevate your presentations. Easily add a photo to your title slide and get a cohesive design across your slides. You can use SmartArt graphics to turn text into engaging visuals. Designer, looks for key terms that is has illustrations for and displays relevant visuals in various layouts. Find out what other features Designer has to offer.

A title-slide photo and a design scheme

When you start a blank presentation and add text to the slide, Designer suggests high-quality photos that align with the slide's content. It also recommends a color scheme that goes well with the photo you choose. All the slides in the presentation will fit together visually.

Professional layouts

Designer detects pictures, charts, or tables on a slide and gives you several suggestions for arranging them in a cohesive, attractive layout.

More visuals, less text

Too much text on your slide? Designer can turn text such as lists, processes, or timelines into an easily readable graphic. Learn more about SmartArt graphic .

Illustrations

Designer looks for key terms and concepts that it has illustrations for and shows them in different layouts. The illustrations are from the Microsoft 365 icons library.

Manage Designer

If you don't want Designer to automatically offer suggestions:

In PowerPoint, select  File  at the upper-left side of the window, then select Options   at the lower-left corner.

After  PowerPoint Options  opens, select the General tab on the leftmost side.  Then go to PowerPoint Designer and clear the Automatically show me design ideas checkbox.  

Requirements for Designer for Windows

Troubleshooting for Microsoft 365

If you’re having trouble with Designer with PowerPoint in Microsoft 365, there some things you can try.

What if I don't see the Designer button?

If you don't see the Designer button, here are some things to review.

Design ideas are only available to Microsoft 365 subscribers

On desktop versions of PowerPoint, only subscribers get design ideas. To try or buy Microsoft 365 subscription, see  Microsoft 365 .

On PowerPoint for the web, design ideas are available to everyone.

One Microsoft 365 subscription package doesn't include design ideas:  Office 365 Germany .

Turn on Office connected experiences

To use Designer, make sure that Office "connected experiences" are turned on. In the ribbon, go to  File > Account , and under  Account Privacy  select  Manage Settings . Then go to Turn on optional connected experiences and check the box to turn on. For more information, see  Enabling and disabling intelligent services .

Administrator might have turned off Designer

Designer is a feature for Microsoft 365 subscribers, but some organizations turn off the feature. If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription but don't see the  Designer  button, ask your IT department.

Reinstall Office to get subscriber features

If you've upgraded from Microsoft 365 to a Microsoft 365 subscription, you need to uninstall Microsoft 365 and then reinstall to get the subscriber features. See the instructions in these articles:

Uninstall Office from a PC  or  Uninstall Office 2016 for Mac

Reinstall Microsoft 365

Restart the app to get Designer

Sometimes users find that the first time they start PowerPoint after installing Microsoft 365, the Designer button isn't available. Restarting the app fixes this problem.

 What if I select the Designer button and there are no suggestions?

If you don't see any suggestions when you select the Designer button, here are some things to check. 

You might not be connected to the internet. Make sure you have an active internet connection and try again. Designer goes online to get design ideas.

Use a theme that comes with PowerPoint (not a custom theme or one that you've downloaded from elsewhere).

No design ideas for slide with pictures

Make sure your slide has either the  Title  or  Title + Content  slide layout applied.

Don't use any additional objects or shapes on the same slide as your photo.

Use a maximum of four photos (.jpg, .png, .gif, or .bmp) per slide, and make sure they're larger than 200 x 200 pixels in size.

No design ideas for process-based slides

Make sure your slide has the  Title + Content  slide layout applied.

Don't use any additional photos, objects, or shapes on the same slide as your process text.

Because Designer is a relatively new service, it's still learning new tricks. If Designer can’t generate high-quality options for you, it won’t show any options at all. We're working hard to be able to generate great design ideas for more varieties of your content.

And of course, if you don’t find Designer useful, you can turn it off by going to File > Options > General , and clear the  Automatically show me design ideas  checkbox.

Someone else is editing

If you're co-authoring a presentation with someone else and more than one person is actively editing a single slide at one time, Designer won't give design suggestions on that slide.

When a single user is editing a slide, Designer will resume suggesting designs in response to specific actions the user takes, like inserting a photo.

No design ideas for slides that have shape or text boxes

Designer isn't able to suggest design ideas when a slide has a shape or text box drawn on it. You can have photos and text in a placeholder.

What if the Designer button is grayed out?

If you can see the Designer button in PowerPoint but it's grayed out, here are some things to check:

You might not be connected to the internet. Make sure you have an active internet connection and try again.

A single slide isn't selected. This can be the case when multiple slides are selected in the slide thumbnail pane in Normal view, or when the focus in the thumbnail pane is between two slides. It also is the case when the focus is in the Notes pane or you are in Slide Show view rather than Normal view.

The first time you try Designer, , a prompt might appear requesting your permission to provide design ideas for you. If you want to use Designer, select Turn on or Let's go .

Go to the  Designer pane on the rightmost side of the window and look through the design ideas.

Select the design you want, and your slide is changed accordingly. To exit Designer without making any changes, select the "X" at the top-left corner of the  Designer pane. 

You can also select another idea from the pane or go back to your original slide design: Press ⌘+Z to undo a design change you've just selected.

Learn more about the different features in Designer to elevate your presentations. Easily add a photo to your title slide and get a cohesive design across your slides. You can use SmartArt graphics to turn text into engaging visuals. Designer looks for key terms that is has illustrations for and displays relevant visuals in various layouts. Find out what other features Designer has to offer.

Designer looks for key terms and concepts that it has illustrations for and shows them in different layouts. The illustrations are from the Microsoft 365 icons library.

If you don't want Designer to offer suggestions:

In PowerPoint, select Preferences .

Under Authoring and Proofing Tools , select General .

In  General , go to  PowerPoint Designer , then clear the  Automatically show me design ideas checkbox.

Requirements for Designer for Mac

Troubleshooting for Mac

If you’re having trouble with Designer with PowerPoint in Mac, there some things you can try.

If you see the Designer button in PowerPoint but it's grayed out, here are some things to check.

You might not be connected to the internet. Make sure you have an active internet connection and try again.

A slide might not be selected. This can be the case when multiple slides are selected in the slide thumbnail pane in Normal view, or when the focus in the thumbnail pane is between two slides. It's also the case when the focus is in the Notes pane, or when you are in Slide Show view rather than Normal view.

What if the Designer button isn't on the ribbon?

Designer is a feature for  Microsoft 365  subscribers. If you don't see the Designer button, you're using an older version of PowerPoint for Mac, rather than PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 for Mac.

Select the design you want and your slide is changed accordingly. To exit Designer without making any changes, select the "X" at the top-left corner of the  Designer pane

You can also select another idea from the pane or go back to your original slide design. Press Ctrl+Z to undo a design change you've just selected.

Designer detectspictures,charts, or tables on a slide and gives you several suggestions for arranging them in a cohesive, attractive layout.

SmartArt graphics

Designer can turn text such as lists, processes, or timelines into an easily readable SmartArt graphic. Learn more about SmartArt graphic .

Designer looks for key terms and concepts that it has illustrations for and shows them in various layouts. The illustrations are from the Microsoft 365 icons library.

Requirements for Designer on PowerPoint for the web

Troubleshooting for Web

If you see the Designer button in PowerPoint but it's grayed out, it might mean that someone else is currently editing the slide.

Designer is available when using an iPad, but not an iPhone, see  Requirements for more details.

The first time you try Designer, a prompt might appear requesting your permission to provide design ideas for you. If you want to use Designer, tap  Turn on or Let's go .

Tap the design you want and your slide is changed accordingly. To exit Designer without making any changes, tap the "X" at the top-left corner of the  Designer pane.

Learn more about the different features in Designer to elevate your presentations. You can use SmartArt graphics to turn text into engaging visuals. Designer provides suggestions for your pictures, charts, or tables and with various visuals. Find out what other features Designer has to offer.

Designer can turn text such as lists, processes ,  or timelines into an easily readable SmartArt graphic.  Learn more about SmartArt graphic .

Requirements for Designer on iOS

Troubleshooting Office for iOS

If you see the Design Ideas button in PowerPoint but it's grayed out, you might not be connected to the internet. Make sure you have an active internet connection and try again.

Designer is available when using an Android tablet but not an Android phone, see  Requirements for more details.

Note:  Microsoft is committed to helping protect your security and privacy while using Designer. To learn more, see the Microsoft Privacy Statement .

Designer can turn text such as lists, processes , or timelines into an easily readable SmartArt graphic. Learn more about SmartArt graphic .

Requirements for Designer on Android

Troubleshooting for Android

If you can see the Design Ideas button in PowerPoint but it's grayed out, you might not be connected to the internet. Make sure you have an active internet connection and try again.

Designer is available when using a Windows tablet but not a Windows phone, see  Requirements for more details.

 Get design ideas

Tap the design you want and your slide is changed accordingly. To exit Designer without making any changes, tap the "X" at the top-left corner of the  Designer pane.

Requirements for Designer on Windows Mobile

Troubleshooting when using a Windows tablet

Combining colors in PowerPoint: Mistakes to avoid

Format the background color of slides

Start with a presentation template

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Blog Graphic Design Top 31 PowerPoint Design Ideas, Examples & Tips

Top 31 PowerPoint Design Ideas, Examples & Tips

Written by: Sara McGuire May 03, 2023

What’s worse than sitting through a boring presentation? Being the one to deliver a boring presentation. Presentation templates to the rescue!

Say goodbye to typical, boring PowerPoint slides, too. Instead,  create a presentation that will make a lasting impression with presentation templates like this one to engage your audience. You can also use them for inspiration for PowerPoint layout ideas:

Just so you know, some of our templates are free and some require a small monthly fee to use. Signing up to Venngage is always free.

In this post, I’ll show you how to create a presentation that will not only grab the attention of your audience but hold onto it as well.

This post will offer tips for creating different types of presentations , including:

• Pitch decks
• E-learning slides
• Class presentations
• Webinar presentations
• Marketing presentations

I’ll also give you design tips to customize our presentation templates and share ppt design ideas.

Click to jump ahead:

• Start with presentation templates
• Pick a visual motif to use consistently
• Highlight important information using text
• Dedicate each slide to only one topic
• Don’t overburden your slides with text
• Establish a visual hierarchy on your slides
• Visualize data using charts and infographics
• Create custom illustrations using icons
• Change slide layouts to keep your audience engaged
• Add a progress tracker to your presentation slides
• Download your presentation as a PDF

Design a presentation that engages your audience

Think about the last boring presentation you sat through:

• What did the slides look like?
• Did they have a bland color scheme?
• Were there too many points (or worse, paragraphs) crammed onto one slide?
• Were the charts and diagrams clunky and hard to understand?

When people see the same old boring PowerPoint layouts and themes, there’s a good chance they’re going to lose focus.

Rich media, like video, matters more than ever and there’s no better way to stand out than by creating creative and engaging visual content . If you want to really capture your audience’s attention, you need to design creative presentations , like this one:

That means incorporating eye-catching images, effective data visualizations, and bold typography into your slide decks.

This onboarding presentation, for example, strategically uses bright icons and illustrations to make the material more engaging. This is especially important when presenting to new hires, who are likely dealing with information overload on their first day. 

In this particular case, a more visual approach is not necessarily a matter of aesthetic preference, but a decision that can make your presentations more likely to stick. Pro Tip: Venngage has over 40,000 icons and illustrations you can use to spice up your presentations!

Need something more geared towards speaking? Our keynote presentation templates are all the rage.

Tips to hold your audience’s attention

Many Venngage users have mentioned that they’re always looking for ways to make presentations more engaging. But most of them don’t have any formal design experience.

If you’re in the same boat, don’t worry–this guide is for you. You can also check out this video for all the highlights:

Here are my top tips for designing a presentation with impact:

1. Start with presentation templates

Before jumping into the other tips, let’s set the foundation.

You’ve decided to create something a little more interesting than a standard PowerPoint theme–good on you! But that doesn’t mean you have to start completely from scratch.

Instead, you can give yourself a head start by using creative presentation templates, like this one:

Or this one:

EDIT THIS PRESENTATION TEMPLATE

While most PowerPoint themes are fairly limited in how much you can customize them, freeform presentation templates will give you the freedom to alter the design as much as you want.

For example, let’s take this template:

I used Venngage’s My Brand Kit tool to efficiently apply our brand color palette to the Uber template in one click:

There are a ton of creative presentation templates. You can take a look at them in our presentations templates library .

Cool? Now let’s talk presentation design.

2. Pick a visual motif to use consistently in your presentation

You can use visuals to pull your presentation design together and make it cohesive. Picking a visual motif will allow you to use consistent visuals throughout your presentation.

A visual motif is a repeated pattern, design, or image. In your presentation design, a motif can take many forms.

When it comes to infographic color selection , one of the simplest approaches is to use a consistent color motif (or color scheme). That could mean using one or two colors for all of your headers, background and borders.

For example, this presentation template uses two shades of purple for a modern design:

But combining different colors and patterns can also make for a more interesting design. For example, this presentation template uses a blue stripe motif to link the slides together visually:

You could also use a recurring shape or image, like the circle image frames in this presentation template:

Or you could use a motif that reflects the theme of your presentation. For this presentation, the template uses a recurring cloud motif throughout the presentation to reflect the “dream” theme of the brand. This presentation example demonstrates the power of maintaining a consistent theme to reinforce brand image.

This is a case where starting with a presentation template can really come in handy, because the template will already have a motif. Look for presentation templates with a motif that fits your topic and brand.

3. Highlight important information using text

Returning to the idea or focal points on your slide: emphasize a key number or phrase when creating a persuasive presentation using big, bold text in a contrasting color.

This will communicate to your audience that if they take away one thing from your slide, it should be that piece of information.

For example, this presentation template uses bright colored font in several sizes larger than the rest of the text to emphasize important numbers on each slide:

But you could also pick one color to emphasize key information with. That way, your audience will catch on to the pattern and look for that color in upcoming slides.

Take a look at how this presentation uses teal to contrast with the other text and emphasize information:

4. Dedicate each slide to only one topic

Just as it’s important for your slides to not be cluttered, it’s also important for your slides to be cohesive.

Keep each slide focused on just one topic. The topic of each slide should be clearly stated in the slide title.

For example, this presentation example, shows a template which covers different ways to be creative. Each individual slide covers one approach:

This simple, straightforward slide pattern will help the audience follow along without any confusion.

Or take this presentation template that introduces some of this year’s biggest business trends. Rather than listing multiple trends on one slide, each trend is fleshed out in its own slide:

As a presenter, keeping your slide topics organized will help you organize your thoughts as well. Each new slide will signal a new topic.

5. Don’t overburden your slides with text

Even if you decide to ignore most of the other tips in this guide, don’t skip over this one. This is presentation design 101.

When you flip to a slide covered wall-to-wall with text, there’s a good chance your audience is going to think:

• I don’t want to read all of that.
• This presenter isn’t well-prepared.

In fact, a study published in Business and Professional Communication Quarterly found that anxious presenters tended to use more text on their slides, usually because they used their slides as speaking notes.

Instead of using a bunch of text, look for ways to present information visually charts and infographics .

For example, this slide template uses brief text and some simple icons to summarize the presentation :

This startup pitch deck makes use of evocative images, icons and big text to help present its ideas:

6. Establish a visual hierarchy on your slides

When you flip to a new slide, your audience will be seeing it for the first time. Their eyes are going to naturally be drawn whatever the focal point on the page is.

The focal point is the most dominant area on your slide–the point that draws the most attention.

You can create a hierarchy of information on your slide by making the most important information the focal point of your slide. In most cases, the focal point will be the slide title, or a particular visual, or an important phrase or number.

There are a few ways you can create a visual hierarchy on your slides.

You can bold important phrases, like the word “Facebook” in this slide:

Icons also help to establish a reading order. They draw your eye from point to point. Placing icons beside headers and important points will make them stand out from the other information on the slide.

Icons can also be used to indicate where a new point begins:

Color selection can also be used to establish a visual hierarchy. Take a look at how the colorful blocks in this slide help to make the slide titles pop:

Your eyes are drawn first to the title text, then to the supporting information beside it.

7. Visualize data using charts and infographics

Replacing text with visuals is one of the best ways to prevent your slide design from becoming cluttered. Charts and infographics present information in an engaging, digestible way.

I won’t go into too much detail here about what types of charts you should use for what data. We’ve got an in-depth guide to picking charts for that.

But I’ll give you a few ideas for some types of charts and infographics that work well in presentations.

Related : How to Make Better Infographics for PowerPoint

If you want to visualize steps in a process, the history of something, or a roadmap, use a timeline.

This slide template uses a simple timeline with complementary icons to emphasize each date:

To compare amounts or sizes, a bubble chart can help drive the point home:

Learn how to customize this template:

To create an infographic for geographic and demographic information , a map can make a big impact on your audience:

A classic pie chart or bar graph should be easily understood by your audience, provided you’re following  chart best practices .

This presentation template uses a bar graph, a pie chart and a line graph to show different metrics:

If you can, mix up the types of data visualizations you use. This will help prevent your audience from getting bored.

Those are just a few different ways you can use charts to visualize. For more ideas, check out our guide to picking the best charts for your data .

8. Create custom illustrations using icons

Custom illustrations are one of this year’s  biggest graphic design trends . They’re fun, quirky, and more exciting than a boring old stock photo.

Creating your own illustrations for social media graphics might seem like a costly and time-consuming undertaking. And it can be. But I’m going to offer you a hack:

Use icons to create illustrations.

You can arrange icons together to create a scene–like the pieces of a puzzle. (Venngage offers over 40,000 icons, so finding an image shouldn’t be too hard!) 

For example, this real estate presentation template uses icons to illustrate each real estate hack:

When picking ico ns or symbols for your illustrations , make sure that the icon style you use is consistent. For example, this presentation template uses line art icons for a scribbly youthful look:

For more ideas, read our guide to creating icon illustrations .

9.  Change slide layouts to keep your audience engaged

You may be tempted to use the same slide layout throughout your entire presentation–either for consistency or because you’re not sure how else to design your slide.

The problem is, using the same slide layout over and over again won’t do much to excite your audience.

There are other ways you can create consistency throughout your presentation, while also using different slide layouts–like through a visual motif.

For example, this presentation template uses five different slide layouts. The consistent color scheme, image style and font style pull the presentation together.

To come up with different slide layouts, try dividing your slide into columns. This can make it easier to arrange the elements in your slide.

This can make it easier to arrange the elements in your slide.

10. Add a progress tracker to your presentation slides

Creating a sense of forward movement will help keep your audience engaged.

Similar to how you would put the chapter title at the top of the pages in a book, you can track the progress of your presentations in your slides. This will let your audience know what stage you’re at in your presentation. Your audience will also be able to refer to the sections in your presentation more easily afterward.

That said, pacing your presentation thoughtfully with well-designed presentation slides also adds brownie points to your presentation. Check out the top qualities of awesome presentations and learn all about how to make a good presentation to help you nail that captivating delivery.

A simple progress bar at the bottom of your slide shouldn’t distract too much from the rest of your information.

11. Download your presentation as a PDF

It’s common for audience members to request a copy of your presentation for their reference. Make sharing your presentation easy by exporting it as a PDF or zipped file.

Now that you’re equipped with some fundamentals of presentation design, the best way to learn is by doing. It’s also the perfect time to upgrade your presentation skills  while you’re thinking about it too!

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below.

More presentation templates and design guides:

• 120+ Best Presentation Ideas, Design Tips & Examples  (+ Presentation Templates!)
• 12 Business Pitch Deck Templates and Design Best Practices to Impress Investors
• 5 Foolproof Presentation Layout Ideas  (+ Presentation Templates!)
• How to Get Featured on the Front Page of SlideShare [Infographic]

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100+ Modern Professional PowerPoint Templates 2024

In today’s collection, we’re bringing you a set of fresh new modern, professional PowerPoint templates for creating presentations that stand out from the crowd. Give your presentation a modern edge, and convey your message in a professional way.

We handpicked a collection of unique and modern PowerPoint templates that you can use for crafting slideshows for all kinds of presentations, including startup pitch decks to business projections, photography, marketing, design, and more.

We’re also sharing our tips for creating a modern presentation , to help you get started fast.

How Does Unlimited PowerPoint Templates Sound?

Download thousands of PowerPoint templates, and many other design elements, with an Envato membership. It starts at $16 per month, and gives you unlimited access to a growing library of over 19+ million presentation templates, fonts, photos, graphics, and more.

Maximus Template

Business PPT Templates

Corporate & pro.

BeMind Minimal Template

Explore PowerPoint Templates

Bore – Minimal Modern PowerPoint Template

This modern and creative PowerPoint template includes all the right elements of professional presentation design. It has a beautifully minimalist design, an attractive color palette, and a stylish content layout.

The template itself includes more than 30 unique slide designs you can easily customize to change colors and the fonts however you like. It also includes lots of editable vector graphics and shapes as well.

Why This Is A Top Pick

Since this template features a modern and universal design, you’ll be able to use it to design slideshows for all kinds of business, agency, and creative presentations.

Ideolozi – Company Profile PowerPoint Template

Ideal for various presentations, Ideolozi is a modern, clean, and easily customizable PowerPoint template. It provides 30 high-resolution slides with a 16:9 aspect ratio that can effortlessly be used for business plans, pitch decks, annual reports, and more.

SEO Strategy – Modern PowerPoint Template

This is a dynamic, modern PowerPoint template catered towards digital marketers, SEO specialists, and other business professionals. Highly customizable, it offers a structured layout to present SEO strategies, tactics, and key metrics. Ideal for a range of presentations, including pitches, reports, and training sessions.

Game – Modern PowerPoint Template

This PowerPoint template is designed to deliver captivating presentations. Equipped with 30 customizable, high-quality slides, this professional template is effective for a range of uses from business to education and marketing. It features a modern design, six color combinations, standard & widescreen aspect ratios, and an exceptional icon selection.

Artficial Intelligence PowerPoint Template

A sleek, modern PowerPoint template tailored for impactful presentations. Suitable for various uses, including business, marketing, and education, this template boasts easy customization and 30 creative slides, in both standard and widescreen formats. The template, available in six colour combinations, also includes eye-catching icon.

Business Pitch Deck PowerPoint Template

This PowerPoint template is perfect for entrepreneurs and business leaders preparing impactful, professional pitches. Easily create persuasive presentations with a structured breakdown of your business proposal, growth strategies and financial forecasts. This high-quality template is not only ideal for marketing strategies and financial reports, but also for educational workshops and more.

Conference Presentation Modern PowerPoint Template

A professional and versatile PowerPoint template perfect for creating compelling presentations for conferences, seminars, or business meetings. It’s ideal for speakers, event organizers, and corporate teams. Its features include a professional design, easy customization, high-quality graphics, and master slides.

Case Study – Modern PowerPoint Template

This is a high-quality PowerPoint template perfect for showcasing success stories, project results, or insightful research. Ideal for businesses, consultants, educators, and researchers, this template allows for a clear, engaging display of case studies. Key features include a professional layout, easy customization, and image placeholders.

Architecture Modern PowerPoint Template

This PowerPoint template is perfect for architects, interior designers, and construction professionals when presenting their designs, concepts, and projects. The clean, professional design allows for easy customization and showcases high-quality graphics with image placeholders and master slides.

Look Book – Furniture PowerPoint Template

A versatile and modern PowerPoint template for bold presentations. Its design lends itself perfectly to use by businesses and individuals for various purposes including brochure creation, project promotion, and personal portfolios. It is easily editable, with resizable graphics and easy color changes, and it’s based on Master Slides for added convenience.

Portfolio Design – Professional PowerPoint Template

A versatile creative PowerPoint template that can cater to numerous applications, be it a corporate presentation or a personal portfolio. This design-centric PowerPoint template includes editable and resizable graphics, easy color change capabilities, and incorporates free web fonts.

Akbar – Modern Business PowerPoint Template

This PowerPoint template is perfect for diverse presentation needs including corporate and business profiles, creative agencies, portfolios, start-ups, pitch decks, and personal portfolios. It features 39 editable and resizable slides designed with free web fonts, based on master slides.

Osmar – Modern Business PowerPoint Template

Osmar is a business PowerPoint template that is perfect for crafting professional business presentations. Whether you’re a creative agency, startup, or looking to present a company profile, this template can be tailored to suit a variety of needs. With 39 editable and resizable slides, you can drag-and-drop content in an easily editable 16:9 widescreen ratio format.

Malaiz – Professional Business PowerPoint Template

A modern, dynamic PowerPoint template for all your professional presentations. Perfect for a range of contexts from startup pitches to photography portfolios, this easily editable 39-slide template incorporates free web fonts and resizable graphics based on master slides.

Meerotie – Professional PowerPoint Template

Meerotie is a dynamic, modern PowerPoint template perfect for both business and personal use. Features include 120 clean and creative slides with a bold design, a handmade infographic, a 16:9 ratio and easily editable images, fonts, and layouts. This fully adaptable template makes presenting your next project hassle-free and effective.

Enativing – Creative Agency PowerPoint Template

This is a versatile and modern tool for a multitude of fields, from advertising to startups. It features 30 unique slides that are fully editable and resizable, complete with over 500 icons and a drag-and-drop interface.

Black White – Professional Agency PowerPoint Template

A contemporary PowerPoint template perfect for enhancing your agency presentations. It features 20 unique, easily customizable slides with bold and elegant designs. The template offers drag-and-drop picture placeholders with auto-adjustment and comes complete with device mockups as well.

Professional Consulting PowerPoint Presentation

This is a modern, engaging template perfect for business presentations, project pitches, and lookbooks. Offering a variety of editable graphics and drag-and-drop picture placeholders in a widescreen format, the package includes PowerPoint and XML files along with fully editable layouts.

Hermoso – Modern Business PowerPoint Template

The Hermoso is a versatile PowerPoint template with a modern design. Ideal for contemporary businesses, this template can be used to present a variety of content including company profiles, portfolios, and startup pitches. With over 30 editable slides featuring resizable graphics, it provides convenience and flexibility.

Amin – Modern Business PowerPoint Template

A modern, easy-to-edit PowerPoint template ideal for various purposes, such as business presentations, corporate profiles, start-ups, creative agencies, or personal portfolios. It includes 39 slides, editable graphics, recommended free web fonts, and a 16:9 widescreen ratio.

Professional Portfolio PowerPoint Template

This is a modern, multipurpose PowerPoint Template ideal for presentations related to business, creative agencies, brand guidelines, and more. Offering 30 high-resolution slides in a 16:9 aspect ratio, this template is carefully designed for easy customization.

Alpha – Business PowerPoint Template

This PowerPoint template is made with modern businesses in mind. It’s ideal for crafting professional presentations for business meetings, company profiles, and pitch deck slideshows. The template includes 39 unique slides for you to choose from.

Stanbiz – Startup Business Plan PowerPoint Template

Design the perfect slideshow to showcase your startup and business plans with this professional PowerPoint template. There are 36 different slide layouts included in this template with fully customizable designs.

Gray Gold Company Profile Presentation Template

The dark gray and gold design of this PowerPoint template gives it a very stylish look and feel. The template is ideal for making slideshows for various marketing and product showcase presentations. It includes 26 unique slides.

Minimal Portfolio PowerPoint Presentation Template

The modern and minimal design of this PowerPoint template offers a beautiful canvas for crafting bold and beautiful presentations for your professional projects. There are 24 slides in the template that are especially suitable for portfolio presentations.

Aqua – Free Marketing Plan PowerPoint Template

This free PowerPoint template comes with a colorful watercolor-themed design. It’s perfect for professional marketing presentations and slideshows. The template has 32 unique slide layouts.

Minimal PowerPoint Presentation Template

Craft minimal presentations with an aesthetic feel using this PowerPoint template. It’s made with various business and agency portfolio presentations in mind. There are 21 different slide layouts to choose from.

Cell – Creative Professional PowerPoint Template

The bold and dark design of this PowerPoint template will allow you to make professional slideshows for presenting your projects and portfolio in style. The template includes fully customizable slides with image placeholders, device mockups, and much more.

Media-Press Kit – Professional PowerPoint Template

Just as the name suggests, this PowerPoint template is designed to help you craft a professional-looking media kit or a press kit for a brand. It includes 16 carefully crafted slides with all the important sections for promoting your brand and business.

Crowdfunding – PowerPoint Infographics Slides

If you’re planning on launching a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for your business or product launch, this PowerPoint template will come in handy. It includes 17 different crowdfunding-themed infographic slides in 12 different color variations.

Photographer Portfolio – Free Professional PowerPoint Template

This free PowerPoint template is a great choice for crafting a simple portfolio slideshow for a photographer. There are 29 unique slides in the template with different styles of layouts for showcasing your work more effectively.

Gosamp – Urban Professional PowerPoint Template

Gosamp is a modern PowerPoint template that features a trendy and attractive design. It comes with more than 30 unique slide layouts you can use to create presentations for digital marketing and fashion brands. Each slide in the template also includes image placeholders, editable graphics, and much more.

Logica – IT Consultant PowerPoint Template

This template is designed with consulting agencies in mind. The template includes 30 different slide layouts with clean and professional designs. You can also customize it using PowerPoint, Keynote, and Google Slides.

Business Plan – Professional PowerPoint Template

If you’re looking for a PowerPoint template to create a killer business plan slide deck, this template is perfect for you. It includes 25 carefully crafted slides that can be used to make a professional presentation to showcase your business and company plans.

Tradents – Brand Guidelines Presentation Template

Use this PowerPoint template to make attractive brand guideline slide decks. You can choose from 30 unique slides, which include slides for detailing everything from font choices to color schemes and everything in between. You can easily edit and customize each slide to your preference as well.

Free Growth Business Plan PowerPoint Template

This free PowerPoint template is ideal for making simple and professional presentations for describing your business growth plans. There are 39 different slide layouts included in the template. Along with editable graphs, charts, and vector graphics.

Roline – Professional PowerPoint Template

This PowerPoint template combines elements from both professional and modern worlds to offer a set of beautiful slide layouts. It’s perfect for creating everything from business presentations to pitch decks and more. The template includes 50 unique slides with editable designs.

Koman – Modern Business PowerPoint Template

Presentations with dark designs are great for highlighting content more effectively. This PowerPoint template is designed to help achieve that goal. It includes a total of 39 slides with fully customizable layouts. And it features editable shapes and graphics as well.

Marketing Pitch – Modern PowerPoint Template

This PowerPoint template includes many different infographic slides you can use to visualize data in your marketing meetings. It features a clean and professional design. The template comes with 30 unique slides.

Wicka – Business PowerPoint Template

You can use this PPT to create professional presentations to promote creative brands and agencies. The template lets you choose from 39 different slides. It includes master slide layouts, editable vector graphics, image placeholders, and much more as well.

Free Business Profile PowerPoint Template

This is a free PowerPoint template for designing business presentations with professional slides. It comes with 23 unique slides. Each slide can be easily customized to change colors, fonts, and images to your preference.

Social Humanity – Modern PowerPoint Template

This professional PowerPoint template features a minimalist slide design. It’s perfect for making presentations for non-profit organizations and many other businesses. The template includes 30 unique slides.

Business & Corporate PowerPoint Template

Use this template to design a modern and creative presentation for your corporate business. It includes a total of 420 slides featuring 40 unique slides in 8 pre-made color schemes. The template also has transition animations as well.

Lonux – Professional PowerPoint Template

Lonux is a PowerPoint template you can use to design presentations to showcase your professional services. The template includes 39 unique slides filled with editable shapes, master slide layouts, image placeholders, and more.

Aserlla – Clean Business PowerPoint Template

Looking for a PowerPoint template with a clean and professional layout? Then this template is for you. It includes slides in both dark and light color themes as well as in 3 pre-made color schemes.

Business & Consulting Toolkit Free PPT

This creative PowerPoint template not only comes with a set of modern slides but also features multipurpose designs you can use to create many different types of presentations. It includes 50 unique slides with graphs, maps, infographics, and more.

Reendinguz – Modern PowerPoint Template

If you’re looking for a minimal PowerPoint template with a modern design to create clean and effective presentations, this template is perfect for you. It includes 30 unique slide designs featuring 5 different color schemes to choose from. The layouts made with vector shapes are easily editable as well.

Galerino – Professional PowerPoint Template

Galerino is another modern PowerPoint template that comes with a total of 150 slides. It features image placeholders for easily placing your images in the slides as well as master slide layouts, illustrations, and editable vector graphics.

Best Business – Modern PowerPoint Template

This is a great PowerPoint template you can use to design an elegant and attractive slideshow for a professional presentation. It includes 30 slides that you can choose from 5 different color schemes. It also comes with an infographic, gallery slide, illustrations, and much more.

Browney – Contemporary PowerPoint Template

If you are looking for an elegantly designed, professional PowerPoint template for modern businesses, Browney is an ideal choice. This collection of five templates, each having 30 slides, is a great option for making an impression on potential investors or clients.

Sparrow – Creative Agency PowerPoint Template

Exclusively designed for creative industries, Sparrow features a modern, uncluttered design with a splash of bright colors that instantly draws the attention of your audience. There is a smorgasbord of slides for you to customize to your heart’s content, and easy-to-use features that make the dreadful task of making a presentation look like a piece of cake.

Poolest – Simple PowerPoint Template

The best presentations are often the ones without any bells and whistles. Poolest is a minimal yet eye-catching option, making it one of the best professional PowerPoint templates on our list. We wholeheartedly recommend you try out Poolest for your upcoming presentation.

Modela – Free Creative PowerPoint Template

With a stylish, modern, and striking design, Modela is an effective presentation template with multi-purpose slides, data infographics, and a 16:9 widescreen ratio. It’s one of the best free modern PowerPoint templates available on the web and can be fully customized to reflect your own branding.

Arina – Free Business PowerPoint Template

Arina, a modern and sophisticated PowerPoint template is a great choice for businesses looking to make an impact. It features an elegant layout, easy-to-edit slides, and a range of amazing features that really should be seen to be fully appreciated.

Round – Clean Business PowerPoint Template

Round also comes with a set of modern and professional slide designs. Each slide in this PowerPoint template is available in 5 different colors. It also includes master slide layouts, image placeholders, editable vector graphics, and more.

Voodoo – Free Professional PowerPoint Template

VooDoo is a free PowerPoint template that features a set of highly professional slides, including ones with infographics. The free version of the template includes 5 free presentation slides and 5 infographic slides.

Kirkland – Business PowerPoint Template

This PowerPoint template is a great choice for making all types of professional and business presentations. It comes with a set of beautiful slides made with a minimal content layout full of colorful shapes and images. The template includes 30 unique slides with 5 different colors to choose from.

Twenty Five – Modern Professional PowerPoint Template

Minimalism takes a key role in every modern and professional presentation design. This template will allow you to leverage both those factors to your advantage by crafting a set of slides full of clarity and creativity. It includes 25 unique slides for you to choose from. And comes in Google Slides version as well.

Quizy – Quiz Themed Powerpoint Template

A very unique PowerPoint template designed specifically for quiz and questionnaire-based presentations. This template comes with 30 slides featuring colorful quiz-themed designs and layouts. It’s perfect for making your presentations more entertaining for events and conferences.

Rexse – Pitch Deck Powerpoint Template

Rexse is a pitch deck PowerPoint template you can use for all sorts of business and startup investor presentations. The template comes with 40 unique master slide layouts with modern designs. Each slide features editable graphics, icons, shapes, and image placeholders for easy customization.

Original – Free Modern PowerPoint Template

This beautiful PowerPoint template is completely free to download and use with your personal projects. It’s ideal for making a simple slideshow for design and lifestyle-themed presentations.

LEARN – Education Powerpoint Template

Just as the name suggests, this PowerPoint template is designed for all sorts of educational presentations. It’s ideal for making presentations for educating the audiences of your products and services. The template includes 30 unique slides.

Atea – Clean Professional Presentation Template

The clean and creative design of this presentation template gives it a truly unique look and feel. This PowerPoint template features 30 unique slides that are available in 5 different pre-made color schemes. It also comes in Keynote and Google Slides versions as well.

Accasia – Creative Business PowerPoint Template

This PowerPoint template comes with a slide design filled with creative and abstract shapes. This gives the entire presentation a very uncommon look and feel. The template includes 30 unique slides. You can easily customize the design using its pre-made color schemes and image placeholders.

Aquos – Minimal Professional PowerPoint Template

If you’re working on a presentation for a corporate brand or a modern business, this PowerPoint template will come in handy. It comes with 30 minimalist slides that feature plenty of visuals and shapes. The template includes gallery slides, portfolio slides, history slides, and lots more.

Hexxos – Free Modern PowerPoint Template

The vivid and colorful slides in this template give it a truly modern and trendy look. This PowerPoint template is perfect for making a presentation for modern fashion and lifestyle brands. It’s free to use with your personal projects.

Classy – Modern PowerPoint Template

Classy is a modern PowerPoint template that features a set of 30 unique slides that are available in 5 different color schemes, making it a total of 150 slides. It also includes image placeholders, editable vector graphics, and free fonts as well.

Sneaky – Fashion PowerPoint Template

Sneaky is a modern PowerPoint template that comes with a stylish visual slide design, which makes it perfect for creating fashion and apparel related presentations. The template includes 45 unique slides with drag and drop customization features.

Visionare – Modern PowerPoint Presentation

Visionare is a beautiful PowerPoint template you can use to design professional presentations for business and agency meetings and events. The template comes with 50 unique slides in HD resolution and features image placeholders, world maps, icons, and much more.

Zero – Creative PowerPoint Template

Zero is a modern and creative PowerPoint template featuring a colorful design. This template is most suitable for making marketing and sales related presentations. It includes 30 unique slides in 5 different color schemes, making a total of over 150 slides.

Yoon – Business PowerPoint Template

Yoon comes with a simple and clean design which allows you to effectively highlight your images and content. The template is perfect for making business profile and product showcase presentation slideshows.

Ashtray – Professional PowerPoint Template

Ashtray PowerPoint template features a creative slide design filled with lots of shapes, colors, and images. The template lets you choose from a total of 150 slides to craft unique business and professional presentations that stand out from the crowd.

Free Portfolio PowerPoint Template

This modern free PowerPoint template is designed specifically for creating professional portfolio presentations. It includes 12 unique slides filled with lots of icons and shapes.

Free Minimal PowerPoint Presentation

If you’re looking for a minimal PowerPoint template for making a portfolio showcase or an agency presentation, this free template is for you. It features 20 unique slides with image placeholders and icons.

Chroma – Modern PowerPoint Template

Chroma features a design unlike any other PowerPoint template in this collection. The template has a modern design featuring vibrant gradient colors. It includes 50 unique slides that are most suitable for modern startup and small businesses.

Molex – Dark PowerPoint Template

Molex is a stylish PowerPoint template that comes with a dark color theme, which effectively highlights text and other content in the design. The template is also available in 5 different color schemes and comes with 30 unique slides.

PRADIC – Creative PowerPoint Template

Pradic is a creative PowerPoint template you can use to design business and corporate presentations. It comes with slides full of colorful shapes, charts, graphs, image placeholders, and much more.

Gholem – Minimal PowerPoint Template

Gholem PowerPoint template features 30 unique slides that can be easily customized to your preference. The slides are also available in 5 different color variations and include a handcrafted infographic and gallery slides as well as image placeholders.

Rekxa – Clean PowerPoint Template

Rekxa is a clean and minimalist PowerPoint template most suitable for designing startup and business-related presentations. The template includes 150 slides with editable designs and 5 color schemes to choose from.

Pop – Free Colorful PowerPoint Template

This is a free demo of a premium PowerPoint template. It features a set of modern and colorful slide designs you can use to create a stylish slideshow to showcase your personal designs, artworks, and portfolios.

GMTRY – Free Geometric Presentation Template

This modern PowerPoint template features a unique style of design filled with creative geometric shapes. You can use it for free with personal projects.

Hanobi – Modern Professional PowerPoint Template

Hanobi is a modern and elegant PowerPoint template that features a professional design for making slideshows for business and creative presentations. It includes a total of 150 slide designs that are also available in 5 different color schemes.

Anada – Agency Modern Professional PowerPoint Template

Anada is a PowerPoint template most suitable for making marketing and sales related presentations. It comes with 30 unique slides featuring infographics, charts, graphs, and icons. The template s also available in 3 different colors as well as light and dark themes.

Space – Modern Professional PowerPoint Template

Space is a minimalist and professional PowerPoint template that includes a set of gorgeously designed slides featuring portfolio slides, infographics, vector graphics, image placeholders, and much more.

Laforest – Modern Professional PowerPoint Template

Laforest PowerPoint template comes with 12 different files featuring the slideshow in 3 premade color schemes and in light and dark themes. It includes 30 professionally designed slides featuring timelines, mockups, image placeholders, and more.

Pastel – Free PowerPoint Template

Pastel is another great free PowerPoint template you can use to design a colorful and attractive presentation to showcase your portfolio. It’s free to use with personal projects.

Free Corporate Powerpoint Template

This free PowerPoint template comes with 15 unique slide designs you can use to design various business and corporate presentations. It includes lots of shapes, infographics, and illustrations as well.

Mochica – Modern Professional PowerPoint Template

Mochica features a minimalist design with lots of clean and white space. The PowerPoint template lets you choose from 5 color schemes and a total of 150 slides to design professional presentations.

Project Proposal – Modern Professional PowerPoint Template

With this professional PowerPoint template, you’ll be able to create attractive presentations for project proposals and meetings. The template is available in 4 different color themes and it features lots of unique slides for describing pricing, project scope, budget, and more.

Cella PitchDeck Modern Professional PowerPoint Template

This PowerPoint template will definitely come in handy for startups and businesses for making powerful pitch decks to promote and present their ideas and startups to investors. The template includes a total of 120 slides.

MINIMAL PROPOSAL – Modern Professional PowerPoint Template

Another modern and professionally designed PowerPoint template for making attractive proposal presentations. This template comes with 50 unique slides that feature 3D infographics, icons, vector illustrations, and more.

Yellow Bussiness – Modern Professional PowerPoint Template

Create unique and persuasive marketing and sales presentations using this PowerPoint template. It features 50 unique slides you can easily edit to change colors, text, images, and shapes.

Free Fashion PowerPoint Presentation Template

Another great free PowerPoint template for crafting slideshows related to photography and fashion design. The template includes 10 unique slides you can customize to your preference.

Motagua – Free Multipurpose PowerPoint Template

Motagua is a modern and attractive free PowerPoint template that can be used to design all kinds of design, business, and creative presentations. It comes with 12 unique slides based on master slide layouts.

Latte PowerPoint Presentation Template

Latte is a professional PowerPoint template that comes with a minimal and a modern design. The template features lots of space for showing off images with a beautiful color scheme. It includes over 50 unique slides based on master slides with vector graphics and portfolio slides.

Marketing Plan 2.0 PowerPoint Template

This is a PowerPoint template designed specifically for creating marketing-related presentations. It includes 30 unique slides that come in 10 different color schemes. The slides are also available in white and dark background versions. The slideshow is also fully animated and print-ready as well.

Modev Professional PowerPoint Template

This professional PowerPoint template is most suitable for creating slideshows for design agency and freelancer presentations. It features an elegant color design, which is available in Green, Blue, and Pink versions. Each template consists of 30 unique slides.

Minimal Presentation PowerPoint Template

Just as the title suggests, this is a minimalist PowerPoint template that comes with a total of over 300 slides. The template features a modern design that makes it ideal for SaaS and small business related presentations. It’s also available in 10 different color schemes as well.

Visionary – Attractive PowerPoint Design

Visionary is a professionally designed PowerPoint template that includes 80 unique multipurpose slides with vibrant colors. The template is available in 30 different color schemes and it comes with 98 master slide layouts for creating your own unique slides.

MUNINE PowerPoint Template

Munine is a PowerPoint slideshow template with a feminine design. It’s perfect for designing slideshows for fashion and clothing brand related presentations. The template features 60 unique slides in 50 different premade color schemes. Each template is also available in dark and light color versions as well.

iDea – Creative Company PowerPoint Template

Idea is a PowerPoint template designed specifically for marketing related presentations. It’s also perfect for making presentations for creative and design agencies as well. It includes 30 unique slides in 3 different color schemes.

Kalium Corporate PowerPoint Presentation

Featuring a professional design, Kalium PowerPoint template is most suitable for creating presentations for corporate businesses, brands, and agencies. It includes 50 unique slides that are easily customizable and featuring lots of vector graphics and elements. The slides also come equipped with animations as well.

SPLASH – PowerPoint Template

This PowerPoint template is ideal for design agencies and other creative businesses. It features slides with a modern design for easily highlighting your portfolio, case studies, team, and galleries. The template includes 32 unique slides that are available in 5 premade color schemes.

SIMPLY – PowerPoint Template

Simply is a creatively designed PowerPoint presentation template that includes 32 unique slides. It’s also available in 5 different color variations and features plenty of vector elements, such as infographics, charts, graphs, and more. You can easily edit it to customize the slides to your preference.

Oxygen PowerPoint Presentation

Oxygen is the perfect PowerPoint template for creating marketing and creative presentations. It comes with an attractive slide design and a drag and drop editing environment. The template includes 50 unique slides featuring infographics, maps, charts, and graphs.

SKETCH 1 PowerPoint Template

This creative template includes 40 unique slides that feature lots of sketch-based illustrations and icons. The template is also available in 50 different color variations and with hundreds of vector graphics, icons, and shapes.

Exotic Project Presentation Template

Featuring a minimal and a modern design, this PowerPoint template is best for showcasing your projects and products in your presentations. It’s also great for making presentations for corporate and small business presentations as well. The template includes 62 multipurpose slides in 20 different color schemes.

NEXT PowerPoint Template

Next is a highly visual PowerPoint template that comes with a set of slides with a modern design. It includes 20 unique slides in 50 different color styles, including dark and light themes. The slides are also filled with lots of vector graphics and icons as well.

Rising Sun PowerPoint Template

If you’re working on a presentation for a creative agency or a small business, this PowerPoint template will come in handy. This template includes 20 master slides featuring lots of vector elements, gradient colors, and icons.

Real Estate PowerPoint Template

This is a PowerPoint template designed specifically for making presentations related to real-estate agencies. The template features 20 unique slides with plenty of space for highlighting properties with large images. It also includes charts, diagrams, graphs, and vector icons as well.

Lean PowerPoint Template

Lean is a professionally designed PowerPoint template that’s ideal for creating business and corporate presentation slideshows. The template includes 20 master slides featuring lots of vector graphics, icons, and shapes.

Add Color PowerPoint Template

This colorful PowerPoint template is perfect for creating presentation slideshows for all types of occasions, including schools, colleges, marketing, fashion, and more. The template comes packed with vector charts and graphs as well.

Mapped PowerPoint Template

Mapped is a PowerPoint template with a modern design. It’s best for making slideshows for eCommerce businesses and startups. The template includes slides based on 20 master slides and animations.

Ruby PowerPoint Template

Featuring a set of 50 unique slides, this PowerPoint template is made specifically for creating presentations for business and corporate projects. It includes resizable vector graphics and gallery slides as well.

Express – Freestyle PowerPoint Template

Express is a unique PowerPoint template with a modern and a creative design that will certainly make your presentations stand out. It includes 30 slides featuring attractive brush-strokes, vectors, icons, and graphics. The template is also available in 3 different color schemes.

Modern Real Estate PowerPoint Template

Another PowerPoint slideshow template for creating presentations for real-estate businesses. The template includes 30 clean and modern slides that are available in 5 premade color schemes. It comes with resizable graphics, vector illustrations, portfolio slides, and lots more.

Timeline 2.0 for PowerPoint

This is a massive bundle of PowerPoint templates that includes 50 unique templates of timeline slides. You can use them to create business projections charts, product-related graphs, and more. The templates are also available in 10 different premade color schemes.

Tidama – Modern Business PowerPoint Template

This is one of the most elegant PowerPoint templates in this collection. If you’re looking for a theme to design a presentation for a luxury brand or high-end product, this template is perfect for you. It includes 39 slide layouts with fully editable designs.

Bakooh PowerPoint Template

With a confident look and clean, creative slides, this is a versatile, flat design PowerPoint template. It’s got a modern style that blends plenty of colorful graphics, powerful charts, and minimal design elements.

Doros PowerPoint Template

Need a PowerPoint presentation design template with a modern style? One that’s easy to customize? And comes packed with the right slide designs to communicate your message effectively? Look no further than Doros.

Mokka PowerPoint Template

If you like minimal PowerPoint design templates, check this out. This is a minimal PowerPoint presentation design with plenty of template options built-in. If you’ve got important information to present, this set delivers. It’s perfect for personal or corporate use. And comes with a ton of easy-to-edit features that are 100% customizable.

Rising PowerPoint Template

Think big and get ready to go bold with this modern PowerPoint design theme. It’s got a powerful set of unique PPT slide designs that’ll help your message stand out. It mixes striking images with compelling layouts and a confident type. It also includes quick to work with components that pack a creative punch.

5 Tips for Creating a Modern PowerPoint Presentation

If you’re new to designing PowerPoint presentations, these tips will help you create a more professional looking slideshow to win your audience.

1. Use Minimal and Professional Slide Designs

Let’s face it, all of the default templates included in PowerPoint are terrible and have outdated designs. They’ll never help make your presentation stand out from the crowd.

So start your process by finding a better and professionally designed PowerPoint template to make your slideshow look more creative and original. You’d be surprised to see the amazing designs on some of the templates you can download from third-party websites. They’ll make your old presentations look like something from the 1980s.

2. Find and Use Better Custom Fonts

Fonts take a major role in presentation slideshows as they help attract attention to each of your slides. Consider using custom fonts in your presentations.

With the right combination of a big bold title font and a body font with an easy to read design, you can create presentations to deliver a great user experience that shows off professionalism.

3. Write Shorter Sentences

In most cases, a PowerPoint presentation should focus on highlighting the key points of a speech and to visualize data. And you should keep it that way and avoid making your presentation look like a novel filled with long paragraphs.

You can achieve this goal by creating a content layout for including shorter sentences and paragraphs. Use bullet points and icons as well.

4. Add Shapes, Images, Charts, and Graphs

Modern PowerPoint presentations are usually very visually appealing and it’s beautiful to look at. You can make similar presentations by including lots of shapes and large images to make each slide look more creative.

You can also use charts and infographics to visualize data from studies, show projections, summarize reports, and even make strong statements.

5. Use a Modern Color Palette

While using minimal designs is always a great approach to designing professional PowerPoint slideshows, many modern presentations feature colorful designs as well.

Create a color palette that matches your brand and your industry. Use it to add a stylish look to each of the slides in your presentations while maintaining a persistent design.

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31 Free Modern Powerpoint Templates for Your Presentation

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By Lyudmil Enchev

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Updated April 2022: We’ve updated the article with new and fresh free modern PowerPoint templates

As part of Microsoft’s office suite PowerPoint is an absolute standard presentation tool for meetings, conferences, and especially these days online learning and instruction. Its visual nature and the fact that it is easy to use and can create a clear, effective presentation with numerous inbuilt effects and designs means that it lends itself ideally to any almost situation. Whilst the PowerPoint software already has templates that are proven, time-saving and effective, you may want to go for a more customized or specialized look and one way of creating something special is by using a range of alternative templates that are available for free online with a simple download.

In this article, we’ll bring you a great selection of 31 entirely free templates to wow your audience and save you time searching and save time creating, double plus. All are customizable and fully editable, just add your own content and images to suit.

You may also be interested in The Best Free PowerPoint Templates to Download in 2022

1. Zeen Aesthetic Free Powerpoint Template

Stand out a cool-looking design that is clean and organized inboxes and yet bold and modern. It screams for attention. It is fully editable and contains slides for images, tables, flowcharts, and graphs.

• Resolution – high 16:9 widescreen layout
• Number of slides – 15
• Color themes – black/white/grey/green

2. Infographic Templates for PowerPoint

A huge bundle of infographic templates, including 20 free infographic designs in modern style. The slides are compatible with PowerPoint, but also with other popular software solutions, such as Google Slides, Photoshop, Illustrator, and more.

• 20 free templates – a total of 539 modern templates for data visualization
• editable in PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote, Photoshop, Illustrator
• well-structured, and organized files

3. Quantities Free Powerpoint Template

Modern crisp template design lets you get your message across in a powerfully direct way. Strongly structural look, that allows plenty of possibilities for a wide range of businesses.

• Number of slides – 10
• Color themes – clean white/black pages

4. Nook Minimalist Free Powerpoint Template

A minimal palette of classic and classy black, white, and gold combinations. Oozes style and elegance.

• Resolution – high 16:9 widescreen layout
• Number of slides – 12
• Color themes – Classy black/white/gold

5. Ailie Free Powerpoint Template

A subtle and effective 15-slide PowerPoint template. A soft, gentle look, yet with strong borders for clear organization.

• Color themes – grey/white/muted blues

6. Marketing Plan Free Powerpoint Template

A comprehensive business or marketing template. Minimal design with clearly targeted areas including maps, charts, and infographics.

• Number of slides – 28
• Color themes – white/blue/grey

7. Free Modern Business Powerpoint Template

A two-color design choice of light or dark including charts, maps, diagrams, and other useful slides for multipurpose presentations. a smooth, consistent, well-ordered look.

• Resolution – High 16:9
• Number of slides – 2 color versions of 34
• Color themes – white/light blue or dark/blue

8. Aliena Free Powerpoint Template

A stunning futuristic gradient offering in stylish blue and purple. Its isometric illustrations make it ideal for technological themes. Includes a full customization icon family of 80.

• Resolution- 16:9 also suitable for 4:3
• Number of slides – 25
• Color themes – blue/ purple gradient

9. High-Tech Free Powerpoint Template

Futuristic bright neon colors and sleek graphic illustrations create a modern forward-thinking powerful presentation for business or learning environments.

• Resolution – 16:9 widescreen
• Number of slides – 21
• Color themes – gradient neon blue/pink

You may also be interested in these related articles:

• 23 Great Free Google Slides and PowerPoint Templates for Teachers
• The Best Free Infographic Templates in 2022 for Every Software
• The Best Minimalist Powerpoint Templates for Free Download

10. Juliet Free Powerpoint Template

An ideal presentation template for limited text and heavy on images.  Heavy multicolored painted brush strokes give a flash of entertainment and an artistic feel to each slide. Very creative.

• Resolution – 16:9 screen layout (can change to 4:3)
• Color themes – multicolored painted design

11. Watercolor Modern Free Powerpoint Template

A superb slideshow to set a calm, peaceful, and creatively artistic mood.  A variety of brushstrokes and painted techniques all held together with a gentle and attractive blue palette. Come with 1000+ icons and Flaticon’s extension for customizing your slides, many with an artistic theme.

• Resolution – 16:9 widescreen
• Color themes – blue/turquoise/green with black

12. Gower Free Powerpoint Template

A perfect design to emphasize teamwork in any situation. Friendly and personable, containing graphic illustrations of colleagues involved in a variety of activities.  It also includes a customizable icon family with 80 different icons and a world map.

• Resolution – 16:9 screen layout (Can change to 4:3)
• Color themes – white/ green accents

13. Modern Illustrations Free Powerpoint Template

An interesting style that takes its inspiration from online content. Modern, clear backgrounds allow the illustration to speak for themselves with a mixture of font styles adding extra vitality. Includes 500+ icons and Flaticon’s extension for customizing your slides.

• Number of slides – 29
• Color themes – white/grey and pastels

14. Modern Flat Free Powerpoint Template

Creative, lively, and colorful. The soft backgrounds really make the text and images pop, giving a modern look. Includes 500+ icons and Flaticon’s extension for customizing your slides

• Number of slides – 26
• Color themes – pale blue background, bright accent colors

15. Summer Free Powerpoint Template

A vintage cool theme of slightly muted colors that work great. A modern mood of active lifestyle choices in an upbeat yet relaxed presentation. Really creates the vibe. Plus it has 1000+ icons and Flaticon’s extension for customizing your slides

• Resolution – 16:9 widescreen format
• Number of slides – 11
• Color themes – muted natural sea/waves

16. Minimalist Design Free Powerpoint Template

Harmony and comfort are the watchwords for this slideshow presentation template. Clean backgrounds with large headings and elegant shapes exude balance and precision. There are also 1000+ icons split up into different themes to custom your slides whilst keeping the tone.

• Resolution – 16:9 widescreen format
• Number of slides – 30
• Color themes – soft browns, beige and natural greens

17. Minimal Mint Free PowerPoint Template

Clean, simple, and classy. The mint green accent used sparingly is incredibly effective in attracting and drawing attention to key points.  A modern, minimal and confident slideshow, that can be customized by 1000+ icons provided in themes.

• Color themes – dark greys/white and mint green

18. Rites Free PowerPoint Template

A slideshow that really pulls you in with sensuous, softness.  Visually attractive but subtle enough to make you want to spend time on each slide, nothing should be rushed. Stylish and relaxed.

• Resolution – 16:9 widescreen layout
• Number of slides – 30 +
• Color themes – Soft whites/pinks/blues

19. Rosalind Free PowerPoint Template

Attention-grabbing and full of life, there is nothing to hide with a bright pink background. The contrast white fonts mean it doesn’t overwhelm but it certainly leaves an impression. Come with a customizable icon family of 80 different icons and a world map, so it’s adaptable too.

• Color themes – vibrant pink/ slight gradient to purple

20. 3D Free Powerpoint Template

With a modern 3d look that is set off by an attention-grabbing gradient background, this PowerPoint presentation can’t fail to impress. Ideal for tech presentations or anything that wants to push toward a bright, bold abstract future. Hundreds of icons are available to enable you to make something very special.

• Color themes – gradient purples/blues

21. Black Friday Sales Free Powerpoint Template

Soft warm invited colors theme but still fresh and clear. A versatile, modern slideshow template that includes 1000+ icons as extra customizable options.

• Number of slides – 33
• Color themes – Soft gradient pink and purple

22. Modern Blue Free Powerpoint Template

Strong colors, clear typography, and organic shapes combine to deliver a rather funky, modern feel. Themes icons will give you the opportunity to add your own style to accompany your content and leave your mark.

• Color themes – blues/greens

23. Freesia Free Powerpoint Template

A fresh, interesting look that uses bright colors and organic, abstract shapes to lead you from slide to slide. Lots of positive energy and loads of additional free icons for easy customization.

• Number of slides – 31
• Color themes – white/yellow/orange

24. Modern Dark Blue Free Powerpoint Template

A dramatic slideshow with dark moody backgrounds and blood-red highlights creates instant visual impact. Add this to the rectangular theme that continues throughout and you get a serious statement piece of design that can really help you get your point across. Comes with over 500 icons and Flaticon’s extension for customizing your slides allowing for huge versatility.

• Number of slides – 23
• Color themes – Dark blue/ highlight red

25. Minimalist Newsletter Free Powerpoint Template

Readable and comfortable to read. a newsletter base that can easily be adapted with the use of your own content and photos. Carefully framed photos as backgrounds and with geometric patterns overlapping create a modern image and create an atmosphere that mixes the photos with the facts.

• Number of slides – 19
• Color themes – Available in five colors themes: black, purple, dark blue, red, and green

26. Porto Free Powerpoint Template

Short but beautifully formed. a to-the-point 9-slide PowerPoint template that can but used anywhere for anything. Balanced and unfussy, plenty of breathing space, simplicity, and room for you to be yourself.

• Number of slides – 9
• Color themes – light (editable)

Presentation Tip You Wish You Knew Earlier:

The shorter you keep the text, the better. In fact, some specialists suggest that you shouldn’t use more than 5-6 words per slide . And sometimes, a single word combined with a powerful visual is enough to nail the attention of the people sitting in front of you and make them listen to what you have to say.

27. Hexa Free Minimalist Powerpoint Template

Minimal, modern, and marvelous. Keep the focus on the content as the template design very much works with you on this one. simple and cool, like a breath of fresh air.

• Color themes – white/beige

28. Minimalist Inversement Free Powerpoint Template

A powerful design, intent on holding that attention span. Strong structural elements and stand-out bold headings mean you will never be lost here. There is a mix of various types of slides including timelines, charts, agenda slides, mockups, and many others, so the world is your oyster.

• Resolution – 16:9
• Number of slides – 24
• Color themes – 3 pre-made variations (mint green/mustard yellow/ sky blue

29. Window Minimal Free Powerpoint Template

A comprehensive template that allows great variations of presentation including charts, timelines, maps, and all infographic elements. Modern and minimal pushing content to the fore and taking a backseat where necessary. Statement design.

• Resolution – 16:9 HD
• Color themes – mainly white with 5 pre-made color variations

30. Pink Pastel Free Powerpoint Template

A gentle PowerPoint presentation that sits back and waits to be viewed. There is nothing forceful here but it is enticing with its soft comforting colors and elegant layout.

• Color themes – Pastel pink/green/white

31. Fresh Colors Free Powerpoint Template

A true whirlwind of a presentation, energetic, lively, wild, and certainly confident. A full selection of well-designed classic infographics, loads of space for explanations, and variety in buckets. What a way to end.

• Resolution – 16:9
• Number of slides – 17
• Color themes – White and bright

Final Words

If you’re going to spend time making something worth presenting why not take a little more time to make it something truly special. These templates will allow you to do exactly that thanks to the help of top PowerPoint designers. Save time for you to concentrate on your content and let the designers do their thing. All are fully editable, play with the colors and use your branding or school colors. add images and photos or use the ones provided  – and best of all they are free, free, free!

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Lyudmil Enchev

Lyudmil is an avid movie fan which influences his passion for video editing. You will often see him making animations and video tutorials for GraphicMama. Lyudmil is also passionate for photography, video making, and writing scripts.

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95+ PowerPoint Design Ideas for Your Next Presentation (2023)

What are the best powerpoint design ideas.

Are you working on a PowerPoint presentation that looks kind of blah? Do you want to make your slides look more professional and polished, but not sure how?

Well, you're in the right place! I've compiled this list of over 95+ design ideas you can quickly implement in your next PowerPoint presentation.  

If you put these design ideas into practice, you're going to create a presentation that not only communicates your message effectively but also leaves a lasting impression on your audience, whether it's your team, manager, or client.

Don't ever settle for bland, uninspired, or ugly slides. It doesn't take that much work to improve a presentation drastically. Here are some specific ideas to help you raise the bar on your next presentation.

Let's dive in.

95+💡 and counting., idea #1: chose the right colors.

Don't use the boring default colors that PowerPoint gives you!

Take a minute to either use your company's official color scheme by importing the theme, or if that doesn't exist, create your color theme using Canva or Adobe Color pickers.

Idea #2: Use high-quality images

You can find amazing royalty-free images from Unsplash or Pexels . So start with these two sites instead of searching Google images.

Idea #3: Use icons to illustrate ideas

There are hundreds of great icons available in Microsoft PowerPoint. You can click on Insert on the ribbon and look for the Icons button. These icons are a great way to add a nice little touch to your PowerPoint slide.

Idea #4: Use a consistent layout

This means making sure that all slides have the same formatting and layout. If you are building a presentation and pulling slides from many different presentations, take a little bit of time to reformat them so that they all have the same general look and feel.

Idea #5: Choose the right font pairing

If you're at a Fortune 500 company, chances are that corporate branding worked with a design agency like Duarte to create a great-looking corporate template with everything ready to go.

The general rule of thumb I follow is to have one font for the headlines and one for additional text on the slide.

Idea #6: Be concise with text

Generally, less is more. For example, no one wants to read a slide like this:

There's too much text on it, even if the information is important.

Idea #7: Upgrade your bullet points

One really easy way to upgrade your bullet points is to take them and lay them out horizontally on the slide. Then, add a little icon for each idea. This is a much more elevated look and feel (and so easy to do!)

Using bullet points :

Laying out the bullet points horizontally:

Idea #8: Use hierarchy

What this means is to think about what you want the reader to pay attention to and what should stand out on the page. Then, organize the information on the slide in a way that makes logical sense and makes it easy to follow along. Generally, what this means in practice is to have bigger text or ideas higher up on the page and smaller details or double clicks lower on the page.

Idea #9: Use thin lines to create separation

Draw thin lines to help create separation between elements on the page. Pro tip is to hold the shift key so that they lines are straight. If I have two different charts on a slide, I'll use thin lines right in the middle to create separation.

In the NYT's example below, the thin white lines add a nice, whimsical touch. It would still be very well organizedand easy to read without the line. However, the line give the slide a little more structure.

Idea #10: Use negative space

You dont' have to fill up every inch of the slide with content or pictures. Leave some room around the text. Leave some white space on the slide.

Or, just look at the slide below as an example of using white space. If you're not used to using white space, it does take some time getting used to.

Idea#11: Filter Google image search for "large"

If you have to add logos to a slide, just remember to try and find the highest resolution images you can on Google. You presentation will look much more professional and much more polished. Attention to details add up.

This is also true if you are looking for other images on Google. But if you remember my design tip from earlier, don't start on Google images because there are much better sites to find incredible imagery.

Idea #12: Use high contrast colors for text

Use a dark color if the background is white. Use a light color if the background is dark. Don't ever use yellow text on a white background because it's not going to be readable.

A tip I got from a friend in the Presentation Guild was to use a web tool such as The Accessible Color Generator to ensure colors you're using are readable for people with low vision or colorblindness.

Idea #13: Tables are you friend

Use tables to organize your content. I mean this literally. Draw a table (4x4, 5x5, etc), lay out your content, then delete the table. Your slide will now have this hidden structure that just makes everything on the page feel balanced.

Here is another example of using a table to organize content.

Idea#14: Use widescreen page ratio

It's 2023. Everything is digital. People read on their laptops, iPads, or widescreen monitors. It still surprises me when I see a PowerPoint presentation made with the 4:3 ratio. It just looks like something out of the 90s.

Sure, there are some situations where people want to see a printed copy of the presentaiton and you could argue the 4:3 ratio is better. But I don't buy it.

Compare the following two slides:

Always use the 16:9 page ratio. If it isn't currently your default—it's time to make the switch.

Idea #15: Keep it simple

If you can, always opt for simplicity over something complicated. If a slide is feeling too crowded, then edit some content out. Or, break up the one slide into two or three or even four slides.

Idea #16: Use columns for huge blocks of text

If you have to include a lot of text on a slide because of a legal or regulatory requirement, then use columns to make the text more reader friendly. Think back to printed newspapers or even magazine columns. The text never stretches across the entire width of the paper. Same idea here.

You can access this feature in the PowerPoint ribbon.

Idea #17: Respect (slide) boundaries

This isn't a hard and fast rule. However, if you keep the contents of your slide within the slide's boundaries, it will look more professional and clean. If you're going to break the boundaries, then do it with intentionality.

There are two common exceptions to this rule.

Idea #18: Use diagrams

Sometimes, an idea is easier to show with a diagram rather than explaining by text. If you decide to use a diagram, try to draw it with the basic shape tools built in PowerPoint.

Here's an example of a Pyramid diagram with different tiers.

Idea #19: Disguise SmartArt

PowerPoint's SmartArt looks very amateur unless you know how to disguise it well. There is definitely a stigma against SmartArt and I've seen many brand guides and PowerPoint presentation templates warn against using it.

I generally agree because when SmartArt is used willy-nilly, it looks very unprofessional.

However, if you strip it down to just the essential shapes and make the text 8pt Calibri (or whatever your body text is), then it could work:

Proceed with caution! Some of the SmartArt options should never, ever be used.

Idea #20: Use the grid

Turn on the grid under View.

Use the grid to help you align elements on the slide so that there is some underlying structure.

Idea #21: Design in Threes

Three is a magical number. People remember lists of three. Our culture loves lists groups of three.

Here are some examples of famous threes.

• The Three Musketeers - a novel by Alexandre Dumas about three French soldiers who protect their king and country.
• The Three Stooges - a comedy team from the early 20th century known for their slapstick humor.
• The Three Wise Men - also known as the Three Kings or Magi, they are mentioned in the Bible as the men who visited Jesus after his birth.
• The Three Little Pigs - a fairy tale about three pigs who build houses of straw, sticks, and bricks, respectively, and are targeted by a hungry wolf.
• The Three Blind Mice - a nursery rhyme about three mice who are chased by a farmer's wife and lose their tails.
• The Three Billy Goats Gruff - a Norwegian fairy tale about three goats who must outsmart a troll in order to cross a bridge.
• The Three Bears - a children's story about a family of bears whose house is visited by a little girl named Goldilocks.

Group your content into three buckets when possible.  Here are some examples of  this in practice.

Idea #22: Avoid cliches

When you're trying to find an image that captures an idea, don't settle for the first image that you find. Keep looking until you find something that is more unique.

Here are three ways of showing the future. Think about which one you would prefer and why.  

Idea #23: Avoid clip art

There are so many better alternatives for adding images to your presentation. Think about icons. Think about photos.

Idea #24: Use alignment

If you have a slide that's going to show a lot of logos, then use PowerPoint's alignment feature to help! Notice how well aligned each row if logos are in the slide below. Notice how the second row of logos is offset from the top row just a bit.

Idea #25: Have fun 🍩🦄

If you're working on a presentation, don't forget to have a little fun with the design. It doesn't have to be all work no play. I love Krispy Kreme's use of their own products to highlight the 5 pillars of their investment thesis.

It's playful, it's whimsical. And most importantly, it works! Here's another example of using a donut as a literal kind of expanded donut chart.

Idea #26: Don't forget the agenda slide

Help your readers navigate the deck by adding a simple agenda like the one below from PVH. Add it before every section to break up different chapters or sections.

I really like the text treatment of the chapter. It's bold and clear. Other previous chapters are in light grey. Still readale, but it is clear where we are going next.

Idea #27: Drop the drop shadows

Most slides are better off clean and simple. This means no extra drop shadows or weird lighting effects on the elements on the page. It is one less thing you have to think about and have to make consistent throughout the presentation. Also, drop shadows just feel dated.

Idea #28: Use eyebrow identification

"Eyebrow identification" is the text above the headline on a slide. It can be the name of the chapter or something that helps the reader understand where the content of the slide fits into the structure and organization of the overall presentaiton.

For example, the eyebrow identification on the NYT's slide below is "ENGAGEMENT AS A GROWTH DRIVER WITHIN PRODUCTS" and all the pages in the section have the same eyebrow identification.

Idea #29: Put screenshots in context

If you're going to be talking about digital or social media, for example, then show it on the slide as it would be seen by a consumer. Ask a presentation designer to help set up the iPhone shape. Then add in a screenshot proportionally as an image.

I love the example below because it clearly shows how two fashion brands come to live on brand owned and operated (O&O) sites and how consumers are going to most likely experience it (through their mobile device).

Idea #30: Show, don't just tell

A few well closen images can really bring an idea to life. Think about the content of the slide and if there's a way to bring a human element to what you're writing about.

In the KDP slide below, they are talkingabout Direct Store Delivery, a rather dry topic. However, the images of their employees who make it happen, bring the idea to life in a way words alone cannot.  

Idea #31: Group like objects together

Instead of one long list of bullet points, try grouping similar objects together. Think about what the buckets are and how you can categorize the items on the list.

Idea #32: Break content into columns

If there is a lot of information you have to cover on one slide, then use columns to do it. I've found this very useful for 1 page type summaries.

Idea #33: Use the quadrant structure

If you have 4 ideas or topics that you want to cover on one single slide, consider using the quadrant structure and putting each idea into it's own quadrant.

Idea #34: Hard pass on the 3D, please

As a general rule of thumb, avoid 3D as much as possible. It doesn't every  add any value. And it doesn't even add aesthetic value. It just looks dated.

Idea #35: Go with conventions

Try to leverage existing conventions instead of rewriting them. For example, if you have a normal line chart, then keep the typical conventions and have the Y-axis on the left and the X-axis on the bottom.

The chart below violates this convention and distracts from the message. Higher penetration means higher earnings. I had to spend extra time digesting the chart and wondering why the Y-axis was on the right instead of the left. When a chart convention is broken, there should be a good reason. There is no good reason for the example below.

Here's an example where you are using existing conventions to illustrate an idea. A higher out of stock number is bad. You want low out of stocks in order to capture all sales.

Idea #36: Go big

When using pictures, don't be afraid to go BIG! A bigger picture zoning in on key details is much stronger visually. Crop in to focus on what matters. This is an key composition idea from photography and carries over in the presentation design.

Idea #37: Drop the clutter

It is perfectly fine to have just one key message on a slide, especially if it's a high note in your presentation. Get rid of anything that distracts from the message. No lines, no arrows, no commentary.

Idea #38: Use icons in the first column

This is a great way to break up a table that has too much text. A simple icon at the beginning of each row makes the slide much more welcoming and visually interesting. The icons are also very simple.

Idea #39: Red is bad, green is good

Use the color red to highlight challenges. Use the color green to highlight what is going well. These are universally understood color conventions.

Idea #40: Match text color

Pull the theme colors all the way through to the text headers. Know what colors are used for what purpose.

This is a nice way to add color with meaning to a slide. Each color identifies a different strategy.

Idea #41: Use your theme colors only

They're in here for a reason. The first four are for text and background. The next 6 are the "accent" colors that you should be using on your slide.

Idea #42: Try AI image generators

If you're trying to find that perfect image, but can't seem to find anything from Unsplash or Pexels, then try one of the new AI image generator tools!

Here are a few quick guides to get you started!

Idea # 43: Summarize a key takeaway... again

The headline should make your key point clear and easy to understand. However, it's also helpful to add some color or detail to the commentary in the form of a call out next to the chart.

Idea #44: Play with Presenation Designer

This is going to be hit or miss. But try PowerPoint's new Designer tool.

It can help generate some concepts for title slides or transition slides. For analytical slides, it won't be able to offer much assistance. Hoewver, it is getting better and better all the time.

Idea #45: Give text breathing room

Put spacing before and after text so that it is not scrunched up and has room to breathe. This is similar to the idea of using white space strategically.

Idea #46: Add emphasis with bold or color

Use your accent color to highlight what you want the reader or audience to focus on. It's a nice, simple way to call attention to something important without having to draw extra arrows or other shapes.

Idea #47: Use SVG or PNG for logos

SVG logos can scale up in PowerPoint without losing any definition. PNG image files are the next best option because they can have a transparent background which means you can use it on white or black backgrounds.

JPGs are the last option because they lose resolution when saved (unless you set PowerPoint to not downsize any images).

What you want to avoid at all costs is having pixelated logos or images on a slide. You want to strive to be a professionalwith attention to detail.  

Idea #48: Add transparency to de-emphasize

You can add transparency to images or content on a page in order to de-emphasize it and have your reader focus on something else on the slide.

Idea #49: Use visual cues

Use boxes, arrows, or other visual cues to point your audience to the key information on the slide. This is most helpful if you are showing a big table with a lot of rows and columns. Use a box to highlight where the focus should be.

Idea #50: Get rid of background images

The principle is to keep slides simple. A white backgrounds is perfectly acceptable. There's no need to put something in the background just to have something in the background.

The example below is what you should aim to avoid. It's hard to tell what the picture even is and teh slide would be much better if it were just plain white. There would actually be higher contrast between the text and the pure white background making the slide easier to read.  

Idea #51: Never underestimate the bar chart

If you make a lot of charts, there may come a time when you're tempted by novelty and want to try a different kind of chart for year over year sales comparison. However, sometimes, all you need is a simple bar chart.

Idea #52: Use color to highlight one bar only

This is a great way to tell your audience where their attention should be and why. Change just one bar to a color that stands out and explain why it matters.

Idea #53: Master the waterfall chart

Often, this is one of the most insightful charts because it breaks down where you were, what happened, and where you will end up. It clearly breaks out different drivers of the business and shows the relative importance of each driver.

Idea #54: Add a comparison bar to the waterfall

A comparison bar chart is a great frame of reference to help understand where a brand/business should be, even if it is not quite there yet.

The examplebelow shows how KDP is planning to grow their Single serve Keurig cup coffee business so that it can reach the Household penertaion of Belgium or France.

Idea #55: Decide between chart or table

If there's one key idea you want to focus on, then you'll likely use the chart. If there are a lot of numbers and you want to be able to compare quickly, then you will want to use a table.

Idea #56: Swap pie/donut charts for bar or waterfall charts

This isn't bad, but it's even easier to compare segment sizes when the data is shown as a bar chart. The waterfallchart s also a modern way of showing how different segments sum up to the while.

These donut charts might be easier to read as column charts.

Idea #57: Make a statement with a sorted bar chart

I love how clearly and powerfully the slide below makes the case that Peloton is a stock underperformer. The color red highlights how it is far below peers. No other companies on the chart really matters so their names are not called out on the Y-axis.

Idea #58: Use a dotted line to show forecasts

To differentiate actualized data and forecasted data, use a dotted line for the forecast. You can add different colors to show low/medium/high scenarios .

Idea #59: Use total difference arrows

If you have Think-Cell, you can add these very easily and they stay automatically updated based on the underlying data. If you don't have Think-Cell, you can draw these arrows manually.

These total difference arrows makes it very easy for your audience to see the year over year change.

In the context of the whole slide.

Idea #60: Show off with bar charts

Bar charts are so easy to read and so easy to understand that you can use them to show off how well something is going. The difference between column heights will help you drive your message home.

Idea #61: Use Harvey Balls

These are most common in consulting style presentations, but are a really great way to see how much progress has been made on different areas or initiatives.

Idea #62: Add data below column chart

It's could be helpful to see % Change vs Year Ago or some other relevant statistic below a column chart.

The example below shows the impact of increased "Price/Mix" and "Volume." It's helpful because it tease out what is driving the overall $ Volume Growth.

Idea #63: Use overlapping circles to show market size

This is a classic diagram that helps frame up how big the market for a category is. It's visually very easy to understand and it doesn't have to be proportional to the actual area of the circles.

Idea #64: Use breaks on the Y-axis

If you want to zoom in on the difference between numbers that are relatively close together, the sneaky way is to charge the starting point of the Y-axis to a big number. This can cause suspicion for the data skeptics in your audience! Argubly, it tricks your audience into thinking that the difference looks bigger than it actually is.

However, if you add a break on the Y-axis, you are doing the same thing and letting your audience know that there has been some data taken out in order to show the difference more clearly. This is a much better way.

Idea #65: Build a data story with a triptych

Use 3 charts on 3 panels in order to tell a story. Ealier, we talked about the magic behind the number 3. It's back again!

Each part of the triptych reveals more information and ultimately supports the slide's main message.

Idea #66: Get rid of gridlines

Gridlines fall under the category of "chart junk" because it adds visual clutter without adding any value.

The gridlines on the chart below are not needed because the key message is that 57% of the beverage can carbon footprint can be cut. That is very clear from the numbers in the last column.

Notice how much cleaner a chart looks with there are no gridlines.

Idea #67: Show growth rates

For stacked column charts, add the growth rate for each category off to the right hand side of the chart. This is great context for the audience and provides a frame of reference and a key metric they'll be thinking about.

Idea #68: Make it obvious

When you are the subject matter expert and worked on a study, it is easy to get enamored with the nuance and the subtleties. Think about the audience and simplify your message and your chart.

The NYT's does a great job of making the insight obvious. The topic at hand are randomized control trials (RCTs) and subscriber conversion optimization. Very heady and technical topics. However, they simplify it and show that conversion are higher with their two marketing tactics at work.

Idea #69: 👍 or 👎

Quickly show if a category or business driver is a good guy or bad guy. You an use Chose an icon that means good and an icon that means not-so-good.

There's an example from KDP. I would've changed the blue to red to make it more clear that those items are headwinds against the business.

Idea #70: Use a scatter plot to find winners

Charting out categories based on 2 axis will help to identify winners and losers. In the example below, the top right quadrant represents categoriesthat are both (1) have high unit volumes and (2) have high growth rates. These are the categories that are most promising.

Idea #71: Use color to make one line the focus

Line charts are great to see trends over time. I like using them to look at seasonality over a 52 week period and year over year. Hoever, there's usually n point in giving each year a different color because the year that matters the most is the current year.

Idea #72: use a combo chart to compare data that is categorically different

Here, we're looking at ice cream sales volume by month and comparing it to the month's average temperature. If we plotted another food category that has seasonality, such as sports drinks, then it would be better to show both categories as lines or bars. But in this scenario, because temperature is categorically different than dollar sales, it is helpful to make that obvious by choosing a different chart type for each category

Idea #73: Use tables to organize information

Tables are a great way to organize information. It is always a good idea to start with a table because they can be easily customized and are so flexible. They also provide great structure and organization.

Idea #74: Use text boxes to call out key details

It is very helpful to see this information called out on the chart directly versus reading it in the headline and trying to map it to the chart.

Idea #75: Use a 100% stacked bar chart

A 100% stacked bar chart is used to show the relative proportions of different categories in a dataset, with each bar representing 100% of the data. In this type of chart, the bars are divided into segments, with each segment representing a different category within the dataset.

100% stacked bar charts are useful when you want to compare the relative sizes of different categories and see how they contribute to the whole. They can be particularly effective when the data involves a large number of categories, making it difficult to compare individual values in a regular bar chart.

Idea #77: Use brand logos instead of text

It is more fun to see brand logos than text. however, this requires much more work to find each logo from Google Images and then format and align it on the slide. However, the payoff is worth it.

Idea #78: Just the KPI

Not all data has to be put into a chart. It can be helpful to see a single number for where a brand is today and where it hopes to be at some point in the future. The KPI would suffice and might even be more visually impactful.

Idea #79: Set the right tone

Make sure that there is purpose and intention for every image/chart/graphic that you use and that it sets the right tone for the kind of presentation you want to have.

If it were up to me, I would've chosen a different visualization for the goal of doubling operating cash flow on this slide from Ball Compay. That kind of stack of Benjamins seems more appropriate in an episode of Breaking Bad or a rap music video than an Investor Day Presentation.

Idea #80: Screenshots are for drafts only

For a final presentation, a professional takes the time to reformat data into a clean and easy to digest format for the reader. Screenshots are great for ideating or drafting an early version of a deck. However, they should be replaced by a table or formatted to be consistent with the rest of the presentation.

Idea #81: Add a line to benchmark

Add a line to show where the average or benchmark performance is. This helps the audience understand the context and what can be considered strong performance.

Idea #82: Callout bubbles

Add numbered callout bubbles next to key line items and then add commentary for each bubble. This is helpful for navigation within the slide.

Idea #83: Add a timeline

Timelines are a great way to see where a brand has been and where it's going. It's a lot of work to build a custom timeline, so it's best to use one that comes with the theme or draw one keeping everything as simple as possible.

Idea #84: Save 3D for video games

Simplify the pie charts and make them flat. Remember, no 3D needed. In the example below, it would also help to chose a different blue for the "Investments" category since that blue blends in with the background color.

Idea #85: Keep axis the same proportion

To avoid confusing the reader, try to keep the Y-axis scale the same if you have two bar charts on the same page that are aligned and have the same units.

I like the slide below because the Y-axis is the same even though the different colors clearly shows that one chart is abotu Total Revenue and the other chart is about Subscription Revenue, a subset of Total Revenue.

Idea #86: Switch up the good 'ole bar chart

If your presentation has way too many bar charts, it might be time to add some variety to spice up the deck. An alternative is the buble area chart. It's not going to be as exact as the bar chart. The tradeoff is that it is not as easy to compare the area of a circle (pi * r^2) versus the height of a bar.

However, it does add variety. Look at the chart on the left of the slide below as an example.

Idea #87: Don't make the audience turn their head

Try to keep text horizontal as much as possible. This is much more natural and easier to read. When text is vertical, as on the slide below, it requires much more work from the audience to take in the information and to process it.

Idea #88: Diagram x Chart

Sometimes a diagram isn't quite right. And a chart alone isn't enough either. Say hello to the Diagram Chart which can be used to explain an overall idea or trend.

Idea #89: Use color boldly

Look how the confident following slide is in its use of color. It's clear that there are 3 different points being made based on the three different charts. A serious presentation can still be bold in its use of color. It doesn't have to be all black and white.

Idea #90: Use a low/med/high grid to rate

This is similar to a heatmap, except there isn't a gradient but rather distinct colors representing how low/high each mapped pair is.

Idea #91: Create a grid of charts

This is. a very advanced data visualization technique and requires a lot of planning and analysis beforehand. Instead of just one chart, it's 9 different, but related, charts in a 3x3 grid. Columns are parties in the value chain. Rows are the supply chain facts under investigation.

This is an incredible slide that is very, very hard to execute in practice.

Idea #92: Leave the executive summary for last

Once you're done building your presentation, go back and write the executive summary. Highlight the most important insights from the deck. What do you want the reader to take. away if they don't have time to review any actual slides, only the executive summary? That should guide your content on this page.

Idea #93: Add a thank you page

It's always a nice touch to thank your audience for their time and consideration.

Idea #94: Add page numbers

Page numbers make navigation so much easier. And if you're in presentation mode, my favoritehack is to type in a page number followed by the Enter key. Instead of having to flip through dozens of slides, this shortcut jumps straight to the page number you entered!

Idea #95: Try out Football Field charts

If you want to compare ranges between different categories, then use a Football Field chart. These are relatively modern charts that I've been seeing more and more often. You may need a PowerPoint add on such as Think-Cell in order to easily create it.

It's basically a rotated line chart with a low and a high number.

More to come!

I will continue to add to this list, so stay tuned.

The PowerPoint Template Guide: Top PowerPoint Design Ideas and Templates

Do you ever find yourself searching Google for hours looking for the right PowerPoint design ideas and templates for a resume , proposal or contract , and come up with nothing tangible to use?

We have taken the burden of scouring the internet for PowerPoint design dieas off you by compiling these amazing PowerPoint templates for your next proposal .

Before we proceed, we may have some newbies or technophobes that may be wondering how to actually make a PowerPoint template in the first place. Not to worry, we’ve got that covered too, coupled with helpful PowerPoint tips to get you started in no time.

How to Make a PowerPoint Template

1. Launch PowerPoint on your PC or Mac and open a blank presentation.

2. At the top of the window, click on “Design” and pick a theme and slide size. If you wish, you can use the Format Background button found on the right-hand side to customize your theme.

Next, navigate to the “View” tab > Slide Master. This way, you get to see your master slide every time, and you can use it to make other slides.

Now, you can edit several things on your PowerPoint presentation. Don’t hesitate to try different settings, buttons etc., until you get the exact theme you want.

Remember to use a secure document sharing tool when sending sensitive documents to clients and customers to protect your data .

FAQ: Creating a PowerPoint Template

1. how do i create a powerpoint template in powerpoint.

• Launch PowerPoint on your PC or Mac and open a blank presentation.
• Click on “Design” at the top and choose a theme and slide size or customize your theme using the Format Background option.
• Go to the “View” tab and select “Slide Master” to access the master slide.
• Edit the master slide and customize various design elements.
• Save the presentation as a template for future use.

2. Can I customize the design of my PowerPoint template?

Yes, you can customize the design of your PowerPoint template by editing the master slide. You can change fonts, colors, backgrounds, and other design elements to match your brand or style.

3. What are the benefits of using PowerPoint templates?

PowerPoint templates save time by providing a consistent design for your presentations. They help maintain branding consistency and make it easier to create professional-looking slides.

4. Where can I find unique PowerPoint templates for my business presentations?

You can find a variety of unique PowerPoint templates for business presentations on websites that offer templates, such as Microsoft Office templates, PowerPoint template marketplaces, and design resources.

5. Can I use PowerPoint templates for different aspects of my business presentations, like marketing and sales?

Yes, PowerPoint templates can be used for various aspects of your business presentations, including marketing, sales pitches, business plans, and more. You can adapt templates to suit different content needs.

6. Are there templates available for specific business niches or industries?

Yes, many template providers offer industry-specific templates designed for various business niches, such as technology, finance, healthcare, and more. You can find templates tailored to your industry.

7. How do I switch between different PowerPoint templates within a presentation?

You can switch between different PowerPoint templates within a presentation by applying the desired template to individual slides. Select a slide, go to the “Design” tab, and choose the template you want to apply.

8. Can I edit a PowerPoint template after applying it to a presentation?

Yes, you can edit a PowerPoint template even after applying it to a presentation. Simply go to the Slide Master, make your edits, and they will be reflected in the slides using that template.

9. Are there templates compatible with other presentation software, like Google Slides?

Yes, some PowerPoint templates are compatible with other presentation software, such as Google Slides and Keynote. Look for templates that offer multiple format options for cross-compatibility.

10. Do I need special design skills to create or use PowerPoint templates?

While design skills can be helpful, you don’t necessarily need them to create or use PowerPoint templates. Many templates are user-friendly and come with pre-designed elements that you can easily customize.

Without further delay, here are our top PowerPoint design ideas!

Top 28 PowerPoint Design Ideas and Templates for Your Business Proposals in 2021

1. solusis business powerpoint presentation.

This PowerPoint template comes with over 50 16:9 widescreen HD resolution unique slides. They’re based on master slides together with a free font and 500 icons you can use.

2. Alloyz PowerPoint Business Template

This template has about 30 amazing slides and design ideas which will perfectly convey your story during your business presentation with ease. It comes with editable vector shapes and icons to enhance your presentation.

3. Blesi Business PowerPoint Template

The Blesi creative template has about 30 beautiful slides that make use of a master slide system for easy editing . It also has editable shapes and vector icons so your business presentation can have the impact you desire.

4. Morning Business PowerPoint Template

This template has an ultra-modern, unique, and professional design which is perfect for your business proposals. It comes with media placeholders together with a drag and drop placeholder that all images can use.

5. Klai Business for PowerPoint

This template has more than 30 full HD resolution slides for superb visuals and creative design ideas. It is completely resizable and editable to meet your business proposal needs.

6. Clean Business Presentation Template

The Clean Business Presentation template has 50 distinctive slides in full HD resolution to tell your story perfectly. It has transitions, animations, and it also includes a free font. This modern and clean template is perfect for your business proposal .

7. Business Showcase PowerPoint Template

This template comes with 30 unique HD resolution slides that are fully editable in PowerPoint. This way, you don’t need additional skills to use the template. It is perfect for a product showcase presentation.

8. Forseti Business PowerPoint Template

This template gives you 30 slides with the newest layouts. Also, they’re all based on a master slide, and it comes in 16:9 full HD resolution that you can personalize with free web fonts.

9. SWOT Business Presentation Template

The SWOT pack has a massive 111 unique slides with numerous aspect ratios that give the best viewing resolution. Also, it comes with handmade infographics to help you during your business presentations.

10. Business Report 2.0 PowerPoint Template

This template comes with 77 unique slides and texts, color schemes and shapes that are easy to edit. It comes with standout graphics and it’s a great business presentation tool.

11. New Store Powerpoint Template

The New Store PowerPoint Template gives a total of 150 slides so you can have a business presentation that stands out. The template provides hand-crafted infographics and pixel-perfect illustrations to get your message across.

12. A Store PowerPoint Template

This template fulfils both your personal and business needs adequately. It comes with more than 150 slides that’ll get you set in no time. Also, it has pixel-perfect illustrations and hand-crafted infographics.

13. Social Media Powerpoint Template

This PowerPoint template comes with full HD resolution and is retina-ready. It contains 80 unique slides that’ll help create the best business presentation you’ve ever had. You’ll also find infographics, icons and mockup devices in the pack.

14. Social Media Pro Powerpoint Template

This template comes with 35 unique slides together with device mockups. You can also drag and drop images and the 4:3 and 16:9 are in HD resolutions. It also has an icon set and 150 editable fonts.

15. Social Media Guide PowerPoint Design Ideas

This PowerPoint template provides a professional feel for business presentations. It has 32 master slides that let you choose the best layout for your presentation. That’s not all, it comes with diagrams, tables and charts to enhance your presentation.

16. Business Strategy Powerpoint Template

To get you started, this template has 70 unique slides that is fully editable. It also has vector icons, maps and elements, together with 5 light and dark template versions.

17. Minimalist Business Strategy Template

This stunning minimalist business template has 50 unique slides in stunning full HD. In addition, it comes with animations, transitions, and a free font. It’s effortless to modify to suit your needs and bring your PowerPoint design ideas to life.

18. Business Strategy PowerPoint Design Ideas

The Business Strategy template has all the slides you need to create a compelling business presentation and present your company. It includes a complete set of vector icons, an editable world map, and free fonts.

19. Eleska Sales & Marketing Pitch Template

This template is quite large and it has 30 unique slides in 4 various color variations. It completely editable and it comes in superb full HD resolution, which is perfect for your business needs. Also, It comes with vector shape illustrations you can use.

20. Ozone Sales PowerPoint Template

This template is simple, clean and unique, and it comes with 60 multipurpose slides. The best part is that it has an unlimited color option, allowing you to show your brand colors. To top it all, it’s designed in HD resolution.

21. Digital Marketing Powerpoint Template

This template comes with 40 unique PowerPoint design ideas and you can edit it in PowerPoint. It has slide transition and object animations and an editable icon set that will get you started for your next business presentation.

22. Marketing Toolbox PowerPoint Template

With this template, you’ll get the main set of slides needed for your business presentation and it keeps you focused on the essential objects. It also comes with tables, pixel-perfect illustrations, hand-crafted infographics, and charts you can edit easily.

23. Digital Marketing Agency for Powerpoint

This template is loaded with a master page, an editable layout, and 60 unique PowerPoint design ideas. It has 8 pre-made themes to ensure your business proposal stands out to take things a notch further. With this template, you can deliver captivating presentations.

24. Marketing Powerpoint Design Ideas

This PowerPoint template gives you a set of 1,000 icons and it is completely animated. As usual, it comes in a full HD resolution, and it’s easy to use.

25. Impressivv Marketing Template

The Impressivv PowerPoint template comes with 30 modern layout slides, which are all based on master slides. The template is in full HD resolution and it includes vector icons you can easily customize with the colors and fonts of your brand.

26. Bold Ideas PowerPoint Template

This template is equipped with 20 master slides in the regular 4:3 size, allowing you to choose the layout that suits your needs best. The contemporary, sophisticated layouts offer more than just backgrounds, bullets, and fonts; the template also has matching diagrams, charts, and several other visualization elements to enhance your presentation.

26. ICO Business Plan PowerPoint Template

This template comes with 40 editable, unique, and high definition aspect ratio slides. It also has 30 business concepts together with great flat vector images to display your best visuals.

27. Dinalis Startup Business Plan Powerpoint

The Dinalis Startup template comes with 50 editable and unique PowerPoint design ideas with a 2-color theme variation. It will always look good on all screens thanks to its native HD resolution and the template comes with several vector shapes.

28. Startup & Business PowerPoint Design Ideas

This perfect template is for established businesses and startups to pitch any idea. This template is compatible across multiple platforms, including Keynote, PowerPoint, and Google Slides, to ensure you’re covered across board.

Jeremy from Sizle.io

We write regular document sharing tutorials, tips to help you be more productive.

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• Presentations

36 Best PowerPoint Template Designs (For 2024 Presentations)

Responsive PPT Layout for 2024

Responsive is a premium PPT design with:

• 5 color schemes
• handmade infographics

Buxe PPT Presentation Template Design

Buxe is a versatile set of PowerPoint templates, thanks to:

• modern style
• plenty of graphics
• minimalist elements
• ready to customize

The X Note: Good PowerPoint Templates

Need great PowerPoint design templates? The X Note offers:

• 40+ unique slides
• 4 premade themes
• device mockups
• image placeholders

Cleira Clean PPT Background Design

Cleira is one of the best PPT layouts. It comes with:

• 150+ slide designs
• 5 color variations
• pixel-perfect illustrations

Agio: Great PowerPoint Themes

For PowerPoint design templates, check this out:

• 9 color themes
• 16:9 HD slide format
• easy-to-edit files

Mystify PPT Presentation Template Design

Mystify is one of the top modern PowerPoint templates. It's got:

• 80+ unique slides
• animations and transitions
• free font used
• drag-and-drop master pages

Golazo PowerPoint Slide Template

This is one of the best PPT design templates for creative corporate presentations. It has:

• 10 color schemes
• 118 master slides
• light and dark versions

Simpleco Modern PowerPoint Template

Here's a PPT design that comes with:

• 93 unique slides
• 2 color themes
• 2 aspect ratios
• vivid infographics

Moda Fashion & Style PowerPoint Design Templates

Present a fashion-forward topic with Moda. Featuring:

• 3 premade themes
• neat transitions
• drag-and-drop image placeholders

Volt Premium PowerPoint Template Design

Volt is an electric PPT presentation template design. It's packed with:

• 120 unique slides
• master slides
• infographics

Gixa: Best PPT Layouts

With gold and white colors, Gixa is a great PPT design. You'll get:

• 50 unique slides
• customizable PPT background design
• vector 3D infographics

Planetarium: Great PowerPoint Themes

Step into the beauty of the night sky with Planetarium. It offers:

• 32 master slides
• editable objects
• great layout for science presentations

Everlux Elevated PPT Background Design

Enjoy the energetic design of Everlux. Featuring:

• 16:9 HD widescreen
• editable shapes, colors, text, and images

Waterloo: Great PowerPoint Themes

If what you're looking for is a splash of color, try Waterloo. It has:

• 30 unique slides
• handcrafted infographics
• resizable and editable graphics

Himense PPT Background Design

Himense's PowerPoint background design has a ton of features:

• 5 premade colors
• drag-and-drop placeholders

Writing: Elegant Design for PowerPoint

An ideal PowerPoint background design for writers. You'll get:

• 25 unique slides
• section break slides

Lemona Template Design for PPT

This design is a great starting point. Its features include:

• based on master slides

BEAT PowerPoint Background Design

We got the BEAT! This design option offers:

• 50 creative slides
• 50 XML color files
• 1,000 ready-to-use icons

Landing Slide: Colorful PowerPoint Design

Here's a good PowerPoint template with a colorful layout. You'll get:

• 5 premade color themes
• attractive shapes

Nikahin: Sophisticated PowerPoint Template Design

If you're not design savvy, worry not! Nikahin is a PPT design that offers:

• gallery and portfolio slides

Livy Design for PPT Template

If minimalism is more your speed, try Livy. Featuring:

• creative and modern design

Autumn PowerPoint Design

Represent the colors, look, and feel of the fall with this template. It has:

• 20 unique slides

Spectre: Good PowerPoint Design

Spectre gets your presentation noticed with its features:

• animated layouts
• editable graphics

Floralist: Best PowerPoint Templates

Floralist has a botanic twist. With the best PPT layouts, you'll get:

• 5 color themes
• minimalist and elegant design

Person Energetic Design for PPT

Give your presentation an energetic presence with this PPT design. It offers:

SPACE PPT Template Design

Fill your presentations with power and cool colors with SPACE. Featuring:

• 40 curated colors
• diagrams, charts, and timelines
• photo galleries

Retro PowerPoint Background Designs

This Retro template is ideal for business pitches. Enjoy:

• 30 multipurpose slides
• clean and simple design
• widescreen & standard sizes

B&W PowerPoint Template

Go black and white with this PowerPoint template. It has:

• well-organized features
• creative image placeholders

PATTERN Creative Design for PowerPoint

The cool shapes in this PowerPoint template make it outstanding. You'll find:

• 81 unique slides
• master slides layout
• easily editable charts

CRYPTO PowerPoint Presentation Design

This PPT design makes your presentation cool and technological. It has:

• 122 unique slides
• maps and diagrams
• 1920x1080 resolution

Cleaning Services PowerPoint Template

If you own a cleaning business, check out this template. It offers:

MURO: Best PowerPoint Templates

Good PowerPoint templates are often minimalist, simple, and modern. This one offers that, and:

• 115 unique slides
• easy-to-use layout
• vector devices
• file documentation

Aequor PPT Design

This presentation design will impress your audience. Enjoy:

• 50+ creative slides
• colorful graphics

NOVA: Best PPT Design

Nova is great for a tech company. It's clean, scalable, and offers:

• 90 creative slides
• 16:9 HD resolution
• 50 XML color themes
• 30 ready-to-use icon slides

Terra PPT Design Template

Try the Terra PPT design if you want fun and vitality. You'll get:

Nuevo Modern PowerPoint Template

Nuevo is a modern PPT design. It has:

• 61+ unique slides
• high-quality layout
• white and dark themes

Design Your Next Presentation With a Top PowerPoint Template

Check out the best PowerPoint templates for 2024, with on-trend designs that'll set your presentation apart. Free PowerPoint themes won't give you the quality of premium PowerPoint slide templates from Envato Elements.

Download an inspirational presentation design now. Add your ideas to the slide layouts quickly to present with impact to your audience. And remember, premium PowerPoint presentation designs are a better choice than free designs for PowerPoint.

Discover more popular PowerPoint presentation design templates from Envato Elements.

Editorial Note: This article has been completely rewritten to make it more usable for the reader.

PowerPoint Design Ideas

Make yourself and your PowerPoint presentation stand out by scoring with PowerPoint design ideas on your slides. Take advantage of the variety of design options in PowerPoint from creating your layout or background to refining the design of individual slide elements.

Deploy design elements skillfully to underscore what you’re saying. Skillfully convey facts, figures, and content through the effective use of PowerPoint design ideas. Thoughtfully design your slides to remain memorable after your presentation and achieve your presentation goals.

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Flat Design: Eye-Catching for PowerPoint Presentations

PowerPoint Timelines: 7 Great Ways to Use Timelines to Add to Your Presentations

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The 4 Design Principles in PowerPoint!

Present tables and figures clearly in PowerPoint: Tips and Tricks!

Bending PowerPoint Text: Curved Text as Design Element for Your Presentation

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13 PowerPoint Presentation Tips to Create Engaging Presentations

Written by: Chloe West

Have to create a PowerPoint presentation and dread it? Your presentations don’t always have to be dry, boring and limited. With these PowerPoint presentation tips, you’ll be able to put together a dynamic and engaging presentation. 

If you're looking for a better alternative to PowerPoint, use our Presentation Software  and  presentation templates to create impactful slide decks that will captivate your audience.

Let’s start from the very beginning before you even open up your presentation tool.

• Start by writing out your talking points.
• Get creative with your slide design.
• Keep your design consistent throughout.
• Make your presentation interactive.
• Add animation.
• Put together seamless transitions.
• Use text creatively.
• Align objects with the grid.
• Create non-linear presentations.
• Place shapes strategically.
• Crop images into shapes.
• Utilize the presenter notes.
• Use a dynamic presentation software.

1. Start by writing out your talking points.

The first thing you need to do, before even considering your presentation design, is to write out your talking points and outline your speech.

Pay attention to popular and engaging presentation structures so you know the framework you want to follow throughout your talk. This will also make it easier to create an outline that focuses on each of your talking points.

Once you’ve put together an outline that represents your topic and touches on each important element you need to cover, you can start searching for a PowerPoint presentation template that will fit your topic.

Or, you can start browsing through Visme’s presentation templates below.

Presentation Templates

Ecommerce Webinar Presentation

Buyer Presentation

PixelGo Marketing Plan Presentation

Technology Presentation

Product Training Interactive Presentation

Work+Biz Pitch Deck - Presentation

Create your presentation View more templates

2. Get creative with your PowerPoint presentation slide design.

When it comes to putting your content onto your PowerPoint presentation slides, you want to be sure your slides are clean, easy to read and engaging.

This means you should try out a variety of different creative themes. And while we have a post with over 100 creative presentation ideas you should check out, here are a few ways to really make your slideshow stand out.

Use more design elements than photos.

While a photo collage or stock image background tends to be PowerPoint presentation go-to’s, we’re trying to empower you to do something different!

Take a page out of this template’s book by taking advantage of different design elements. Here, we see a solid colored background, shapes, icons and text decorating the slides of this presentation.

In this example PowerPoint slides, we do still see a photo added to emphasize the point on one of the slides, but it’s used as a design element rather than the foundation of the slide.

Use a bold color scheme.

When customizing example PowerPoint slides , your color palette matters. Using a more bold and bright color scheme is a great way to grab audience attention and make yourself seem more serious about your topic.

A more powerful color scheme makes an impression on your viewers, helping them to further see you as an authority on the information you’re sharing.

This example PowerPoint slides uses a bold blue and orange color scheme to stand out. To get an idea for a color palette for your next presentation, take a look at these 50 combinations .

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3. Keep your design consistent throughout.

We just shared a couple of different presentation templates available with our platform in the last point. What do you notice?

Here’s another example for you to take a look at.

All of the example PowerPoint slides have a similar look and feel, creating a cohesive presentation deck that looks intentional and professionally designed.

Imagine if you were sitting in a presentation that looked something like this.

This looks messy and cluttered. It’s an amateur-looking design, and your audience will be confused about how these slides make any sense together.

Because keeping your design consistent is an essential part of creating an engaging presentation, we’ve also created a few different presentation themes with hundreds of example PowerPoint slides that all follow the same design theme.

Here’s an example of our Modern presentation theme below with over 900 different slides so that you can find a variety of slides perfect for your next slide deck.

4. Make your presentation interactive.

One way to create a really dynamic presentation that will keep your audience engaged and create a memorable experience is to make your presentation interactive.

While we’ve covered 17 ways to create an interactive presentation before, let’s go over how you can do this using a tool like Visme.

PowerPoint is widely known as the go-to presentation software, but there are so many alternatives that can lead you to a better solution and a better end result.

In Visme’s presentation maker, you can easily add links to any object in your presentation that lead to web pages, other slides within your presentation or create popup or hover effects with other objects on your slide.

Simply click on the element that you want to add a link to, head to the Actions menu, then select which type of interactive link you want to add.

You’re also able to create interactive maps and data visualizations that allow you or your viewers to hover over each element in your visual to see more information.

Here’s an example of an interactive map that you can easily create to showcase more information in a more digestible format.

Visme also allows you to embed external content like videos, polls, forms, surveys, quizzes and more. Plus, there are several third-party integrations you can use to embed and connect even more interactive content.

5. Add animation.

Another way to help your slides stand out is by adding in animated elements. Try to incorporate enter and exit effects for various objects on your slides to grab your audience’s attention as new slides fly onto the screen.

Here’s a great example of how this could look.

Or, if you put together your PowerPoint presentation slides with a different tool – like Visme, wink wink – you can gain access to even more animated elements.

Visme provides users with fully customizable animated illustrations, icons, shapes and more that can have their size, colors and animation speed updated to fit your needs.

These illustrations can be perfect for adding even more depth to your presentation slides, especially when it comes to your title slides and section headers to help break up your presentation.

6. Put together seamless transitions.

When customizing example PowerPoint slides, you want to put a creative spin on it. Instead of having one slide disappear for another to appear in full, why not try out some creative transitions?

It’s important for us to note that if you find a transition you like, you should stick with it throughout your presentation. This goes back to our point about cohesive design. You want everything to flow well.

This means that you don’t want to throw a ton of different slide designs, animation types and transitions into the mix, or you’ll end up with a cluttered and hard-to-follow presentation deck.

Visme’s unique transitions offer not just slide transitions, but a way to seamlessly transition all of your elements onto the screen as well.

Take a look at this presentation below to see how this looks. Click through the slides to see them transition.

To get this effect, simply choose one of the following transitions that also show the slide elements following suit after the background appears.

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7. Use text creatively.

There are hundreds of fonts to choose from, so how do you know the best ones to use and how to make them stand out on your slides?

First, you can check out our guide to font pairing to understand some basics for choosing the right fonts for your slides.

For example, make sure you’re using 3 fonts max, and that each has a specific role in your presentation, as you see below.

Once you’ve chosen your preferred fonts, whether you look through our selections of top fonts , modern fonts , pretty fonts or elsewhere, start considering how you can use them creatively in your presentation design.

Pro Tip: It’s important to remember that in a presentation, you won’t have many words on the screen. So you want to make sure the text that you do include focuses on your main point of each slide and grabs attention.

Let’s cover a few ways that you can use text creatively and really make your slides stand out to your viewers.

Surround your text with shapes.

If you really want to make certain words pop off the slide, add a shape behind them like you see in this presentation about dinosaurs above.

While this is more of an informational presentation, this tactic can also be used for business-related presentations as well. 

Simply search through Visme’s library of shapes for something that matches your theme and set it behind your content.

Place your text on the white space of a photo.

Try positioning your photos strategically and utilizing pictures with more white space than you normally would. This helps you find the perfect spot to place your text so that it’s easy for your audience to read while still being visual.

In the above example PowerPoint slides, these minimalistic nature photos are the perfect backdrop for the text, providing tons of white space while still offering texture and visual elements.

Use color overlays.

Another great way to really make your words pop is by adding a translucent color overlay on top of your background photo.

Incorporating a photo into your presentation slide helps create more depth and visualize the words you’re saying, but you still want to be able to have your text be legible throughout the slide deck.

8. Align objects with the grid.

When using a tool like Visme to create your presentation, you can turn on a grid that allows you to ensure your design elements are properly aligned and perfectly symmetrical.

To access the grid in Visme’s editor, click the hamburger menu, then go to View Options , then toggle the Show grid option to turn it on.

You can set the size you want your grid to be to strategically align elements around your slide as well as set how opaque the grid lines are.

9. Create non-linear presentations.

You don’t have to go from slide to slide in your PowerPoint presentation. In fact, there are endless options for how you could navigate between slides when presenting.

Whether you let the audience decide the direction of your presentation by offering them different options to choose from, you create a navigation bar for your presentation or you allow yourself to determine the flow as you go by adding a progress bar, you have tons of options.

Here’s a great example of what your presentation could look like with a navigation menu within your slides.

10. Place shapes strategically.

Don’t underestimate the power of shapes in your presentation design. Or any design, really. 

Using various geometric shapes or even shapes you may not have heard of before to draw attention to various elements on the screen is a great design practice.

Our Creative presentation theme – with over 300 different slide layouts – is a great example of using shapes strategically to add design elements and emphasize various parts of your content.

Visme presentation maker has a library full of different types of shapes that can be used in diagrams, as backgrounds to icons , to frame text and so much more.

Put together a set of guidelines for which shapes you plan to use in your presentation and stick to no more than two or three different shapes throughout. While you can resize them based on your needs, you don’t want to clutter your slides.

11. Crop images into shapes.

Back with the shapes! Another creative way to bring shapes into your designs is to crop photos into different geometric shapes.

The presentation template below is the perfect example for how you can visually incorporate these cropped images into your slide design.

It’s easy to do this with a tool like Visme. Simply drag and drop your choice of photo from the photo library in the left sidebar onto your slide, click it, choose Frames in the navigation bar and choose the one that fits your design.

Take a look at a few of the frames available in our software.

12. Utilize presenter notes.

Want to really give a good presentation ? It’s important not to read off the slide and actually speak directly to your audience throughout your PowerPoint presentation.

One great way to keep yourself on task and ensure you don’t skip over any important information is to take advantage of presenter notes available to you when up on stage or in front of your audience presenting.

Visme has dynamic and comprehensive presenter notes built in that help ease the pressure of presenting.

Take a look below at what you can expect to see on your screen when presenting – all while your audience only sees the slide you’re showcasing.

You get access to the time of your presentation, the current slide, the slide you can expect next to help with the flow of your slideshow and the notes you’ve prepared for your talking points.

13. Use a dynamic presentation software.

The last way to create an amazing and engaging PowerPoint presentation is to use a dynamic presentation software that isn’t PowerPoint.

I know what you’re thinking – how can you deliver a PowerPoint by using a different software?

With a tool like Visme, you’ll get tons of premade example PowerPoint slides to choose from. You’re able to both import existing PowerPoints to edit and spice them up and export editable PowerPoints to present offline and make any last minute changes.

When creating your presentation, you can use Dynamic Fields to automatically update key information throughout the slides. You can also personalize the fields and apply them to other projects.

Our analytics tool helps you track the performance of your presentation. You can track views, unique visits, average time, average completion and a host of other key metrics.

Learn more about turning your Vismes into PowerPoint presentations in this quick tutorial video.

Start improving your PowerPoint presentations with Visme.

Ready to start creating PowerPoint presentations with Visme? Sign up for a business account today and improve your brand and the presentations you share with your audience. Start creating engaging and interactive presentations that your viewers will love.

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About the Author

Chloe West is the content marketing manager at Visme. Her experience in digital marketing includes everything from social media, blogging, email marketing to graphic design, strategy creation and implementation, and more. During her spare time, she enjoys exploring her home city of Charleston with her son.

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• September 20, 2024
• Comments Off on 5 ways to redesign your powerpoint presentation
• Artificial Intelligence
• 5 ways to redesign your powerpoint presentation

You’ve put in the time to create your PowerPoint presentation, but something still feels off. Maybe the design looks a little outdated, cluttered, or just doesn’t have that wow factor. You don’t have to start from scratch to give your presentation the fresh update it needs. You just need to redesign your presentation with one of the tools we will discuss in this post.

There are a ton of great tools out there that can help you quickly and easily redesign your presentation to make it look modern, clean, and professional. In this post, we’ll check out five of the best tools that can transform your existing PowerPoint into something visually stunning—without a huge time investment.

1. Canva- Import, redesign and elevate your presentation

Canva is widely known for its design versatility, but did you know you can also upload your existing PowerPoint presentation into Canva and give it a complete redesign? Canva allows you to import your PowerPoint file, and from there, you can apply new design templates, change fonts, update colors, and add fresh visuals—all within a few clicks.

Once your presentation is imported, you can browse Canva’s extensive library of professionally designed templates. Select a new theme, and Canva will automatically apply it to your slides. You can then tweak individual elements to match your message—adjust layouts, drag and drop new icons, or even add animations to bring your presentation to life.

How to use Canva to redesign your presentation

Upload your existing PowerPoint file into Canva.

Choose a new style or theme to apply to your slides. You can customize colors, fonts, and visuals to fit your new design.

Once you are happy you can export the redesigned presentation back into PowerPoint

So this is more of a manual presentation redesign process but Canva offers you al the design tools you will need and provides lots of inspiration by way of templates and visual elements.

Try Canva now.

2. SlideSpeak- Redesign your presentation with AI

SlideSpeak takes redesigning your existing PowerPoint presentation to a new level by using AI. With SlideSpeak, you can upload your current slide deck, and the platform’s AI will automatically analyze and redesign it for you. The AI adjusts the layout, fonts, and color schemes while ensuring consistency throughout the entire presentation.

What’s particularly impressive about SlideSpeak is its ability to balance visual hierarchy and aesthetics. It moves elements to optimize spacing, fixes font sizing issues, and enhances the overall look without you having to spend time on design decisions. Essentially, SlideSpeak does the heavy lifting for you, giving you a redesigned, polished presentation in a fraction of the time.

How to use SlideSpeak to redesign your presentation

Open the SlideSpeak web app and select “Create presentation”. From here you should select the “Redesign presentation” feature.

This will allow you to redesign your entire presentation whilst keeping the same content. Therefore, focusing only on the design element. Simply select your powerpoint file that you want to redesign.

For this example, we are using a presentation on the European Union. It is a very basic design but the content is useful.

You will then be able to customize the design in the next window. Select your desired template and allow SlideSpeak AI to redesign your presentation for you.

Here is the first redesign we created- what do you think?

The AI has added lots of relevant images as well as visual elements like icons and charts. Meaning this presentation has been massively improved.

You can then download the presentation as a PowerPoint file.

If you wanted to add additional content or generate more text for example, you can create a presentation “From a document”. This feature allows SlideSpeak AI to use your uploaded document as a base and combine it with AI content in order to produce a more detailed presentation.

Whilst, Canva was a manual process, SlideSpeak is the opposite. The AI will redesign your presentation and save you a lot of time and effort.

Try SlideSpeak now.

3. Visme- Improve your presentation through visual storytelling

Visme is an excellent choice if your existing PowerPoint presentation contains complex data that needs a visual upgrade. While Visme offers the ability to start from scratch, it also allows users to import PowerPoint slides and then use the platform’s robust features to redesign them.

Once imported, you can enhance your existing presentation with Visme’s range of charts, graphs, and infographics. Visme offers templates that are specifically designed for data-heavy presentations, so you can take your outdated, cluttered charts and turn them into clear, visually engaging data visualizations.

How to use Visme to redesign your presentation

Firstly, you will import your existing slides into Visme via their import feature.

In this example, we will be using the same European Union presentation we looked at when demonstrating how SlideSpeak can help you redesign your presentation with AI.

Now Visme offers a lot of design benefits such as graphics, data charts and photos, but it is all manually inserted. There is no AI in this example.

However, you can see in this picture we have searched for some images of “Europe” and received some good examples. You can also edit the basics like texts and add borders etc. Little tweaks like this will go a long way.

Visme is a really good tool for redesigning a presentation but if you’re looking for a quick redesign- it might not be the best tool for you.

Try Visme now.

4. Slidesgo- Instant access to fresh presentation templates

Slidesgo is perfect for users who need a quick and easy way to redesign an existing presentation without the need to overhaul every slide manually. While Slidesgo doesn’t allow you to directly upload your current PowerPoint file, it offers a solution that’s almost as simple: find a template that fits your needs, download it, and then replace your existing slides’ content with the fresh design elements.

The key advantage of Slidesgo is the variety of themes available. Whether you need a modern corporate look or a more creative, colorful design, you’ll find a template to match. You can quickly transfer the content of your old presentation into the new Slidesgo template, aligning your message with a fresh and cohesive visual style.

How to use Slidesgo to redesign your presentation

Slidesgo gives users hundreds of templates they can download. As is the case with Visme, this is a manual redesign. Meaning you will need to download a template and then copy of your text and headings etc.

Whilst this doesn’t sound ideal, Slidesgo offers some of the best presentation templates out there. They have examples for all use cases from education to consulting.

Simply download the required template and then begin to copy over your content.

Try Slidesgo now.

5. Beautiful.ai- Easy design suggestions for easy presentation redesign

Beautiful.ai takes a different approach by offering smart templates and design suggestions powered by artificial intelligence. Instead of manually redesigning each slide, the platform’s AI helps you automatically format slides to ensure consistency and visual appeal.

When you import your existing PowerPoint slides into Beautiful.ai, the tool will analyze the content and suggest smart layout adjustments, font pairings, and image placements. This allows users to quickly modernize an outdated presentation without needing design skills. Beautiful.ai’s templates are optimized for business presentations, ensuring a professional look every time.

How to use Beautiful.ai to redesign your presentation

Firstly you must import your PowerPoint slides via the “Create presentation button”.

In the green box you can see the different design elements you can manually edit/add. If you want the platforms AI to suggest presentation redesigns then you must be on their paid tier.

You can also redesign the slide layout which is very handy. Sometimes moving text around and adding image panels can really bring a slide to life.

Try Beautiful.ai now.

Conclusion- Redesign your presentation with ease

Redesigning your existing PowerPoint presentation doesn’t have to mean starting from scratch. With the help of tools like Canva, SlideSpeak, Visme, Slidesgo, and Beautiful.ai, you can transform your old slides into something fresh, professional, and visually appealing in a fraction of the time it would take to manually rework everything.

Each tool offers unique features tailored to different redesign needs. Whether you want to quickly apply a new theme, automatically overhaul your entire deck with AI, or create stunning data visualizations, these platforms can help you turn your existing presentation into a polished, modern masterpiece.

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