POWERPOINT SLIDE DESIGN - THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO - Synapsis Creative

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO

POWERPOINT
SLIDE DESIGN

A few graphic design trends that were massive
in 2020 are basic building blocks for great
PowerPoint slide design, such as minimalism,
typography, mixed media, and animation. We’ll
explore all these concepts later, but there are
numerous elements that go into creating an
impactful PowerPoint presentation – regardless
of whether you’re presenting live, virtually,
through pre-recorded video, or just sharing
your slideshow.
Good slide design is about supporting what’s
being presented – driving the most critical
points home to the audience. Presenters
shouldn’t rely on a PowerPoint presentation to
make their key arguments, simply make them
look better, clearer, and more audience friendly.

CONTENTS
 4 Hierarchy: Structure and Layout
 6 Aligning PowerPoint Objects
 7 Grouping PowerPoint Objects
 8 Ordering PowerPoint Objects
 9 PowerPoint Slide Sorter
 11 Interactivity and Hyperlinking
 12 Hyperlinking to a Different Slide
 13 Hyperlinking to an Existing Document
 14 Hyperlinking to a Web Page
 15 Hyperlinking to a New Document
 15 Hyperlinking to an Email Address
 16 Creating Transparent Hyperlinks
 17 Changing Hyperlink Colours
 17 Creating Screentips
 18 Colour Choices
 18 Colour Schemes and Themes
 19 Branded Colour Schemes
 19 Consistent Colour Schemes
 19 Colour Blind Safe Schemes
 20 Colour Theme
 22 Typography
 22 Font Availability
 23 Keep It Simple
 23 Typography Terminology
 24 Choose Appropriate Fonts
 24 Slide Master Combinations
 26 Imagery
 31 Icons and Emojis
 33 Data Visualisation
 35 Table Creation in PowerPoint
 36 Chart Creation in PowerPoint
 37 Video and Animation
 38 Embedding Video in PowerPoint
 39 Slide Design Tips and Tricks

CONTENTS

 HIERARCHY:
 STRUCTURE
 AND LAYOUT
 The hierarchy of information simplifies and
 prioritises information in accordance with
 importance to help audiences gain an
 understanding quickly and comprehensively.
 Visual hierarchy works in the same way as the
 arrangement of design elements should
 determine their importance, thereby influencing
 the order in which these elements are seen.
 Arrangement of these elements use placement,
 sizing, contrast, and more to help highlight
 crucial information and capture audiences’
 attention.
 Visual hierarchy is used to add structure,
 organisation, direction, and emphasis within a
 design, which helps the viewer navigate and
 comprehend the information with ease.
 Establishing clear visual hierarchy is important
 because it holds a design together while
 offering clarity and simplicity for audiences.
 Hierarchy is typically created through contrast,
 where dissimilar elements and features (such as
 colour, tone, or shape) are juxtaposed with one
 another. Visually noticeable differences direct
 audiences’ eyes and forces their minds to create
 comparative relationships highlighted through
 these juxtapositions.

CONTENTS

The primary challenge here is creating a Contrast can be used in obvious and subtle
composition from disparate elements that come ways within a composition to clarify or
together as an orchestrated whole while making strengthen the visual message of a design. It
your message clear. Contrast stresses visual can also draw audiences’ attention to certain
differences through juxtaposition, such as bright areas, affecting the figure-ground relationship
colours against dark colours, or tiny elements by maximising or minimising its visual
juxtaposed with massive elements. dominance. Contrast has the dual purpose of
 highlighting difference while creating a sense of
This creates visual interest and directs attention
 harmony and balance through that juxtaposition.
to focal points, thereby organising the
hierarchical order of a visual message. Another critical design principle that should be
Compositions lacking in contrast may create applied to slide design is to keep things simple,
visual monotony, neutrality, and potential using a ‘less is more’ approach.
organisational confusion.
 For example, when you've got key statistics,
 such as percentages, use the following design
 method. First, display the graph (or all the
 statistics) that provide context for its key figures.
 Next, display the key percentage on a single
 slide, without any added elements as a follow-
 up, which forces people to pay attention to this
 number.
 This is known as letting your design (and
 content) breathe. The idea you should keep in
 mind is that you should try and give your
 content (and thus your slide design) a hidden
 order. Repeating key figures across slides
 creates structure and emphasis.

CONTENTS

 ALIGNING
 POWERPOINT
 OBJECTS
 When trying to arrange objects in PowerPoint,
 alignment and spacing guides will appear as
 dashed orange lines and arrows around the
 objects to help you align them. With numerous
 objects on a slide, it can be difficult and time
 consuming to get them all perfectly aligned and
 structured. Fortunately, PowerPoint provides
 several alignment commands that allow you to
 easily arrange and position them.
 First select the object you want to align (to select
 multiple at once, hold the Shift key as you click
 each one). Under the Format tab, click the Align
 button to bring up a dropdown menu, select
 Align Selected Objects.
 Align offers six alignment options that are self-
 explanatory. Align Left align objects along their
 left edges. Align Centre aligns them vertically
 through their centres. Align Right aligns them
 along their right edges. Align Top aligns them
 along their top edges. Align Middle aligns them
 horizontally through their middles. Align Bottom
 aligns them along their bottom edges.
 If want to align one or more objects to a specific
 location within the slide, such as at the top or
 bottom, you can do this by selecting the Align to
 Slide option before aligning them. Select the
 objects you want to align. From the Format tab,
 click the Align command, then select Align to
 Slide. Then select one of the previous six
 alignment options as it will now apply to the slide.
 If you have arranged objects in a row or column,
 you may want them to be an equal distance from
 one another for a cleaner look, you can do this by
 distributing them horizontally or vertically. Select
 the ones you want to align. From the Format tab,
 click the Align command, then select Align to
 Slide or Align Selected Objects. Click the Align
 command again, then select Distribute
 Horizontally or Distribute Vertically from the
 drop-down menu, which will distribute them
 evenly in your chosen orientation.

CONTENTS

GROUPING
POWERPOINT
OBJECTS
If want to group multiple objects into one
object, they will stay together when they
are moved or resized, making it easier
than selecting all of them each time you
want to move them.

Pictures, shapes, clip art, and text boxes can
all be grouped; however, placeholders cannot.
If you are grouping pictures, use one of the
commands in the Images group under the
Insert tab to insert pictures instead of the
picture icon inside the placeholder.
 If you want to edit or move one of the objects in
To group objects, select the ones you want to the group, double-click to select the object. You
align. The Format tab will appear, click the can then edit it or move it to the desired location.
Group command, then click Group. The If you select the objects and the Group
selected objects will now be grouped. There command isn’t working, it may be because one
will be a single box with sizing handles around of them is inside a placeholder. If this happens,
the entire group to show that they are one try reinserting the images by using the Pictures
group. You can now move or resize them command under the Insert tab.
simultaneously.
 To ungroup, select the object group you want to
 ungroup. From the Format tab, click the Group
 command, then select Ungroup. Ungrouping
 allows you to move and edit objects individually.

CONTENTS

 ORDERING
 POWERPOINT
 OBJECTS
 PowerPoint also gives you the ability to arrange If you want to move an object behind or in front
 objects in a specific order, which is important of several, it’s usually faster to bring it to front or
 when they overlap because it will determine send it to back instead of clicking the ordering
 what layer position they have. commands multiple times.
 When an object is inserted into a slide, it’s If you have numerous objects placed on top of
 placed on a level according to the order in each other, it may be difficult to select an
 which it is inserted, essentially layering them individual object. The Selection pane allows you
 sequentially like Adobe vectors. to easily drag an object to a new location. To
 Select an object and, from the Format tab, click access the Selection pane, click Selection Pane
 Bring Forward or Send Backward to change under the Format Tab.
 the object’s ordering by one level. If there are Arranging objects in the Selection Pane is
 multiple objects on the slide, you may need to similar to organising vectors in Adobe, from here
 click the command several times to achieve the you can choose the order in which each object
 desired order. is layered, making it easier to show or conceal
 certain elements on the slide.

CONTENTS

POWERPOINT
SLIDE SORTER
Side Sorter provides opportunity to arrange To access the Slide Sorter, click the
slides and section them, providing a great 1 View tab, then Slide Sorter in the
overview of your whole presentation. When Presentation Views section.
open a PowerPoint presentation, all your slides
are listed as thumbnails on the left. You can Or select the Slide Sorter icon on the
drag slides up and down on this list to reorder 2 task bar in the bottom-right corner of
them. However, if you have many slides in your your window.
presentation, it’s easier to use the Slide Sorter
to reorder them. In Slide Sorter view, PowerPoint slides are
 displayed as a series of thumbnails with a
 number under the bottom-left corner to show
 their order. To reorder a slide, drag it into a new
 location.

 1

 2

CONTENTS

 If you have different people creating or Each section starts on a new line in the Slide
 presenting different parts of the presentation, Sorter view. You can create as many sections
 or if you have different topics within your as you like.
 presentation, you can organise your
 When you create a new section, the Rename
 presentation into sections using the Slide
 Section dialog box opens. In the Section name
 Sorter view.
 text box, enter a new name for the section and
 To create a section, right-click between the select Rename.
 two slides where you want to split the
 To change the section name later, right-click
 presentation and select Add Section.
 the section name in Slide Sorter view and
 select Rename Section. In the Rename
 Section dialog box, enter a name in the
 Section name box and select Rename.

 To reorder the sections in your presentation,
 move the sections. To move a section, right-
 Each section starts on a new line in the Slide click on the section name and select either
 Sorter view. You can create as many sections Move Section Up or Move Section Down.
 as you like.
 When you’re finished reordering your slides,
 creating sections, and arranging your sections,
 select View > Normal. In Normal view, slides
 display in the new order in the list of
 thumbnails on the left side of the PowerPoint
 window. If you added sections, you’ll see your
 section headings, as well.

CONTENTS

INTERACTIVITY
AND HYPERLINKING
Using the holistic view provided in Slide Sorter, you can also start
incorporating non-linear narrative and interactive elements into you
PowerPoint presentation. Interactivity is a great way to further engage
audiences directly while offering them a unique experience each time.
However, non-linear presentations are more difficult to present and share
since audience input is critical to the outcome.
A simple way to include interactivity without (necessarily) creating a non-
linear presentation is through hyperlinks. A hyperlink provides you with the
ability to connect a slide to other slides, documents, and websites.
However, you aren’t restricted to hyperlinking texts and pictures – most
objects in PowerPoint can include a hyperlink.

CONTENTS

 Text Box: Select the frame of a text box, and
 the whole area, including the white space
 around the text, will be clickable. The text will
 not be underlined or coloured.

 Text: Select the text only, and the rest of the
 text box will not be clickable. The text will be
 underlined and coloured.

 HYPERLINKING
 Shape: You can add a hyperlink to any shape
 or group of shapes. To do that, select the
 frame of a shape. If you have placed text
 within a shape, it will not be underlined or
 coloured. If you select just the text within the
 TO A DIFFERENT
 shape to hyperlink, the rest of the shape area
 will not be clickable, while the text itself will be SLIDE
 underlined and coloured.
 Choose the desired object you want to hyperlink,
 SmartArt Objects: You can assign a hyperlink go to the Insert tab, and click the Link button
 to any SmartArt object or group of SmartArt within the Links subsection.
 objects. To do that, select the frame of a
 SmartArt object. Similarly, hyperlinking text will
 ensure the rest of the SmartArt area is
 unclickable, leaving the text underlined and
 coloured.

 Pictures and Images: Any picture you insert This will open a new window, so click Place in
 into your PowerPoint presentation can have a this Document under Link to. Pick the slide in
 hyperlink. You can use images to illustrate your presentation you want as your destination
 textual ideas, or create custom buttons and click OK.
 instead of using PowerPoint templates.

 Other objects such as video and graphs can’t
 be assigned with hyperlinks in PowerPoint.

 If you have created a custom slideshow with non-
 sequential slides and want to connect your object
 with it, click Custom Shows and tick the Show
 and Return checkbox.

CONTENTS

HYPERLINKING 1
TO AN EXISTING
DOCUMENT
You can connect your slideshow to other
documents saved on your computer – just
remember to copy these documents to the
 2
same folder and ensure this folder is thereby
copied to any computer you’re using for your
 4
presentation. Remember, your hyperlinks won’t
work if you rename, move, or delete the files
used as destinations.
If you intend to publish your slideshow online, 3
you must convert all connected presentations to
online format and use the subsequent web pages
instead of the source PowerPoint files.
 Choose the desired hyperlink object, go to Find and select the document you wish to
 1 the Insert tab, and click the Link button 3 use are your hyperlink destination, then
 within the Links subsection. click OK.
 Click Existing File or Web Page under the If you want to link to a slide in another
 2 Link To options. 4 presentation, locate and select that
 presentation on your computer. Click
 Bookmark and in the open window pick
 the relevant slide.

CONTENTS

 HYPERLINKING 1
 TO A WEB PAGE
 Choose the desired object, go to the
 1 Insert tab, and click the Link button within
 the Links subsection.

 2 Click Existing File or Web Page under the
 2
 Link To options.
 4
 In the blank address field, type or copy
 3 and paste in the address you wish to
 connect to, then click OK.

 4 If you want to hyperlink to a certain
 3
 section of the web page, use either the
 anchor in the website address or
 PowerPoint’s Bookmark option.

 This technique works for hyperlinking to video
 streaming sites like YouTube and Vimeo.
 However, in newer versions of PowerPoint you
 can insert online videos so they can be played
 back without needing to interrupt the
 presentation to open a browser.

 1 In your web browser, locate the video you 4
 want.

 2 Copy the URL of the web page from the
 address bar of your browser.

 3 Go to PowerPoint and select the slide 5
 where you want to place the video.
 6
 4 On the Insert tab, select Video, then
 Online Video.

 5 In the Online Video dialog box, paste the
 URL you copied.

 6 Select Insert.

CONTENTS

HYPERLINKING 1
TO A NEW
DOCUMENT
Note that this type of hyperlink can only be used
in PowerPoint; it won’t work in a web browser
when sharing a presentation online.
 4
 1 Select an object on your slide you wish to
 hyperlink. Go to the Insert tab and click the
 3
 Link button.
 2
 5
 2 Click Create New Document under Link to.
 By default, a new document is created in
 3 the same folder with the presentation’s
 source file. If you want to change the
 location, click Change under Full path,
 select the desired location and click OK.

 4 Enter the name of a new file in the Name of
 new document field, then click OK.

 5 Under When to edit, choose if you want to
 Edit the new document later or Edit the
 new document now.

 HYPERLINKING
 1 TO AN EMAIL
 ADDRESS
 Select an object on your slide, then go to
 1 the Insert tab and click the Link button.

 2 Click E-mail Address under Link to.
 3
 4 3 Type in the appropriate e-mail address in
 the E-mail address box.

2
 4 You can also automatically include the
 subject of the e-mail message in the
 Subject box.

CONTENTS

 CREATING
 TRANSPARENT
 HYPERLINKS
 There’s a way to assign a hyperlink to a SmartArt
 object or stylised text for an online presentation,
 and even videos. To do that, you should create a
 transparent hyperlink area over an object. This
 can be useful for app designers who use
 elements often so small that it’s difficult to
 tap them.
 6
 1 Go to the Insert tab on the PowerPoint
 ribbon and click Shapes.
 Select a rectangle or any other form that
 2 matches the relevant object.

 3 Draw the shape over the desired area.
 Right-click on the drawn shape and click
 4 Link.

 5 Add the desired destination and click OK.
 4
 Now right-click on the shape and
 6 choose No Fill under Fill and No Outline
 under Outline.
 Notice when a transparent area overlaps
 PowerPoint objects, their controls are not
 available anymore. If you’re using this technique
 for a video, you should either set the video to
 play automatically or draw the shape only over a
 part of it.

CONTENTS

CHANGING
 1
HYPERLINK
COLOURS
By default, PowerPoint applies different colours
to new and followed hyperlinks based on the
chosen presentation theme. To learn how to
change the predefined colour:

 1 Go to the Design tab on the PowerPoint
 ribbon. In the Variants group, open the
 dropdown.

 2 Go to Colours, and under the schemes
 choose Customise Colours.

 3 In the open window, change the colours
 of new and followed hyperlinks, then
 2
 click Save.

Remember, if you apply another theme to your
presentation, hyperlink colours will be modified
too. To prevent the need to customise them
again, choose the final design for your
presentation first or create a slide master.

CREATING 3

SCREENTIPS
Screentips provide helpful tips for users that
appear every time a mouse hovers over a
relevant object on the slide. To integrate them to
your slideshow:
 In the Edit/Insert Hyperlink window, click
 1 the ScreenTip button.
 In the open window, type in the text for a
 2 screentip, then click OK.

CONTENTS

 COLOUR
 CHOICES
 Choosing colours for slide design can be
 complex as there are a few things to consider.
 A clear understanding of colour psychology
 and how colours evoke certain emotions can
 make the design process more nuanced and
 audience centric.
 An effective colour scheme can really create
 an impact, dictate your audience’s mood, and
 make your message more memorable. Colour
 psychology can play a significant role in how
 your colour choices are received by audiences
 and their efficacy in conveying your message.
 Depending on the purpose of your
 presentation, you can put colour to extremely
 good use.
 For example, a fiery red can make your
 audience feel passionately about your cause
 (or simply hungry). At the same time, a calm
 blue can make an impatient audience more
 receptive to your message while evoking a
 sense of trust. Whatever you want to achieve,
 there’s a colour for you.

 Colour Schemes and Themes
 If you’re designing a PowerPoint presentation as
 part of an event, it would be wise to consult the
 hosts about their colour scheme as it probably
 fits their event’s theme as well. If there is no set
 colour scheme for your event, that doesn’t mean
 there isn’t an ideal colour scheme.
 Ensure you research the area you’re presenting in
 – if there’s a local sports team, adopt their colour
 scheme! Not only will it subconsciously make
 your audience support you; it will also show
 you’ve done your homework.
 At the same time, if you’re hosting an event,
 make sure you inform other presenters about the
 event’s colour scheme to help create
 consistency and boost branding opportunities.

CONTENTS

Branded Colour Schemes
Using your brand’s colours in your presentation
is a simple, effective way to tie your message
back to your brand. While branding is essential,
it doesn’t have to be overt and ugly. In fact,
we’ve written an entire article about all the
ways you can subtly brand your presentations.
It’s easy to slap your logo on each slide and
call it a day. It’s hard to invest in companies
who only invest that much effort into branding.
Subtle presentation branding is what makes
your brand stand out.

Consistent Colour Schemes
This seems like a no-brainer for subtle
presentation branding, but colour schemes can
get complicated. You need to consider Colour Blind Safe Schemes
legibility, as well as what’s right for your Whatever colour scheme you settle on, you
screen/projector. Ideally, your brand colours should make sure your presentation is colour
will complement each other as background blind safe. While colour blindness can affect
and text. Realistically, with all the clashing people in various ways, you should be wary of
colour combinations to consider, they’ll render the following colour combinations:
each other illegible.
If that’s the case, create subtle presentation
branding with subtle colour choices. Consider
 Green & Red Green & Brown
a splash of brand colour in your background.
The easiest way to pick a colour palette is to
work with a single primary colour and work
 Blue & Purple Green & Blue
with greys as supporting colours (whites, greys,
blacks). Using one, or two colours and keeping
the rest simple works well. If you're a little
more daring, you can learn more about colour Light Green & Yellow Blue & Grey
theory, tying together complementary and
contrasting colours.

 Green & Grey Green & Black

 Avoiding these combinations will also make your
 presentation more readable. And after all,
 readability is memorability.

 Colours can have different meanings in other
 cultures, so be conscious of cultural connotations
 when it comes to colours. For example, white is
 normally associated with hospitals and health in
 the Western world. However, in various Asian
 countries, it is associated with death. Avoid
 offending your audience by doing your
 homework on the meaning of colours in their
 culture before designing your colour theme.

CONTENTS

 COLOUR
 THEME
 Creating and applying a Colour Theme in
 PowerPoint provides a quick and easy way to
 customise the colours in your slide design,
 ensuring consistency throughout your slides
 while streamlining your workflow.
 If you go to any colour change setting, such as
 Font Colour or Fill Colour, the very first colour
 palette is what has been set as Theme Colours.
 The top row will be your primary colours. These
 are the exact colours that have been set as the
 Theme Colours. The rows below are a
 secondary palette; different variations of those
 colours, both lighter and darker hues, which can
 help you choose complimentary colours to the
 primary palette.

 To change and set your own Theme Colours :

 1 Go to the Design tab on the PowerPoint 1
 ribbon. In the Variants group, open the
 dropdown. 2
 2 Hovering over Colours, another
 dropdown menu will appear. In this menu,
 you’ll see a list of preset colour themes.
 You can decide to select any of these, or
 create your own.

 3

 To set your own Colour Theme select
 3 Customise Colours at the bottom of
 the menu.

CONTENTS

This opens a pop-up window displaying all the
set colours in the theme. Pay attention to the
order and labels of each colour.
The first four are usually set to Black, White, and
Grey, and these are your default Text and
background colours. Since these colours are
used quite often, it is usually recommended to
leave these alone, unless you plan to change the
default text colour to a colour other than black.
Be aware that all the default text in a PowerPoint
document is set to this first black colour, so
whatever you change this to will be reflected in
every textbox in your document. Accent colours
are listed below this.

 3 To select new colours, simply click on the
 little arrow next to the colour you’re
 changing.

 4 Then click on More Colours at the bottom
 of the menu.

 5 This will open a new window where you
 can freely select a new colour in the colour
 spectrum, or input colour values if you’re 3
 after a very specific colour.
One thing to be aware of in accent colours is that
the order in which you place your colours will
affect any graphs that you import into your
document. If you look at the Sample preview on
the side of this window, you’ll see a little bar
graph as one of the examples. You can check
how the order of your accent colours will affect 4
graphs this way.
The last two choices are your hyperlink colours,
which are exactly what they say they are. Any
hyperlinks in your document will change to the 5
colour you set, and after they’ve been clicked,
will become the Followed Hyperlink colour.
When you’re done, you can rename your new
colour palette, which can be helpful if use this
Colour Theme again later as it will be saved as a
preset in your Colour Theme List.
Any objects in your document that were set to
the previous Colour Theme will automatically
change to the colours in your new Colour Theme.
If you want to change any of the colours again in
the future, simply set a new colour theme.

CONTENTS

 TYPOGRAPHY
 Typography is critical to subtle slide design
 branding, since typography complements your
 tone of voice and visual when you need to use
 text, but your word-limit is tight. Sharp, serifed
 fonts are better suited to professional
 presentations while quirky, unusual fonts can
 work for edgier brands.
 Nailing the right design for a PowerPoint slide
 increases audience attention and makes your
 message more impactful. It’s important
 understanding how fonts impact the aesthetics
 and readability of your slide design. Here are five
 must-follow font rules for PowerPoint.

 1

 FONT
 AVAILABILITY
 Before you sit down to design your PowerPoint If you’re not sure what fonts will be available, you
 slides, find out what type of equipment you’ll be can embed your fonts in your presentation which
 using to make your presentation. Not all saves the font to your presentation so it will
 computers and presentation devices have the display no matter the device you or your
 same fonts loaded, so whether you’re presenting audiences use. Just remember that not all fonts
 live or sharing with audiences directly. If you use can be embedded, so it’s important to test this
 a font for your PowerPoint presentation that isn’t early in your presentation design process.
 available on the device you’re using to present,
 Another option is to outline fonts in PowerPoint.
 or the ones audiences are using to view it, then
 When you outline fonts, text is converted into
 PowerPoint will substitute it for a different font.
 shapes so they can be displayed on any device.
 Thankfully, there are a few ways to avoid this. If Beware that outlining fonts means that you can’t
 you use fonts that you know are on the machine edit text anymore, so only do this once you’ve
 you’re presenting with, you’ll be good to go. You finished, proofread, and ready to present/share.
 can also use web-safe fonts that are available on
 all computers (particularly Arial/Helvetica; Times
 New Roman/Times; Courier New/Courier;
 Palatino; Garamond; Bookman; and Avant Garde).

CONTENTS

 2

KEEP IT SIMPLE
As a rule of thumb, you should never use more
than two or three different fonts in one
presentation. Using more than three fonts can be
visually distracting and undermines the
cleanliness of your slide designs. In addition to
limiting the number of fonts you use, it’s also
important to use fonts consistently. Choose set
fonts for headings, general text, and callouts –
stick to those fonts throughout the presentation.

 3

TYPOGRAPHY Serif
 Often considered traditional fonts, serif fonts have
TERMINOLOGY stylised ‘feet’ or decorative lines. Times New
 Roman is one of the most common serif fonts.
To choose the right fonts for your slide
 Sans Serif
design, you’ll need to know some basic font
 These fonts are so named because they don’t
terminology. Understanding the basics of
 have the decorative lines associated with serif
different font styles will guide you as you
 fonts. Sans-serif fonts are often considered
make typeface selections and will help you
 cleaner and more modern than their serif
find fonts that work well together in a
 counterpoints. Helvetica is one of the best-known
presentation too. There are four primary
 sans-serif fonts in the world.
styles with which you should be familiar.
 Decorative/Display
 These are the types of fonts you’d generally
 expect to see on a prominent sign or to draw
 attention to a headline in an advertorial. Common
 decorative fonts include Blackletter and
 Broadway. These fonts should be used sparingly
 in PowerPoint designs.

 Script
 This font style mimics cursive or handwriting.
 Script fonts are generally used for headers and
 for decorative purposes. Brush Script is one
 example of this type of font.

CONTENTS

 4

 CHOOSE
 APPROPRIATE
 FONTS
 It’s essential the fonts you use are easy for
 audiences to read. In general, you should avoid
 italics unless they used sparingly for emphasis.
 It’s also a good idea to avoid elaborate or
 cursive fonts that some audience members
 may be unable to read easily.
 In terms of font colour, it’s generally best to
 stick with dark fonts on a light background. Of
 5
 course, there are some exceptions to this rule.
 Using white text on a dark background as a
 highlighting tool is a smart way to call out text
 SLIDE MASTER
 that users scan quickly rather than read
 thoroughly. Black text on a light background is
 COMBINATIONS
 better suited for paragraph text that users read. Combining fonts successfully is an art. When it
 Ensure that the look of your fonts match your comes to PowerPoint design, you need to
 presentation and intended audience. Every font make sure that the fonts throughout your
 has a personality, so you want to make sure presentation are complementary. You can
 your slide-design fonts speak to your overall read up on pairing fonts or borrow from
 goals. For example, a pretty script might be existing designs that you love when it comes
 appropriate for slide titles if you’re giving a time to choose your own slide-design fonts.
 presentation about an upscale restaurant Another great strategy for pairing typeface is
 concept. If you’re talking about something sleek to use fonts in the same typeface family. Font
 and modern, though, you’ll be better served by families share a name but have different
 a classic font, such as Helvetica. attributes. For example, you’ve likely seen
 Arial, Arial Hebrew, Arial Rounded and Arial
 Light listed in your word processing program.
 These fonts have different characteristics but
 share the same basic structure, and they
 always play nicely together.
 In general, you should also try to pair
 PowerPoint fonts in the same overarching
 styles. That means that you should avoid
 mixing serif and sans-serif fonts for body text.
 While it’s fine to use decorative or script
 choices for page titles, it’s best to avoid using
 them within your main text. These types of
 fonts can be difficult to read and simply don’t
 look good when placed side by side with
 standard sans-serif choices in body text.

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

 IMAGERY
 The images you choose for your PowerPoint
 slides can have an incredible impact on viewer
 attention and retention. What images come into
 your mind when you think of Apple? Lattes and
 laptops? Glasses and turtlenecks? Without any
 branding, images can evoke the emotion of you
 or your client’s brand. But Apple’s easy.

 If you’re struggling to come up with images for When using as a background, it’s useful to tweak
 your own branding efforts. That’s great! You’ve the transparency or include a colour overlay to
 got an opportunity to build the brand imagery dull out the image a little and bring focus on the
 from the bottom up. text. If using as a supplement to the text, the
 To start, sit down and write a few words that best image should complement the text rather than
 describe the organisation for which you’re distract.
 designing. Let’s say it’s a legacy financial firm that If imagery is the focal point of the slide, ensure
 invest in the latest industries, applying old-school the resolution is right, the colours don’t wash out
 experience to an aggressively evolving economy. any overlayed text, and your image choice
 You might write “fast-paced,” “financial,” and “old- supports your overall presentation. Using
 fashioned.” Now think of images that works with imagery as the primary focus tends to create
 those words. Classic cars. Green lamps. Leather greater impact and viewer retention.
 gloves. By giving your brand a language without Here are nine tips to help you choose powerful
 words, your slides won’t even need logos. imagery for your PowerPoint presentation.
 When it comes to image usage, one key thing to
 remember is that imagery that touches at least
 three sides of the slide tends to look better. Also,
 isolated imagery can be great for making slides
 look less busy and cluttered.
 Imagery can used in three ways within
 slideshows – as a background behind text; as a
 supplement to text; or as the primary focus of
 a slide.

CONTENTS

 1 2

CHOOSE IMAGES SELECT UNIQUE
THAT TELL A STORY IMAGES
You should think of your chosen images as a When choosing visuals for your presentation,
connected whole rather than individual use unique pictures whenever possible. Ask
entities. There’s no doubt that the information around your organisation and find out if there’s
in your presentation shares a common thread, an experienced photographer who can help you
so your images should too. Pick graphics that create high-quality, original photos that
tell a logical story on their own or are related correspond directly to what you’ll be talking
by aesthetic qualities (such as colour and style). about. This is a great way to impress and engage
Creating consistency is critical, so if you’ve an audience. If you can only use stock imagery,
already picked several black and white photos at least edit the images so the look less
(for example), use these instead of colour common, such as editing the colour, saturation,
throughout your presentation to create a more and overlays to create something unique.
consistent and compelling slide design.

CONTENTS

 3 4

 PICK IMAGES CHOOSE IMAGES
 THAT CLARIFY THAT EVOKE
 Imagery in PowerPoint should never be EMOTIONALLY
 chosen simply because it looks good. Every
 photo you use should also enhance the Encouraging your audience to make an
 audience’s understanding of your emotional connection with your presentation is
 presentation topic. If you’re giving a talk about essential to its success. One of the easiest ways
 urban planning, display images that are to evoke emotions in your audience is through
 directly related to municipal or development powerful images. For example, using a
 plans. If you’re talking about farming beautiful photo of a mother and child in an
 technologies, use photos that showcase the intimate moment of play is a great way to
 machinery, techniques, or products that you’ll appeal to the emotions of your audience.
 be referencing. The key is to ensure that there Images that encourage emotional connections
 are strong connections between your pictures, are compelling, relatable, and memorable.
 your overall slide design, and your
 presentation topic.

CONTENTS

 5 7

SELECT IMAGES USE IMAGES THAT
THAT DRIVE ACTION SPEAK TO BRANDING
Helping your audience connect emotionally to If you’re making a presentation on behalf of your
your presentation is important, but you also organisation, be sure that all the images you use
need to drive your audience to action, compel speak to that organisation’s brand and ethos.
them to buy, learn more, focus on a specific This means using images that incorporate
slide, or invite exploration in an interactive branded colours as well as images that reflect
PowerPoint presentation. Whatever action you brand values. Imagine that you’re giving a
want to encourage, use images to direct your presentation about green manufacturing for a
readers towards it. If you want your audience to company that emphasises environmental
look to the right, for example, display a photo of responsibility. Using earthy colours and images of
an individual who is gazing in that direction. clean, crisp skies and waterways is a great way to
Subtle visual cues can have a huge impact on send a subtle visual message that incorporates
an audience. brand standards.

 6

PICK COMPLEMENTARY
IMAGES
Choose photos that complement each other to
make a greater impression. Creating consistency
is key here, but you should also think about
putting two or three complementary images on
one slide to help your audience members draw
connections between related pieces of your
presentation. For example, juxtaposing fresh
coffee beans against roasted beans and a
beautiful latte is a great way to illustrate a
relationship between concepts.

CONTENTS

 8 9

 FOCUS ON USE ONLY HIGH-
 SIMPLICITY AND QUALITY IMAGERY
 CLARITY It should come as no surprise that all your
 PowerPoint images should be of the highest
 As you choose PowerPoint images, focus on quality possible. Use high-resolution image
 simple visuals that send a clear message. files shot by professional photographers
 Avoid confusing your audience with overly whenever possible. Avoid using pictures that
 complex or busy images. It’s particularly are blurry, overexposed, or grainy. Remember
 important to focus on simplicity and clarity if that the quality of the photos you put on the
 your presentation covers a complicated topic. screen sends a message about the quality of
 Straightforward visuals give your audience a your information. If you use amateur graphics,
 chance to relax and absorb your message, so your audience is likely to assume that you’re an
 consider data visualisation to help simplify and amateur too.
 organised information where needed.
 However, remember the audience that you’re
 presenting to – while some may appreciate
 great imagery, others may simply enjoy a cute
 emoji or icon that reflects the message or
 brand on display.

CONTENTS

ICONS AND
EMOJIS
As we see increasing gamification across our Emojis can be easily be used in PowerPoint (or
media landscape, digital icons and avatars edited to simplify your own icon-design process).
are becoming increasingly popular for Their use vary between operating systems. On
creating clarity and character. Within slide Mac, you will see the colourful emoji symbols like
design, icons help with audience navigation, you see on social media. Though Apple has
drawing their attention, and adding a little character encoding for emojis, you will see all
personality to otherwise simple bulletpoints. emoji filled with solid colours, while Windows PC
 and laptops show emojis as outline figures. Be
Icons are also a useful way to reinforce your
 cautious of which emojis you use as updates and
branding, integrating your colour scheme and
 changes are always universal across operating
visual style to create imagery through
 systems.
simplifying and distilling form and content.
 One options for using emojis in PowerPoint is
Just look at cave painting, ancient
 AutoCorrect. By default, PowerPoint comes with
hieroglyphics, or medieval graphic emblems.
 some emojis that you can type using keyboard
All these visual communications are
 shortcuts. For example, :) will produce the smiley
simplified icons that convey greater meaning
 emoji . In addition, you can setup shortcuts for
through context. Think of the little icons you
 any emoji to insert quickly using AutoCorrect,
see on bathroom doors and street signs, or
 such as typing :: to insert the tears of joy emoji .
the emojis we use every day– they all simplify
messages through visual language.
When designing icons for your slides, always
remember the importance of consistency –
stick to a unified design idea and colour
scheme to ensure your icons resonate with
audiences and assist with their understanding.

CONTENTS

 Open a new PowerPoint and head to File > Another easy way through the built-in Windows
 Options menu. Click on AutoCorrect Options 10 emoji keyboard. Press ‘Windows Logo + .
 under the Proofing section. Type the shortcut in (dot)’ or ‘Windows Logo + ; (semicolon)’ to
 ‘Replace’ text box and the corresponding emoji open the emoji keyboard pop-up. Search for
 in ‘With’. Then click ‘OK’ to save your changes. your favourite emoji or type the name to filter
 Unfortunately, AutoCorrect on PowerPoint will from the result. Click on the emoji to insert into
 not work when you want to use text your presentation.
 replacements. In the above case, you can use ::
 but cannot use a shortcut more text-based like PowerPoint offers a ‘Symbol’ utility to insert
 :poop: . Unicode symbols. First go to Insert > Symbols
 menu, which will open a ‘Symbol’ pop-up
 To work around this, your other option to use where you can search and find the relevant
 Alt-Code shortcuts. Windows allow you to emoji symbols you need.
 insert emojis using alt code with number keys.
 Just press the alt key on your keyboard to use You can also use Character Map, which is
 your emoji’s relevant Alt Code, which is an similar to Symbol utility, but operates as an
 encoded printable character native to the code independent app. Simply type ‘charmap’ in
 page used on that device. For example, Alt + 1 Windows Search box to find and open the
 will make the smiley symbol ☺ while Alt + Character Map app. From here, you can search
 9787 will produce the black smiling face emoji and find your favourite emoji within the app.
 ☻. Find more Alt Codes here Remember, in both Symbol and Character
 Map, you can change the font to Webdings and
 Wingdings to find more emoji symbols.

CONTENTS

DATA
VISUALISATION
Often, we give presentations to make information The next type is joining diagrams of either
more accessible and more memorable. Sure, interlocking or overlapping shapes. After this are
anyone could read a report or document; but segment diagrams, which are generally named
having the same information delivered by a after pastries, such as donut and pie charts.
person and supporting visuals really helps Network diagrams are divided into ring (of
audiences absorb and retain the messaging. Data connecting exterior shapes) and hub-and-spoke.
visualisation and infographics bridge the gap The final type is stack diagrams (either vertical or
between information and design. horizontal).

Data visualisation transforms facts and figures into Infographics are one of the most accessible forms
something easily digested and pleasant to the of data visualisation as they simplify and arrange
eyes. There’s no reason you can’t be informative data into an easily digested format that often
and engaging – it’s about crafting the right highlights an overarching narrative. Infographics
narrative and visual rendering that takes the mean going from a data set to a visually striking
dullness out of data. (sometimes interactive) interpretation of data that
 makes the information easier to understand.
In data visualisation, there are numerous diagram
types used to convey information. The first type
are flow diagrams which can be linear, closed
loops, merge/divide, or parallel but not
intersecting.

 They’re simple to create in PowerPoint and
 there’s a wide of variety of infographic types to
 demonstrate different data sets:

 Informational infographics are generally more
 text heavy, enhanced by use of icons, shapes,
 colours, and other visual elements to emphasise
 the words.

 Timeline infographics depict a series of events or
 actions in chronological order. For example, a
 product’s development, historical trends, or a
 concept’s evolution over time. They use icons,
 images, and graphic elements to convey
 meaning. Timeline format can be vertical,
 horizontal, or winding. Vertical and winding are
 easier to read; while horizontal is better for
 posters, presentations, and environments without
 space constraints.

CONTENTS

 Charts infographics have a chart as the
 centrepiece of its data visualisation. Colours,
 shapes, and icons are used for emphasis and/or
 explanation. These are best for basic comparisons,
 such as populations of various cities.

 Pie-Chart infographics’ focus object is a pie chart.
 This means they’re especially useful in showing
 the different components’ values within a
 complete item.

 How-To infographics are used to show step-by-
 step procedures. They’re similar to timelines since
 each step is generally a logical consequence of
 the previous step.

 Process infographics are similar to ‘how-to’
 except they depict decision-making processes.
 They’re also referred to as decision trees or flow
 charts.

 Comparison infographics highlights similarities
 and differences between two or more items, ideas,
 locations, events, actions, or individuals. By
 creating contrast, comparison infographics help
 identify pros and cons of one item in the context of
 an alternative.

 Numerical infographics place emphasis on
 numbers (obviously). Since numerical information
 is usually harder to digest, these infographics are
 useful for highlighting and interpreting raw data.

CONTENTS

TABLE
CREATION IN
POWERPOINT
To create tables, go to the Insert tab in the top
menu, then open the Table drop down menu.
 3 Alternatively, clicking Draw Table turns
 your mouse into a crosshair, and you
From here, you can create a table in four create your first cell by clicking and
different ways. dragging the box. In this instance, you’ll
 The first is to use the table grid in the have to add columns and rows
 1 menu. By hovering your mouse over afterwards manually.
 different squares, you can select how many The last option is to create one using an
 rows and columns you want your tables to 4 Excel Spreadsheet, which is the fourth
 have with ease. However, this grid is limited button in the Table menu. This will insert
 to only 10 columns by 8 rows, so if you are a spreadsheet document within your
 looking to start with more columns or rows, PowerPoint file and give a default one. It
 select either Insert or Draw Table from the will also provide a toolbar similar to the
 bottom of the menu. one in Excel. You can input your data
 manually into the spreadsheet and tables
 2 Clicking Insert Table will open a pop-up
 will reflect the changes in real time. To
 window where you can manually input the
 number of rows and columns you want to exit the spreadsheet view, simply click
 automatically generate tables on your slide. anywhere on the slide outside the table.

 2

 1

 4

 2
 3
 4

CONTENTS

 CHART
 CREATION IN
 POWERPOINT
 First choose your chart’s style that best conveys
 your data.
 Go to Insert in your top tab menu, then If you look closely, you will see how the data
 1 Chart under Illustrations. correlates with your chart’s appearance.
 A new window will pop up which shows As you edit, the changes will reflect in real time.
 2 various choices. You can also expand or reduce the bounding box
 in your spreadsheet by clicking and dragging the
 When you click on one, different examples
 bottom right box if you need to add or subtract
 of each will be shown. Along the top of the
 data from the default one.
 window will be different variations of charts
 as well. When you’re finished, you can close the
 5 spreadsheet by clicking the X in the right-
 3 Once you’ve selected one, click OK.
 hand corner. If you need to edit the data
 A default chart will appear in the centre of later, you can always bring the spreadsheet
 4 your slide. There will also be a new green back up by right-clicking on your charts
 window with a spreadsheet similar to and clicking Edit Data.
 Microsoft Excel, which contains your
 new data.

 4

 1
 2

 5

 3

CONTENTS

VIDEO AND
ANIMATION
We’re big fans of video-content here because the Video is also becoming a critical part of how we
possibilities are endless. Much like presentation, communicate as more and more people adopt
videos integrate various design elements that can flexible work arrangements. Webinars can be
help guide, inform, impress, and entertain pre-recorded while videos can be used to induct
audiences. People retain what they view more and train staff unable to get to the office. Videos’
than what they read – 95% of message is retained versatility is rich, its benefits bountiful, and all
compared to 10% when read in text. easy to create through PowerPoint’s flexibility.
No matter the length or purpose of the video,
there is a way to design it that resonates with
audiences, especially since there are so many
ways to share video content with viewers. Using
your own website or social media channels, video
can be a great way to introduce or reinforce your
brand identity – offering something concise,
playful, impactful, and shareable to your
audiences (no matter where they linger or search
for content).

CONTENTS

 3

 4

 5

 EMBEDDING VIDEO
 IN POWERPOINT
 An easy way to add video content that’s Next, open your PowerPoint presentation and
 already been created is through YouTube, select the slide you want to add the video to.
 which is the only streaming video site
 supported in PowerPoint (only versions 2010 4 Click on the Insert tab and select Video.
 There you will see the different options
 and newer). In previous versions, YouTube
 available. For PowerPoint 2010, select
 videos were added with the use of a hyperlink,
 ‘Video from Website’; for PowerPoint 2013
 that linked to videos on YouTube that instantly
 and 2016, it’s ‘Online Video’.
 opened in your web browser.
 In later versions, the video plays on your 5 From here click ‘From a Video Embed
 Code’, paste the code you copied earlier
 presentation without opening a new page.
 with Ctrl+V or right click and Paste.
 1 First open your web browser and select
 the video you want from YouTube.
 When loaded, click on the video and two new
 tabs will appear to help you modify the playback
 Click the Share button to see the options. From the Playback tab, select Start so
 2 available options. you can choose the way you want your video to
 load. You can also select options, such as how
 Select the Embed tab and copy the
 3 already highlighted code either by
 long you want the video to play, repeat options,
 or full screen mode.
 pressing Ctrl+C or right-click the
 selection and then click Copy. While PowerPoint offers a wealth of resources for
 designing video and animation, remember that
 presentations are more impactful when video is
 used to support your argument rather than make
 it for you.

CONTENTS

SLIDE DESIGN
TIPS AND TRICKS
Embed your fonts
If you’re going to present your PowerPoint or
share it with other, embedding fonts is crucial.
You don’t want your audience or client
complaining about missing fonts or poorly placed
texts as a result.
It’s a couple easy steps, just click ‘File’ then
‘Options’. Go to the ‘Save’ menu and check
‘Embed fonts in the file’. Alternatively – if you’re
sharing the file – you can always save and send it
as a PDF.

 Converting documents to presentation
 Since I’m always talking about the wonderful
 editability of PPT files, being able to quickly and
 easily convert other formats into PowerPoint will
 save you some time and sanity.
 This is especially true for Word documents, since
 Microsoft can easily convert files within its
 program suite. When you convert from Word,
 each paragraph formatted in Heading 1 will
 become the title of a new slide, each Heading 2
 will become the first level of text, and so on.
 Create a presentation from an existing document
 by clicking ‘Home’, then ‘Slides’, followed by
 ‘Slides from outline’.

 Select separate bodies of text and other
 objects If you hold down ‘Ctrl’ while highlighting
 text, you can select two separate sections at the
 same time. This will help you edit text quickly,
 underline or bold certain terms or phrases, or
 change the colour of non-sequential words. This
 also applies to selecting other objects like images
 or geometric shapes.

CONTENTS

 Adding audio Reduce your presentation size
 This is relatively simple but add a new level of If you’re going to share or present your
 depth and richness to your PowerPoint PowerPoint, it won’t hurt to compress everything
 presentation. Click the ‘Insert’ tab, followed by – especially the images. Click on an image, then
 ‘Audio’, then ‘Audio on my PC’. Choose the ‘Format’, followed by ‘Compress Pictures’. I
 audio file you wish to use, click ‘Insert’, and suggest doing this once you’ve completed the
 then ‘Play in background’. This way, the audio presentation so you can deselect ‘Apply only to
 will play in the background of your this picture’, which will compress all images
 presentation. Otherwise, you can choose an within the presentation. If you’ll be presenting on
 option that plays the audio only when you click a project or screen, select ‘Web (150dpi)’ while
 on a specific slide. 96 dpi is your best compression option for
 emailing. If you’re not presenting your
 PowerPoint, saving as a PDF further reduces file
 sizes.
 We’ve even compiled a list of ways you can
 further reduce your PPT file size, free to
 download here.

 Fade animation
 If you don’t have the time or skill to craft intro
 and outro animations, ‘Fade’ is a quick cheat
 code for clean and simple transitions. You can
 also use ‘Fade’ for the elements within the
 slides, but don’t overdo it – one ‘Fade’ per idea
 or section is more than adequate.

 Convert your presentation into a video
 Simply click ‘File’, then ‘Save and send/Export’,
 and then ‘Create video’. Be sure to rehearse and
 have your content down pat, otherwise your slide
 timing won’t align with your presentation.

CONTENTS

Blank screen trick
I’m still discovering new hacks in PowerPoint and
this one is so simple and fun for playing with
audiences and reclaiming their attention. While in
‘Slideshow’ view, you can make your screen go
completely black (by pressing ‘B’) or entirely
white (by pressing ‘W’) – this is a cheeky way to
make people think your presentation has bugged
out and will likely get their attention for moment.

 Do a live poll of your audience
 An interactive poll is a great way to keep
 audiences engaged while ensuring they’re
 actually paying attention to your presentation.
 Live interactive polls are great for webinars or
 conferences.
 Our favourite app for embedding live interactive
 polls into PowerPoint is Sendsteps. This app
 uses text messaging and web platforms to
 collect audiences’ votes/responses, which are
 displayed instantly in your PowerPoint
 presentation.
 Before the presentation, you create the
 questions, customise how the chart looks, and
 how your audience can respond. During the
 presentation, invite the audience to respond by
 visiting a webpage or texting. After the
 presentation you have access to an online
 dashboard that reports your findings.

Zoom to draw in focus
In ‘Slideshow’ view, you’ll see a magnifying glass
in the bottom left corner. Click it and then click
the part of the slide where you wish to zoom in.
After you’re done, click the magnifying glass icon
again to zoom out. This is especially useful for
making data visualisations and charts more
dynamic while highlighting key facts or figures.