DESIGN TIPS (the basics)
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Create and set a color theme that matches your presentation branding and use consistently on all slides |
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Select title and content fonts that are easy to read in design settings and set primary font as default |
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Utilize Slide Master to set design and fonts for consistency throughout your presentation |
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Focus on 1 point per slide and keep it brief |
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Use more visuals and less text to portray your message. Make sure the visual reinforces your point |
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Alignment makes a presentation easier to read and look more professional – make sure elements are aligned and that all titles fall in the same place on every slide |
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Set paragraph spacing before paragraph and add space between blocks of information to avoid visual tension |
POWERPOINT TIPS
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To make sure shapes or text is aligned, select all items you want to align and click on Drawing Tools tab > Format > Align (drop down to right of word Align) and select alignment you want to use. You can also space out shapes evenly by using Distribute – Horizontally or Vertically. |
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Create a chart style and save it so you can easily use it without having to repeat steps over and over. Add a chart type and set attributes like you want all charts of that type to appear throughout your presentation. Right click on chart and select Save as Template. Name the chart. When you add your next chart and it is selected, go to Design Tab and select Change Chart Type. Click on the folder Templates and select the chart you named, Your chart should now take on the characteristics of that chart. Do this for each chart type you plan on using (i.e., bar, column, pie…) |
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Slide numbering: As you work on your presentation, you might find that the slide numbering may not appear on all slides. To fix this globally, go to Insert > Slide Number and make sure slide number is checked off and Apply to All. Then go back in and check slide number On and Apply to All to have it reset slide numbering throughout your presentation. If you brought in slides from other presentations, you might have to run through to make sure there are no duplicate stray slide numbers that need to be deleted. |
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To avoid fonts from converting to alternate fonts due to someone not having them loaded on their systems, use standard fonts that are on all computers such as Arial, Times New Roman, or Calibri. The other option is to embed the fonts in the presentation, however, some fonts are restricted and wont work so make sure to test on another computer that does not have the font installed. Note that this will also increase the file size. True Types “TT” usually can be embedded in PowerPoint. |
| Note: These tips were written for Powerpoint 2016 for Windows. If you have any issues with any of the above, feel free to reach out or Google online for how to do for your version of PowerPoint. |