ppt presentation 1st page

How to easily make an AWESOME first slide in PowerPoint?

By: Author Shrot Katewa

A good first impression can have a lasting impact. Thus, having a good design for your first slide is important. We’ve seen that people often simply put the title of the presentation as a first slide. I personally dislike this the most. It just shows that the person creating the presentation was simply not interested in it (even though that may not necessarily be true).

Thus, knowing how to create a good first slide is as important if not more as knowing how to create the rest of the presentation. The best part is – you can easily create an awesome first slide for your presentation in minutes in a few quick and easy steps. Obviously, if you have the time at hand, you can easily spend an hour or two making that perfect first slide! In this post, we take a look at how to easily create a first slide with a few examples of actual designs that we have created for our clients.

1. What is the first slide of a PPT presentation called?

The first slide of a presentation is called a “Title slide” or a “Cover slide” . This slide often contains the title of the presentation and hence the name title slide. It is also often referred to as the “Opening slide” of the presentation. The title slide is often the slide that is displayed on the screen before you start your presentation. Thus, it is important to have a title slide that not only looks good but also shares relevant information about your presentation.

2. What content should be included on the first slide of the PPT presentation?

A title slide or the cover slide does not need too much content. The purpose of the title slide is really to give an indication of what the presentation is all about. Thus, an ideal title slide should contain nothing more than –

• Presentation title
• Date of the presentation
• Presenter’s name and designation

It is not necessary to have all the above three pieces of information on a cover slide. Do keep in mind that not all cover slides are the same and what content is displayed on the cover slide can be organisation specific. An organisation may have a preference or a fixed structure for the content that needs to be put on a cover slide. This may vary from the above structure.

3. How to easily design a beautiful first slide in minutes?

As I mentioned earlier, having a good first slide can have a lasting positive impact on your audience. Thus, it is important to create a good design for your first slide. There are several ways you can design the cover slide. Let’s look at some of the easiest ways you can create a beautiful cover slide –

Method 1 – Using PowerPoint’s “Design Ideas” functionality (for beginners)

I must admit, PowerPoint’s “Design Ideas” functionality has great potential. In fact, we at OwlScape were planning on creating a similar plugin for PowerPoint users before Microsoft introduced this feature. This functionality is not just great for beginners, but also at least a must try for intermediate level users too. Designers from OwlScape also at least check out the functionality every once in a while especially when we hit a creative bloq.

It is really easy to work with. In just a couple of clicks and a few minutes, you can make your title slide look completely different –

To do this, all you need to do is put some text on your cover slide and use the “Design Ideas” functionality of PowerPoint. For example, you can write the title and subtitle of your presentation.

Next, click on the “Design” tab on your Menu bar. On the ribbon under the design tab, look for “Design Ideas” feature. It is normally on the far right of the screen on the ribbon. Click on it, and wait for a bit.

In a few seconds, PowerPoint will automatically throw a few ways in which you can design your title slide. You can choose the design you like, and repeat the process to get more results.

If you are unable to see any design ideas or you get an error, you could close the error result by clicking on the close button marked with “X” next to Design Ideas. Then, try clicking in any of the text box on the slide and click on “Design Ideas” again. A few attempts will surely give you some interesting results.

There are a few drawbacks though. These are as follows –

• The results are not consistent . If you happen to delete the slide and try to recreate using the exact same process, the result may be different. This can be both good and bad 🙂
• Editing the design of the suggested slide may not be easy for beginners – when you need to make some changes to the chosen design option, it doesn’t happen directly. You will need to work with the master slides in order to make the design changes. This may seem daunting especially if you are a beginner.
• Sometimes, it just doesn’t work – Even though you may have created a slide using the same content before, sometimes when you try to recreate using the same content, it may simply fail to showcase any ideas. In such an event, we would advise you to click on the text box or an image on your slide and try again by clicking on the Design Ideas option.
• Available for Office 2016 onwards – If you are a PowerPoint user using an older version of Microsoft Office, you may not be able to easily access this functionality. Having the latest PowerPoint version can be of great help!

One thing to note is that the “Design Ideas” option can be used not just for the cover slide, but also for other slides. However, I would advise resisting the temptation of using it for every single slide. 🙂

Method 2 – Using shapes to create an interesting cover slide (for intermediate users)

One other way of having an interesting cover slide is by using the shapes in PowerPoint. Let’s look at the following example –

If you look at the above example carefully, you’ll notice that we’ve only added a shape to the already existing title and the subtitle in the “After” slide. Simply adding a shape, a logo and aligning the text can alter the look of the slide drastically.

There are many ways you can add a shape to the slide. My favourite method is to add a horizontal or a vertical “Trapezoid/ trapezium” (a quadrilateral shape with one pair of parallel sides). A trapezoid shape allows me to have enough space to write the title of the slide and some more content.

To create this shape, you can follow the below steps –

On the menu bar, click on “Insert” and then click on “Shapes”. Under the basic shapes option, select the trapezium shape. Next, create the shape on your slide.

Make sure that the size of the trapezium is good enough to cover about ⅔ parts of the slide. Also ensure that the parallel sides of the trapezium touch the top and bottom part of the slide. Now all you need to do is add the title and subtitle, along with the logo to create your cover slide.

Similarly, you can also use the trapezium vertically. You can also use various types of shapes on your cover slide. The possibilities are literally endless!

Method 3 – Using shapes with images to create an awesome cover slide! (for advanced users)

If you are still not satisfied with your cover slide, there are several other ways you can make it look even more impressive. The easiest way to take it to the next level is to use images in combination with the shapes.

Let’s look at a few examples –

Combination cover slide design example – 1

In the above design, a shape has been created in the background using a freeform tool. Next, two appropriate images have been identified and put in front of the shape. All this has been kept predominantly to the right side of the slide allowing space to write the title, subtitle and the other relevant information on the left.

Combination cover slide design example – 2

In this example, we’ve used one corner of curved rectangle shape to create an interesting design. Two copies of the same shape have been considered. The one below is filled with a colour and tilted at a slight angle. The one above has an image inserted in the shape.

Combination cover slide design example – 3

In the above example, a combination of several shapes and images are used to create a visually pleasing design. Obviously, this may not be something that a beginner can create right of the bat. But the reason we put this design as an example is because barring the design skills (knowing what shape to include and where), creating this slide is not as advanced as you might think. This slide has been created by only using shapes and image elements along with the logo and text. The purpose of using this as an example was to showcase the endless possibilities on how a seemingly complex cover slide can be made by merely using basic shapes and images.

4. How to find images for the first slide of your presentation?

Whether you are using a combination of images and shapes or simply using an image on your title slide, it is important to identify a good image that resembles the topic of your presentation. Consider the following example –

If you’ve been following along, I’m sure you would have noticed by now that the above title slide has been created using a combination of images and shapes. Again, the design can be easily created using shapes and image elements. However, part of the reason that makes this slide look good and relevant to the presentation is the choice of image. Since the presentation is for a corporate organisation, choosing an image that resembles a corporate environment would be relevant.

Take a moment to scroll up and notice the other cover slide examples that I shared above.

The cover slide example 1 was designed for a presentation on education. Thus, choosing an image that represents education effectively communicates to the audience that the presentation is something to do with education even without the word “education” in the title or the subtitle or anywhere on the slide (Don’t resist, go ahead and have a look at the slide again! 🙂 )

Likewise, example 3 uses a mobile device in the title slide giving an indication that the product being talked about in the presentation is likely going to be an app.

Thus, choosing an appropriate image is important as it subtly communicates the message to the audience.

Finding the images for your presentation can take some time. You can use Google to see a few references on what type of images can be used. Avoid the temptation of using Google images directly on your presentation as this can violate copyright laws. We wrote a detailed post on where to find and how to use images for your presentation (link – https://owlscape.in/can-i-use-google-images-for-my-presentation/ ). Be sure to check it out!

I’m sure by now you’ve noticed a few different ways you can create a good title slide for your presentation. I hope this post helps you to think out of the box while creating the title slide of your next presentation. I also hope that going forward you will surely give enough focus on creating an impressive first slide even if you only have a few minutes.

If you’re struggling while creating your next title slide or your presentation, simply drop us an email on [email protected]

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What should be the first slide of a presentation?

The first page of ppt should act like the cover of a book. It should give the would-be reader or audience a clear idea of what’s inside.

A PowerPoint first slide is commonly called a title slide or a cover slide, and it should include 3 main elements: (1) a title detailing the topic of the presentation, (2) An image that visually supports the title by adding more clarity to the topic, and (3) the reading time required to consume the presentation.

What is the best ppt first-page design?

The best first-page design for a ppt presentation or other more modern presentations is a mix of text and visuals that work together to provide the audience with a clear sense that the presentation is relevant, interesting, and worth reading. The best design choice is using a video with a short title text and tagline. A video will be effective in grabbing attention and a well-crafted title will make clear what the benefit of reading the presentation will be.

If you want to create an effective presentation, consider reading our guide on how to create an effective presentation .

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How to easily make an AWESOME first slide in PowerPoint?

• January 5, 2023

A first impression is important and creating one should never be taken lightly. It’s no surprise then, that people often simply put their title on the slides as an attention-grabbing feature for viewers – but I am personally opposed to this most common method because it just shows a lack of interest in what you’re presenting (even though again maybe not necessarily true).

First, you’ll need to decide what your presentation will be about. Do we want it to focus on one subject or do a wide-ranging overview of many topics? Once that’s clear in mind then the next step is choosing an appropriate design for each slide – don’t worry though because this can easily happen all at once using our quick and easy steps! So let’s get started by deciding how big should my slideshows be. Should they only contain pictures OR videos too?! Lastly, put together everything into actually creating these amazing.

Table of Contents

What is the first slide of a PPT presentation?

The first slide of any presentation is called a “Title Slide” or sometimes just simply referred to as the cover. This main title often contains key information about what you will be presenting and how it pertains back to our topic at hand, making this crucial for getting started on time!

How to easily design a beautiful first slide in minutes?

Now that you’ve seen some of the simplest ways to create a great-looking first slide, let’s dive into more detail. There are plenty out there for designers who want their work looked at by as many people as possible – but these will only get your audience so far! To really wow ’em and leave an impression on them long after they’ve finished scrolling through all available information online or reading through this article…you need something special: A killer design made just for them with personalization built right in from start to finish.

Method 1 – Using PowerPoint’s “Design Ideas” functionality 

PowerPoint’s “Design Ideas” functionality offers great potential for creativity and design, with many possibilities. This feature is not just good enough to try out on beginners; intermediates will also benefit from using this tool in their work too! We at OwlScape like getting inspired by creative blogs when we need some fresh ideas—so it’s always worth checking yours out if you have access or time.”

To give your presentation an edge, all you need to do is put some text on the cover slide and use PowerPoint’s “Design Ideas” feature. For example, You can write titles or subtitles for each section of information that they are presenting

Why not set out what belongs where with these simple steps? This will help keep viewers organized while giving them more clarity about how much time has passed since beginning watching!

Next, click on the “Design” tab located in your Menu bar. On this menu’s ribbon under Design Ideas, you will find a feature called “design ideas.” Click it and wait for just about 2 minutes before seeing anything!

Designing a logo is all about finding your unique style. It’s not always easy, but with some creativity and elbow grease, you can turn those generic designs into something that will befit any company or business!

that has an idea for how they would like their brand identity represented in terms of colors/fonts used on social media platforms such as Twitter etc., then it might help them if we started there first instead of trying to come up propose abstract ideas from scratch which could lead nowhere fast due lack meaningful input.

• Don’t let PowerPoint decide how you use PowerPoint.

With all these features, it can be hard to decide what is worth using and when. But don’t worry! We’ve got your back with this list of must-haves for any PowerPoint user and those on the fence (or looking forward) will want to see them too.

Make sure to check out our pre-made themes before you adopt them. You can try different typefaces and formatting from other programs like Adobe Illustrator or Apple Pages if Calibri & Cambria aren’t cutting it for your needs! Try making the presentation more interesting by changing up colors too – this will help keep attention on what’s important in any given moment rather than being distracted constantly by something blue (like their default tone).

• Create custom slide sizes.

When you’re creating a presentation, keep in mind that the default slide size may not work well on weirdly sized displays. If your screen is too small or large for what’s expected of it and needs to be resized accordingly before printing out copies so they’ll fit properly onto sheets of paper – here’s how!

• Edit your slide template design.

It’s common to design each slide by hand, but it can be easier and faster if you edit your PowerPoint template beforehand. Here are some tips for getting started with this process!

To start editing a pre-made presentation or charting out new ideas on what will ultimately become an empty canvas – let’s take advantage of our free time while still being mindful about saving every last minute possible during these busy work days so we don’t end up feeling overwhelmed at the end o the week wondering where everything went wrong because there wasn”t enough hours in one day (or weeks) spent putting together correctly aligned content across various medium.

• Make sure all of your objects are properly aligned.

The key to making a presentation look polished and professional is having properly aligned objects on your slide. You can manually try aligning them yourself, but we all know how that typically works out – you’re trying hard enough as it is without throwing some guesswork into the mix! Get rid of those worries by letting PowerPoint do its magic for you with this trick-it’ll line up everything perfectly every time so there’s nothing left guessing when viewers go through minutes or hours worth of content at one time over several days/weeks.

• Use “Format Object” to better control your objects’ designs.

When you right-click on an object and select ‘format’, the menu will pop up with all sorts of options to adjust it just how your heart desires. You can change shadows, and measurements or even create reflections–whatever looks best!

• Take advantage of PowerPoint’s shapes.

With the release of Microsoft’s expanded format options, PowerPoint provides more design potential with shapes. The user can now create better designs by using their flexible toolkit and incorporating different types or patterns into each slide’s layout!

PowerPoint is the ultimate tool for making presentations that get your message across. With Smart shapes, you can create diagrams and flow charts in no time! The best part? You don’t even need creativity because they’re pre-made – just choose what kind of shape it should be then fill out any borders or titles as desired to make them look interesting enough until next month’s meeting.

The new version has some cool features including one where users can apply different typesets based on their needs at every stage throughout the production process so there won’t ever again.

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How to Design a Great Presentation Cover Page

A cover page is a quick and easy way to add polish to your presentation. We'll cover a few tips for creating a great cover image, and we've got ten free PowerPoint cover image templates you can download at the bottom of the page.

The cover image sets the tone for your presentation—you don't want to dive right into the content—and is a great opportunity to start your deck off on the right foot.

What to include

Your cover image should include these basic facts:

• Title Short and sweet.
• Your contact information. Email or phone number
• Your company logo. It's all about branding.

Bonus tips:

Cobranding. Presenting to a customer? Add their logo to personalize the presentation.

Conferences. Including your Twitter handle is a great idea—you might gain some followers, and it gives your audience someone to tag when they gush about your awesome presentation.

Know your Audience

Consider how your audience will view your presentation deck (projected, on their laptop, or printed like it's 1995), and make sure that the scale of your design is appropriate.

If you're presenting at a conference, your type needs to be big enough to read from the cheap seats, and make sure you have enough contrast that the text is legible even if there's poor projector quality. You don't want your audience squinting at the screen before your presentation even starts. And remember—the title page will be what's on screen when you're getting ready—walking up to the stage, fixing your microphone, or just swallowing back the sheer terror of public speaking.

If you're emailing the presentation, make sure your cover image works well as a thumbnail. That will be the first thing your reader sees when she receives the file—and, let's face it, a better image is going to drive more opens than a boring one.

Know your brand

If you have an established brand, your cover image needs to reflect it. One of the biggest problems we see with decks out in the wild is when the creator goes off-brand and uses the wrong colors or typeface. Imagine how surprising it would be to see a presentation from Coca-Cola without their trademark red, or Facebook without their blue.

Cover Image Techniques

Now that we have the basics down, here are some techniques you can use make a well-designed cover image.

Stock Photography

The workhorse of cover images is stock photography—an attractive photo with plenty of negative space, then place your text on top of it. The trick is to find the right photo and make it work for you. Pexels is a great place to find free images you can use anywhere. When you're looking for stock photos, keep these tips in mind to help you find the right image.

Sometimes you'll need to do a quick bit of editing to make the image work for you. The important thing is to find an image that works in the background —one that lets your reader focus on your message, not the photo. These images tend to look boring all by themselves—you need to use a bit of imagination to see how it will work once you layer text on it.

Once you have an image, you can desaturate and tint it to give it better contrast for your text, or manipulate the image to give it more negative space, as you see below.

Typographic

Nice typography will take a you a long way, and it's something you can do in PowerPoint without any special tools. We're in a renaissance of great, free fonts. Take a look at this selection of the best Google Fonts from the always awesome TypeWolf for inspiration.

Using custom fonts can be tricky in PowerPoint. If you're having trouble getting your fonts to show up, take a look at this article . If you're sharing the PowerPoint with others, they'll need to have the fonts installed (we recommend always exporting your deck to PDF before sharing with customers to avoid font problems).

We all know PowerPoint isn't the greatest design tool—but it does the basics well enough, and you can use it to make a minimal design that works well.

Even though they're "easy" to do, with the right layout and sense of balance you can make a design that really sings with hardly any design elements.

Strong color combinations, simple shapes, and nice typography can yield a cover page that looks great without searching for stock images or opening Photoshop. Need a little help with color combinations? Check out Kuler from Adobe .

Free PowerPoint Cover Page Templates

We've made examples of the styles above for you to download and use. These are completely free—do whatever you like with them!

Coffee Cup PowerPoint Cover

Requires  open sans download powerpoint file, beach powerpoint cover, requires  playfair display download powerpoint file, office building powerpoint cover, requires  open sans and playfair display download powerpoint file, circles powerpoint cover, bridge powerpoint cover, desk powerpoint cover, design tools powerpoint cover, simple powerpoint cover, tiled background powerpoint cover, topographic background powerpoint cover.

Enjoy! If you need some ideas to get you started, take a look at our portfolio of decks we've designed . Or if you'd like a little help on your next project, we're happy to help .

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10 Strong Opening Slides to Start A Presentation (With Examples!)

Hrideep barot.

• Presentation

It is weird how now that we all live on our laptops and depend on them for entertainment and livelihood, things that shock us aren’t that many. This is a big itchy spot when it comes to engaging audiences and having a killer opening.

Lets focus on getting that perfect first slide in your presentation to help you kick off on the right foot.

How to open presentations

Opening presentations is an extremely daunting task. The worry of putting your best foot forward but at the same time not coming across as arrogant and the whole issue with fanning your armpits just before you step on the stage.

Yeah, I know. I relate, I think most of us do. We have braved those sweat patches and we have conquered.

It is time to up our opening game and while I will be getting to the ways we can do that, you can also check out this video for a quick idea.

What should be the first slide of a presentation?

Your first slide, needs to be impactful, with minimal content. An extremely difficult balance to maintain, but! Not impossible.

Your first slide, traditionally, is your name, the topic you are going to speak on and maybe on or two other details with MAYBE an image or some other graphics.

Gone are the days when we open speeches or presentations the traditional way, nothing wrong with it, but doing something “not normal” often helps us get people’s attention and that is the easiest way to get your points across and have them received positively.

Let’s check out a few ways you can open slides for a strong opening!

Strong Opening Slide Ideas

We’ve got our thinking cap on, let’s get cracking!

There are so many ways we can have a strong opening, even when you think presentations limit you.

Think of it this way, because people know you’re going to presenting something, they are going to give you full control of a projector. A big ass screen for all to see. If that isn’t filled with potential, I don’t know what is.

Well, with great power comes great responsibility, so let’s check out a few ways we can have killer opening slides , while of course being responsible… ish.

Idea 1: Introduction

There is no better way to get the audience to remember you than putting a giant photo of yourself on the screen and going, this is me, – an extremely edited version of me, but still, me. 🙂

Buddy. No. That was an attempt at being the funny – clever person. Clearly it didn’t work.

Don’t get me wrong, talking about yourself is good, important even to some extent, but that is it you see, it isn’t the fact that you’re talking about yourself that is the problem but what are you talking about that is.

The usual go to is to list out your biodata for the audience to read on the screen, while you speak the exact same thing off of the presentation. This is where we go wrong, no one wants to know about all your seven Ph.Ds. Bruce. (get the reference please)

Be proud of your qualifications, you earned them, but know when and where which qualification might be useful.

For example, you are a certified chartered accountant and have written plays that were on Broadway. In a screenwriting workshop / panel / seminar, as great as getting your chartered accountancy is, your experience as a writer holds way more value and is what will help you get the audience’s attention.

Let’s create an opening slide with the above example.

I used these polaroid photo ideas because for a play on Broadway, we’d love to see pictures! You can use tasteful pictures and even stock photos to help your audience get the right idea of your background.

Of course, I used these random paper elements to give it a more “writer” feel and also because this is my aesthetic, but you need to remember that this is your presentation and no cookie cutter mould will work. Even templates are meant to be edited to suit your needs.

Idea 2: Quiz

Is this to make your audience feel dumb? As much as that chaotic evil side of you may want to. Never do that. Respect their experiences as much as you would want them to respect yours.

Starting off with a quiz is a great way to warm up the crowd and get them involved in your presentation. Give them something to think about and it honestly doesn’t matter if they get it right or wrong, what matters is that they are trying to answer and interact!

Quizzes are a great ice breaker and also a great tool to get the audience going, you can also try to have a one off question or a series of questions.

Lets take the slide as an example, it could be for a presentation on a film industry and the question could be, guess the film from these three pictures, or they could be three different questions.

Remember as an opening slide, it should neither be text nor image heavy, just the right amount.

You could even create a game out of those quizzes and have checked off your list and even use these as a starting off point and come back to the topics (which could be your answers) while using this quiz as a reference point. The possibilities are endless!

Idea 3: Stimulation of Imagination

It always great to know what your audience is thinking, or in the least get them thinking!

You see, once they start thinking, they begin forming an opinion about the topic, which gets them invested and since you are the person addressing the topic, they will begin comparing their point of view / opinion with what they are saying.

There will always be different perspectives, what matters here is that they are invested enough to pay attention to you.

A really easy way to help them get started with forming an opinion is, asking them to take a minute to think about something.

For example: Think about a dancing monkey.

Can some of you describe the monkey you imagined, in the comment section? Was it wearing tap shoes and a top hat? Was it wearing a marching band uniform? Did it have your best friend’s face on it? Mine did!

Each of you had your own Dancing Monkey, and if thinking about it for a few seconds made it your own, imagine the attachment you can build by just spending a few minutes or even the duration of a presentation on it!

For example, you’re taking a presentation on perspectives or psychology. You can display this image and ask them what they think of it. Some may think about freedom, some loneliness and some people’s thoughts may be so profound that we could’ve never thought of it!

Idea 4: Video

This could work just as marvellous as sharing an image and opening a short discussion on its interpretations. You could even start with a video and use it as a segue into your presentation.

For example this video could be used as a great example for a marketing strategy by the brand and could be a great way to get the audience interested given the emotional quotient and relatable sibling content.

Idea 5: Image

Using an image might not necessarily mean that you can only invite the audience to imagine and think on their own. You can use an image to start your presentation and help get your point across.

You see that how the image is the hero of the slide? There is text, definitely, but much smaller, it looks as a complementary to the image instead of the other way around.

In this slide for example, assume poverty is the topic, a very telling image of poverty could help get the conversation started and make the audience more receptive of the topic.

An image in a way helps them “put a face” to the issue and that makes is easier for you to hold their attention and keep it.

Idea 6: Quote

It is well known and understood how impactful the right quote at the right time can be.

Lets focus on some things that people can often get wrong when using quotes.

Firstly, using long quotes, this is a no no when it comes to presentations because, then the audience will be in a rush to read the whole quote and if your point is made before then, well, we won’t get the desired effect will we?

Another thing to keep in mind is to not have a quote just to use it as a quote, pretty cryptic, honestly it is simple, if you are giving a presentation on a person and using their quote or you are using a random quote, make sure to have something to add to it.

It could be something simple. For example when talking about a person’s life:

“When this person said this, they were on their death bed, but they had lead a vivacious life until then to say the least, let’s start at the very beginning…”

Notice how despite there being a background picture, a text box, a bird in the corner, and all that, the text is what is the hero of the slide. You could even add a picture of the person whom you are quoting if it seems relevant.

Remember to always give credit where it is due. It never hurts.

Idea 7: Story

Who doesn’t love a good story? Storytelling is a major part of public speaking where animation, emotion and gestures and tones play a huge role in delivering your point.

With presentations, you need to remember to not just select any story, you need find / write a story that connects well to your topic, for example, if we are speaking about technology, a story about Alice and her looking glass don’t really give you much room to work in a segue.

Storytelling is a whole other conversation, check out this article to learn more about public speaking and how storytelling factors into it: Public Speech Into Story: 3 Steps To Telling A Captivating Story

Here the pictures are the heroes, and while words are important, make them complementary to what you are speaking.

Starting off with a joke is also a very popular trick and I think why should it be this or that, why should it be a joke or a story, why can’t it be a humorous story?

Now don’t go fretting about because it doesn’t have to be fictional, it could even be an anecdote from your experiences or maybe one comic strip you found online.

When it comes to humorous speeches, it can be quite intimidating, but here is an article I think will help you wade through these waters: A Guide To Using Humour In Your Speech

Idea 8: Examples

This is a great way to introduce your topic to a crowd that doesn’t know your topic well. Create examples or situations to help your audience gain a smooth entry into your presentation.

It is like math, it is fun when you understand, and that means you care and give attention to it.

You can also use case studies or make your examples into stories to make it more subtle and seamless.

Here is where a traditional topic, sentence and image layout of an opening slide is best suggested. You can build this in any direction and still be able to relate to your slide.

Idea 9: Hard Facts

Facing facts instances that are always either pleasantly welcomed or hard to swallow. Hitting the audience with hard facts works really well, especially if what you are going to talk about is a difficult or sensitive issue.

An astonishing fact is bound to catch people’s attention and you can always use it to your advantage!

According to Femme International, over the last 20 years, the sanitary pad sector has bloomed and advanced; they have taken over the industry and 85% of menstruating women in the country use napkins. As society progressed and the taboo on periods were lifted from many regions, a new problem came up. One which is really harmful. We all know that the blood that comes out during our periods is harmful and full of bacteria. Now include this bacteria filled blood with a pad which takes 500-800 years to decompose. That’s right, 500-800 years of a used sanitary napkin breeding bacteria in rivers, drains, soil and the sea. A menstruating woman uses 15-20 pads for one cycle. Which sums up to 7,200-9,600 pads over an average period of 40 years. This is just for one woman. According to UNICEF roughly 26% of the world’s population are menstruating women. This means that 2.28 BILLION women are going to use over 9,000 pads EACH during their menstruating years.

Always try to not keep your introductory slides text heavy, but when starting with facts, try to highlight them, notice how the topic and the image are not very prominent but play their part in bringing together the entire slide while the first thing you read is the fact, underlined and set in the middle.

Try to play around with the layouts, figure out what suits your needs the best.

Idea 10: Controversial Statements

Who doesn’t love controversies?

Even if we know something is clickbait, it still catches our eye. Even if we know something to not be possible, when someone says it – with conviction, our ears do perk up.

It doesn’t have to be something extraordinary, just not ordinary enough that it catches people’s attention and in the end, you can always use it to connect your conclusion to your introduction.

Here is a great TEDTalk that would help you understand what I am talking about.

If you plan to use this method, it is easier to dive into your slides after you’ve made the statement and start elaborating on it instead of right at the beginning, it could start with your topic or some proof or where ever your presentation takes you!

Final Thoughts

A presentation carries as much personality as its maker, if you want the right impact you need to use the templates, infographics and tools available to you to the fullest, but remember, there is a thing called “too much” as well.

The easiest way to kill it with your presentations is to keep it neat, in your aesthetic and to the point. Make it engaging, make it colourful, make it black and white. It would work perfectly if it bounces off your personality on stage.

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Blog > 10 creative Ideas for your Title- and End-Slides in Presentations

10 creative Ideas for your Title- and End-Slides in Presentations

11.13.19   •  #powerpointtips #presentation.

Of all the slides in a PowerPoint presentation, the ones that are without a doubt the most important ones are the first and the last one. It makes perfect sense – the title slide sets the general tone. Make it boring and you’ll loose your audience’s attention within the first few minutes. If you’re making it exciting and innovative on the other hand, you’re taking a big step towards giving an amazing presentation and having an engaged audience. It is very similar with the final slide. It will be the one that people are going to remember most, the one that is supposed to make people leave the room thinking ‘Wow! What a great presentation!’ A bad ending could even mess up what would otherwise be a good performance overall (just think of a good TV show with a bad ending…).

The most common mistakes for title and final slides

If you asked 100 people what belongs on your PowerPoint’s title slide, the majority would answer ‘The title, maybe a subtitle, the presenter’s name and company, the date’. That kind of title slide is alright, but you usually say all of these things in the beginning of a presentation anyway. Also, it is very likely that most of your attendees know these things – they usually signed up for it after all. So what’s the point in listing all of that information on your title slide, when you could also use it for making a stunning first impression? Not only the title slide is commonly designed in an uncreative and conventional way. Too often, you can see PowerPoint presentations ending with the ‘Any Questions?’ or even worse – the ‘Thank you for your attention’ slide. ‘Thank you for your attention’ is a set phrase that has been said so many times it can’t possibly be delivered in an authentic way anymore. Therefore, it’s better to think of something else for your grand final. Finding an unconventional ending that suits your presentation style makes you seem much more charismatic and authentic than using an empty phrase.

1. An inspiring quote

An inspiring quote on your slide is a perfect way to both start and finish your presentation. Well, it does not have to be inspiring. It could be any quote that is somehow connected to your presented topic. Just have fun looking through books and the internet to find interesting quotes that you want your audience to hear. Good pages to look at for inspiration are goodreads and brainyquotes.com .

2. A blank slide

This might seem strange to some people, but a blank slide can be really powerful if you want to have your audience’s full attention. You can use the advantage of blank slides by incorporating them at the beginning, in the end or even in between your regular slides. You can either use a blank slide of your regular template (so there will still be some design elements on it) or go all in and make the slide completely black (or white).

3. A call to action

If the goal of your presentation is to really make your audience act in some kind of way, there is no better way to start – or better yet end your presentation than with a call to action. This can be literally anything from little trivial things like “Drink enough water during the presentation so your brain stays intact!” – which will lighten up the mood – to more serious calls like “Help reducing waste by recycling whenever possible!”.

4. A question

Usually, it is the audience that asks questions after a presentation. However, you can also turn that around and ask your attendees instead. However, it’s important to ask a question that can be answered easily and individually – the best questions involve previous experiences and personal opinions (asking about facts or questions that are hard to understand can often lead to silence and no one wanting to answer).

5. An interactive poll

Nothing engages the audience like a live poll. Conduct one right at the beginning to get everybody envolved, and/or wait until the end to get your audience’s opinion on something. Icebreaker polls are the perfect way to start, as they lighten the mood. You can easily create polls for free with interactive software tools such as SlideLizard .

6. A funny picture, meme, or quote

I’m pretty sure that every student nowadays has that teacher that just tries a little too hard to be cool by throwing in a meme on literally every single slide. That may be a bit too much. But just a little comedy at the beginning or in the end can make you seem very charismatic and entertaining and catch the attention of your listeners. Open (or close) with a joke, a funny picture or a quote – whichever you feel comfortable with. It is usually best if it has something to do with the topic you’re presenting.

7. An interesting fact

Catch the audience’s attention by putting an interesting fact concerning the topic on one of your slides – ideally at the beginning, but maybe also in the end (to keep up the audience’s interest even after the presentation is done).

8. The title, but with a twist

If you feel like you need to put the presentations name/topic on the front slide, but still want that little creative twist, just change the title slightly. According to what I’m proposing, rather dull presentation titles like e.g. “Marine Biology – An Introduction to Organisms in the sea” can be transformed to “Marine Biology – Diving Deep” (or something less cheesy if you prefer). Make it either funny or over-the-top spectacular and catch the audience’s attention!

9. A bold statement, opinion, or piece of information

This is probably the best way to capture your audience from the beginning on. Start with a radical, crazy opinion or statement and then get your attendees hooked by telling them that during the presentation, they will learn why you’re right. It could be anything, really, as long as it goes well with your presented topic – from the statement “Everybody has the time to read 5 books a month” to “Going to college is a waste of time” or “The human species is not the most intelligent on earth” – Take whatever crazy, unpopular theory or opinion you have, throw it out there and (very important!) explain why you’re right. You’ll have your audience’s attention for sure and might even change some of their opinions about certain things.

10. No title and end slide at all

Yes, that’s a possibility as well. If you absolutely can’t think of any creative or otherwise good way to start and end your presentation – even after reading the tips mentioned above – then simply don’t. That’s right - no title and end slide at all. You can pull that of by simply introducing yourself in the beginning, then getting right into the topic (which makes a good impression, long introductions are usually rather tedious) and when you’re at your last slide just saying a simple ‘Goodbye, thank you and feel free to ask questions’.

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About the author.

Pia Lehner-Mittermaier

Pia works in Marketing as a graphic designer and writer at SlideLizard. She uses her vivid imagination and creativity to produce good content.

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Visual communication.

If there are used images or videos for communication, it is visual communication. Visual Communication is almost used everywhere like on television, posts on social media (Instagram, Facebook), advertisement.

.ppt file extension

A .ppt file is a presentation which was made with PowerPoint, that includes different slides with texts, images and transition effects.

Virtual Event

Virtual events take place entirely online. They are very convenient as anyone may join from wherever they are via a smartphone or computer.

Recall Questions

With recall questions, you have to remember something or something has to be recalled. Example: A teacher asks his students a question so that they remember the material from the last lesson.

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Cover Slides for Presentations with Shapes & Gradients

The title slide is inarguably one of the most important parts of any PowerPoint. It is the first impression for the rest of the presentation. If the audience loses interest from the beginning, the crux of the talk may have the same effect. Therefore, the title and design must perfectly reflect the contents of the entire presentation. The Cover Slides for Presentations with Shapes & Gradients is a collection of multi-purpose business cover templates. These aesthetic slides contain fully editable shapes to let users customize colors and design modifications.

The corporate cover slides of gradient PowerPoint offers a range of editable design for all-important first introductions. The audience will care about the presentation as much as the effort that has gone into creating it. A PPT cover page sets the tone of what comes afterward. The PowerPoint Title Slide starts with basic introductions such as name of presenter, purpose title, organization’s name, or affiliations. This is why an attractive layout design is necessary to build viewer’s interest from the beginning. With the use of visually appealing cover slides for PowerPoint, you can make your presentation standout from the start.

The Cover Slides for Presentations with Shapes & Gradients has seven PowerPoint background options with color and design variations. Each layout includes flat PowerPoint shapes with shadows and gradient colors. These slides give a modern and minimal look which could work with all types of presentations. Moreover, users can choose shapes to move, resize, or change color from the drawing format menu. You can download these banner slides deck to set the stage for your upcoming presentations.

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PowerPoint 101: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners

Are you struggling with PowerPoint? You need a quick design in PowerPoint but don't know where to start? Don't worry, you have nothing to be ashamed of.

In this article, we're going to refresh the most important PowerPoint basics so you can take advantage of this Microsoft software and create high-impact presentations at any time!

Millions of users worldwide use Microsoft 365 services , making PowerPoint the presentation design software with the highest market share. And with good reason! PowerPoint's features stand out for its usability and originality . We can tell you that PowerPoint is pretty intuitive software, and it's a great option to choose when working with presentations on a daily basis. So, are you ready for a quick PowerPoint 101 class?

Let ' s see what you ' re going to learn today with this PowerPoint Guide :

What is PowerPoint?

What are the best uses of powerpoint, powerpoint basics: what are the components of powerpoint workspace, mastering powerpoint: what are the main features of powerpoint, what are powerpoint templates and where to find them, time to practice how to make a presentation in powerpoint.

Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentation design software that is part of Microsoft 365 . This software allows you to design presentations by combining text, images, graphics, video, and animation on slides in a simple and intuitive way.

Over time, PowerPoint has evolved and improved its accessibility to users. For this reason, it has been adapted to the main operating systems and modalities:

• PowerPoint Online

Additionally, you can use Word and Excel in this online version. That way, you'll be able to make real-time changes in the cloud without fearing losing your files. Sounds great, right?

PowerPoint has a versatile range of uses. Here's a list of the different tasks you can complete with this presentation design software:

• Business presentations or Pitch decks.
• Marketing, Sales and HR plans.
• Project briefs and timelines.
• Inductions to new employees.
• Seminars and educational classes.
• Professional portfolio of photos or designs.
• Presentations of a research summary.
• Presentations for special occasions.

These are just a few examples of the multiple possibilities this Microsoft software offers. Your imagination is the only limit!

Stay tuned as we continue with this PowerPoint 101 Guide...

In order to deeply understand this presentation design software, you need to recognize its main components. Now it's time to learn about the PowerPoint basics!

A quick note before going any further: when opening PowerPoint, some of the commands in the ribbons will look grayish and won't be highlighted when you hover the mouse over them.

This happens since some commands need to be selected in order to function. For example, if you want to change the color of a text, you first need to select it.

That being said, let's start with this Guide for PowerPoint beginners:

PowerPoint Main Window

The first aspect to learn is PowerPoint Main Window. To facilitate the explanation, we've organized its main elements with numbers from 1 to 10:

Based on that, the main components of PowerPoint window are the following:

1. Quick Access Toolbar: allows you to customize commands to have them at hand. You only have to select it and go to "More commands."

2. Title Bar: shows you the name of your file and other "Suggested options" like Slide Master View . These options will vary depending on the use you give to the commands.

3. File Tab: you will see the Home Menu (PowerPoint backstage) by selecting it. There, you can create a new presentation, save it, print it, export it, and many other options.

4. The Ribbon: it's where PowerPoint tabs and tools are. These tools can also be called "commands" or “features.”

5. More Button or Down Arrow: these arrows allow you to view more tools or layout options in PowerPoint.

6. Slides Pane: shows your slides in thumbnail size. By right-clicking, you can access additional options for customizing each slide. Perfect for PowerPoint beginners!

7. Slide: PowerPoint's blank canvas and the frame to be seen when presenting the file.

8. Placeholders: they are dotted boxes that will store your content.

9. Status Bar: allows you to view the slide number, grammatical errors, speaker notes, and the comments on your file.

10. Zoom: allows you to enlarge or minimize your PowerPoint workspace. The range goes from 10 to 400%.

PowerPoint Tabs

The PowerPoint tabs are the control desk of your presentation . Since PowerPoint's features are too many, they're organized in tabs.

You can come and go between tabs as you need. Once you click on a tab, it will open its ribbon, and there, you'll be able to see all the tools related to that particular category.

This PowerPoint tutorial for beginners will give you an overview of all PowerPoint tabs . Pay attention to the following list:

• Transitions Tab
• Animations Tab
• Slide Show Tab
• Recording Tab

1. Home Tab

The Home tab is the most common tab of PowerPoint. This is the tab you'll probably use the most if you're designing a presentation deck from scratch.

It allows you to add new slides and change the text characteristics : font, size, boldness, underlining, alignment, etc. If you've ever used Microsoft Word, these features will be familiar to you.

Also, you will find commands to edit the characteristics of the geometric shapes you insert. This includes: fill color, line color, sharpe effects, among others.

2. Insert Tab

The Insert tab is exactly what its name says it is. In this ribbon, you'll find all the options concerning adding a new element to your PowerPoint presentation .

You can insert a picture, some geometric shapes, icons, WordArt graphics, among others. We can tell you that this tab is really helpful for PowerPoint beginners!

For example, if you have a lot of data in PowerPoint , you could add a chart or diagram to show your information in a more visual way. Also, you can embed videos or music into PowerPoint really easily.

• PowerPoint tip for beginners: To be able to write text on your slides, you need a text box. So, if you're designing your presentation from scratch, remember to go first to the Insert tab and add a text box to start writing.

3. Design Tab

If you are one of those people who enjoy choosing the design of a PowerPoint presentation, this tab will be your favorite.

The Design tab offers a wide range of premade designs , allowing you to get more polished slides. Even better, if you explore its ribbon, you can adjust the color palette and change the overall style of your PowerPoint deck.

The PowerPoint interface, as this basic PowerPoint Tutorial, is really intuitive. We believe that you won't have any problem with this tab!

4. Transitions Tab

Using transitions in PowerPoint is a dynamic way to move from one slide to the next during a presentation. This feature is PowerPoint's stamp, so don ' t miss it!

Some PowerPoint transitions are really classic, like wiping the old slide to present the new one. Others are somewhat over the top, like the “Vortex” or the “Airplane” effect.

If you click on each kind of transition, you'll see a preview on how it would look when presenting. Really cool, right?

5. Animations Tab

In case you want to add special effects for certain elements in your slides , the Animations tab in PowerPoint will interest you.

Like the Transitions tab, you will find various animation effects in this ribbon. It's a matter of trying and choosing the best one according to your needs!

6. Slide Show Tab

As its name says, the Slide Show tab is about presenting your slides . We really like that it gives you several options to show up your presentation!

Considering that you're a PowerPoint beginner, you're not likely to use the Slide Show tab very much.

But if you're curious about this command, you must read our article: How to Make a PowerPoint Slideshow that Runs Automatically?

7. Review Tab

The Review tab is not often used by PowerPoint beginners either.

However, if your job is related to writing or if you work at an international company, this tool can be extremely useful!

With this tab, you can check the slide's spelling, translate the text in real-time, and add comments to your slides . This last function can be helpful to give feedback to a colleague.

8. View Tab

This View tab allows you to change the view of your PowerPoint slides and make handouts from them, among other things.

As you can see, the majority of its commands are really specific. So you won't have any issues while designing, test and see!

In this section, our favorite command for PowerPoint beginners is Slide Master . Explore more about this tool in our guide!

9. Recording Tab

In the last versions of this design presentation software, PowerPoint added the Recording tab. As its name says, it allows you to record all your presentation slides .

This ribbon has advanced commands, so the most common action for a PowerPoint beginner is to take a screenshot or record the screen sequentially .

10. Help Tab

Finally, there is the Help tab. If you have any problem or question concerning how to use PowerPoint, you may go here to look for a solution.

In the latest versions, Windows has added a “Show Training” option. You can click this command to practice the PowerPoint basics since it will download training templates.

As a beginner in PowerPoint, you must recognize the objective of each PowerPoint tab to be able to master the software . But, in order to conduct an outstanding presentation deck, you also need to dominate its most important features. Let's see some of them in the next section!

If you feel ready to delve deeper into PowerPoint's tools, this section is for you.

As you may know , 24Slides specializes in creating outstanding presentations for any Design Project . So, we asked one of our experts about her favorite PowerPoint features, and we want to share them all with you!

Carmen Navarrete , Graphic Designer at 24Slides, highlighted the following features that will make your presentations stand out from the crowd:

PowerPoint Feature #1: Crop to Shape

This first PowerPoint feature is simple but effective!

Let's see how to use it:

• First, choose an image you want to cut and insert it into your workspace.
• Once inserted, select it with the mouse.
• Go to the "Picture Format" tab.
• Press the arrow of the "Crop" button (right side of the screen).
• Select "Crop to Shape."
• Choose your favorite shape and customize your PowerPoint presentation!

PowerPoint Feature #2: Merge Shapes

If you don't like any figure enough, you can create one from scratch!

This is possible thanks to the "Merge Shapes" option. Follow these steps to unleash your creativity:

• First choose an image you want to cut.
• Check the list of PowerPoint shapes (Insert tab > Shapes).
• Choose two or three figures you want to merge (they can be the same figure).
• Select the figures you are going to merge (see the image).
• Once selected, go to the "Shape Format" tab.
• Press the "Merge Shapes" option and the type of merge you want (test and choose!).

• A new figure will appear, and you must fill it with the image from the first step.
• Stay on the Shape Format tab and go to "Shape Fill" (button in the middle of the ribbon).
• Select "Picture Fill" and browse for your image.
• Select the image to fill your new figure, and that's it!

• PowerPoint tip for beginners: When your merged figure is ready, paste the image to the background of your slide to achieve a better result. This way, you can use your image as a canvas and see if both elements fit well.

PowerPoint Feature #3: Insert Icons

This PowerPoint feature is quite easy to follow for PowerPoint beginners!

Just follow these steps:

• Go to the Insert tab.
• Select the "Icons" option.
• A Microsoft 365 library will open, where you can search for the required icon.
• Now, you must insert it into your presentation and adapt it to your design.
• If you have an active Microsoft 365 subscription, you'll have access to a larger number of icons in PowerPoint.

• PowerPoint tip for beginners: If you want to learn more about icons in PowerPoint, read our article on How to Use Icons to Make Amazing PowerPoint Presentations .

PowerPoint Feature #4: Insert SmartArt

PowerPoint's SmartArt is one of the most popular and accessible tools to dominate while learning about PowerPoint basics.

To use it in your slide deck, you must:

• Select SmartArt.
• See all SmartArt categories and choose your favorite based on your needs.
• Add the text you have prepared and adapt it to your presentation.

We want to give you some ideas to master this SmartArt tool in PowerPoint: you can make timelines , flowcharts , and even a Venn diagram in just a few seconds. Try and see!

PowerPoint Feature #5: Remove Background

If you don't know how to use Photoshop and want to remove the background from an image, in this PowerPoint 101 Guide, we show you how:

• First choose the image you want to remove the background from.
• Insert the image in the PowerPoint workspace.
• Select the image and go to the "Picture Format" tab.
• Select "Remove Background" (first option on the left).
• You can keep and remove parts of the image with the first two tools of the ribbon (see image).
• Keep in mind that all the sections highlighted in purple will be deleted.

• We recommend zooming in to keep or remove parts of the image with more detail.
• Once you're done, press the "Keep Changes" button.
• Finally, adapt the new image to your PowerPoint presentation.

• PowerPoint tip for beginners: Choose a high-contrast photo or image for best results. In other words, the outline of the person or object you want to cut out must have clear edges and cannot blend with the image's background color.

PowerPoint Feature #6: Add Speaker Notes

The latest PowerPoint feature is a command you can use to prepare your speech before presenting to an audience.

Learning how to add speaker notes in PowerPoint is simple:

• Select the slide that needs some notes.
• Usually, there is a footer below the slide, but if not, you will have to activate it.
• Go to the View tab and select "Notes."
• The Speaker Notes section will appear, and you can add whatever you want!

• PowerPoint tip for beginners: In case you want to practice your entire presentation and have a lot of notes, go to the View tab and select "Notes Page" (fourth command). You'll be able to see all your Speaker Notes faster!

PowerPoint Feature #7: PowerPoint Translator

If you've ever wondered how to translate your PowerPoint Slides, we'll explain the step by step here:

• Go to the Review tab.
• Select the text you want to translate.
• Press the “Translate” button.
• A panel will open on the right side of the screen.
• Choose the language you need and you'll see the translation in real-time.
• If you press Insert, the text will change to the new translation!

PowerPoint Feature #8: Screen Recording

The process of recording your screen in PowerPoint is straightforward and intuitive. Let's see:

• Go to the “Record” or “Recording” tab.
• Press the "Record Slide Show" button or the “From Beginning” button (depending on your PPT version).
• A new window will open.
• Select the red record button and start recording!
• When you're done, select “Export.”
• By default, the video will be 1080p. If you want to lower the video quality, go to "Customize export."
• Name the video, save it to a folder and that's it!

As you may have noticed, this software has endless PowerPoint design options for beginners. We encourage you to try and test each functionality!

However, we're clear that PowerPoint has different features, so it can be hard to know where to start. That's why understanding PowerPoint basics is crucial if you truly want to master this software!

Our PowerPoint 101 Guide continues; stay tuned to discover more great stuff about this Microsoft software. Keep reading!

A PowerPoint template is a pre-made design that you can use for your own means, and that will save you a lot of time!

Templates in PowerPoint are a great resource for designing since all the structure is already done, and you only have to update the content . We can tell you they're the perfect resource for PowerPoint beginners!

They can be incredibly specific. For example, there are templates for a SWOT analysis or a complete Marketing report. Otherwise, templates can also be very general, with several slides with a similar design.

If you struggle with the artistic part of designing presentations, downloading PowerPoint templates will be a life changer!

How to download PowerPoint templates for free?

If you didn't know, 24Slides has an extensive repository of PowerPoint templates. But how to obtain them? It's really simple:

• First, create an account on our Free Templates Website with the button “Register” (that way, you can download everything without problems!).
• Think about the graphics you need and the ideal structure for your presentation deck (you can also change the color palette later!).
• Download it in PowerPoint format (if you prefer it in Google Slides format, you'll also find this type in our repository).
• Edit and change everything you need for your PowerPoint presentation!

24Slides Designers specialize in business and corporate PowerPoints, but you'll also find other types of templates on our website: Data templates, Timelines, Roadmaps, Matrixes, Diagrams, and more.

Keep in mind that a well-designed PowerPoint deck helps you communicate stronger messages to your audience . Don't waste this opportunity to make your presentation shine!

If you want to learn more about how to master PowerPoint, do not miss the last section. We'll show you some PowerPoint basics from the software itself!

A PowerPoint 101 Guide wouldn't be that useful with no examples. So, if you enjoy the step-by-step guides, this section is for you.

Below, we'll show you how to make a simple PowerPoint presentation. But first, here are some tips to be more efficient in the process:

• Be clear about what type of presentation you're going to create (is it corporate, playful, or more creative?).
• Make a draft with the most important information you need to add and, thus, generate a good structure in your presentation .
• Get inspired by examples on the internet , but adapt them to your needs and audience.
• If you will create a business presentation, keep in mind your brand identity .
• Make sure your PowerPoint works , you may need to update to the latest version or pay for the subscription.

Step 1: Make a draft to structure your presentation

As we said before, writing a draft or script of your content will be vital to start on the right foot as a PowerPoint beginner.

This advice is so important that we choose it as the first step to learning how to make a PowerPoint presentation. Remember: Planning is key!

Regarding the process of planning, we share some good practices:

• If your presentation will be very long , write down all subtitles and content in a Word document. This will help you organize your ideas and give a correct sequence to your narrative. In addition to avoiding redundancies in the message you want to communicate.
• If your presentation will use many visual resources , we recommend choosing high-quality images. This will help you have a starting graphic base. Some good free image repositories are Freepick , Unsplash , and Adobe Stock .
• If your presentation is based on data , have all your results summarized or your most relevant conclusions at hand. The idea of making a PowerPoint presentation is to show your information in the simplest way possible for your audience.

Step 2: Create a new document in PowerPoint

Once you check that all the functions are working fine with the software, please open it and go to the File tab. If you've ever used Word or Excel, you'll probably find this Home Menu familiar.

In short, this is the main page of PowerPoint, where you can create a new presentation or open an older one. Let's see:

In order to follow this part of our PowerPoint Tutorial correctly, take into consideration the following points:

• On the lower side of the screen, you'll find your recently opened PowerPoint files. This option is great for saving some time.
• If you don't find the presentation you're looking for, click on the “Open” option at the left bar and find older files.
• Don't forget to save your presentation with a relatable name so you won't lose sight of it!

Step 3: Choose the perfect design for your presentation

With your information ready in a draft, it's time to choose the design of your PowerPoint slide deck. You must imagine that the available design options are endless!

For practical reasons, you have three options regarding the design:

• Start a design from scratch (very difficult for a PowerPoint beginner).
• Choose an established PowerPoint design or layout.
• Download a PowerPoint template and modify some details.

Don't worry if you don't know how to continue! In this PowerPoint 101 class, we're going to explain step by step the second option:

How do you set a default design in PowerPoint?

• First, go to the Design tab.
• Open the list of options by clicking on the third arrow.
• Choose the design you like the most for your PowerPoint presentation.

If you want to explore more PowerPoint designs, there is a way to research online. For that, you only need to:

• Go to the File tab (first tab, next to the Home tab).
• Select "More themes" (see image).

• Use the search engine and write the keyword you want (it can be related to your business or it can be a color).
• Check the list of PowerPoint themes and choose your favorite.
• Wait a few minutes while it loads and keep designing in PowerPoint!

How do you change the layout of one slide in PowerPoint?

In this PowerPoint 101 Guide, you will also learn how to configure the layout of each slide.

Keep in mind that to have a high-impact presentation, you must adapt your slides' design to the type of content you'll add. And using layouts is perfect for this purpose.

To change the layout type in PowerPoint, follow these steps:

• Right-click on the slide you want to change.
• Select the "Layout" option.
• You will find more than ten layout models.
• Choose the one that best suits your content.
• Repeat these steps for each slide (if you wish or require).

How do you customize your slides in PowerPoint?

The design process in this PowerPoint 101 Guide doesn't stop there.

You also can customize your presentation's color palette , font style, background format , and graphics effects .

Just go to:

• Design tab > Variants.
• Select Colors, Fonts, Effects or Background Styles (as you need).
• If you're inspired and want to create your own background in PowerPoint, select Background Styles > Format Background.
• Finally, custom your slides as you want!

Step 4: Add all your information to your presentation

Now, it's time to add all your information to your slides. If your script is long, take your time to copy each part of it.

In this PowerPoint Tutorial, we're going to show how our design is going so far. We design at your side!

Step 5: Add transitions or animations to your presentation

The stamp of PowerPoint is its transitions and animations! Naturally, our PowerPoint 101 has considered these essential commands.

If you want to add them to your presentation and make your speech more fluid, follow these steps:

• Go to the tabs section of PowerPoint.
• Select "Transitions" or "Animations" and try your favorite effects.
• Remember that if you select Transitions, these will modify the entire slide, while Animations can be added to each element individually.

When choosing one Animation, you can eliminate it if you aren't 100% convinced. You only need to:

• Select the Animation number that appears on the corner.
• Press the "Delete" or "Backspace" button on your keyboard.
• Choose another Animation in PowerPoint if you want!

This “PowerPoint for dummies” is full of tips and tricks! So here is one more: Don't overuse transitions or animations in PowerPoint ; they can make your presentation slower and unprofessional . Use this tool in a subtle way!

Step 6: Refine the final details

As always, every final product must be reviewed. Especially if you're learning the PowerPoint fundamentals with us.

We recommend reviewing each slide of your PowerPoint presentation one final time. In this process, you will be able to:

• Add icons if your presentation requires it.
• Change any image or illustration if they don't convince you.
• Change transitions or animations.
• Customize your presentation's color palette .
• Proofread your slides' text or add more information.
• Add speaker notes to your presentation.

Step 7: Slideshow your presentation

When your presentation is finished, it's essential to know how to make a PowerPoint slideshow. This way, you can see your slides from the exact same perspective your audience will see them.

To slideshow your presentation in PowerPoint, follow these simple steps for PowerPoint beginners:

• Position yourself on your first slide.
• Go to the bottom right of the software.
• Select the "Slide Show" button (see image).
• Have a look of your presentation by clicking on each slide or pressing the right arrow on your keyboard.
• To go out from the Slide Show mode, you have to press the ESC key.

Now you can present your slides like an expert!

When you master this presentation design software, you'll be able to create amazing things in PowerPoint : infographics, diagrams, charts, pitch decks, business cards, calendars, you name it!

This was our PowerPoint Guide for beginners. We hope that our compilation today will be useful for conducting more professional presentations in the future and, why not, achieve all your goals!

Don't forget to share this PowerPoint 101 Guide with your co-workers or whoever you want!

Want to boost your beginner PowerPoint skills? Check out this content:

• How to Work with Multiple Images in PowerPoint
• How to Add a Timer to Your Powerpoint Presentations
• PowerPoint Charts, Graphs, & Tables Made Easy | Tips & Tricks
• How To Use PowerPoint Design Ideas - All Questions Answered!
• 36 Fun Icebreakers for Your Next Presentation
• The Cost of PowerPoint Presentations: Discover the hidden expenses you might overlook!

Create professional presentations online

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20 Great Examples of PowerPoint Presentation Design [+ Templates]

Published: August 06, 2024

When it comes to PowerPoint presentation design, there's no shortage of avenues you can take.

While all that choice — colors, formats, visuals, fonts — can feel liberating, it‘s important that you’re careful in your selection as not all design combinations add up to success.

In this blog post, I’m sharing some of my favorite PowerPoint tips and templates to help you nail your next presentation.

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What makes a good PowerPoint presentation?

Powerpoint design ideas, best powerpoint presentation slides, good examples of powerpoint presentation design.

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In my opinion, a great PowerPoint presentation gets the point across succinctly while using a design that doesn't detract from it.

Here are some of the elements I like to keep in mind when I’m building my own.

1. Minimal Animations and Transitions

Believe it or not, animations and transitions can take away from your PowerPoint presentation. Why? Well, they distract from the content you worked so hard on.

A good PowerPoint presentation keeps the focus on your argument by keeping animations and transitions to a minimum. I suggest using them tastefully and sparingly to emphasize a point or bring attention to a certain part of an image.

2. Cohesive Color Palette

I like to refresh my memory on color theory when creating a new PowerPoint presentation.

A cohesive color palette uses complementary and analogous colors to draw the audience’s attention and help emphasize certain aspects at the right time.

Image source

Mesmerize your audience by adding some neon colors and effects to your PowerPoint slides. Adding pops of color to your presentation will create visual interest and keep your audience engaged. 

What I like: Neon will add personality and depth to your presentation and will help the information you're providing stand out and be more memorable. 

2. Use an interesting background image.

Do you have some interesting nature photos from a recent road trip? Or maybe a holiday passed, and you have gorgeous photos to share? If so, consider incorporating them into your PowerPoint. 

What I like: PowerPoints don't have to be stuffy and boring. They can be fun and a unique or interesting background will enhance the experience of your presentation.

3. Or be minimal.

Have you ever heard of K.I.S.S.? Not the band! I mean, Keep It Simple, Sweetheart. If you're worried too many colors or visuals could take attention away from the message of your presentation, consider going minimal. 

Pro tip: Stick to no more than three colors if you're going for a minimalist design in your slides. 

4. Incorporate illustrations.

Illustrations are a great way to highlight or break down a point in your presentation. They can also add a bit of whimsy and fun to keep viewers engaged.

5. Use all caps.

Using all capital letters can draw your audience's eyes to where you need them, helping cement your message in their minds. It can also just be aesthetically pleasing.

Pro tip: If you choose to use all capital letters, use varying fonts so readers can tell which information is important and which are supporting details.

6. Alternate slide layouts

You don't want readers to grow bored with your presentation. So, to retain visual interest, use alternating slide layouts. The example above shows PowerPoint slides alternating between vertical and horizontal layouts.

This keeps things interesting and ensures your presentation isn't monotonous.  

7. Inject a little humor.

Humor is a great way to drive a point home and help people remember the information you're presenting. People remember a good joke, so if you have a funny pun to connect to a concept in a presentation, why not use it in a slide?

Pro tip: Remember you're in a professional setting, so keep your jokes appropriate. If you're worried a joke can get you a meeting with HR, then keep it to yourself. 

8. Use duotones.

Duotones (or gradience) can take the aesthetic of your PowerPoint to new levels. They can provide a calming energy to your presentation and make viewers feel relaxed and eager to stay focused. 

9. Include printed materials.

Let's say you have a PowerPoint you're proud of, but you want to go that extra mile to ensure your audience understands the material. A great way to do this would be to supplement your presentation with printed materials, as such as:

• Pamphlets 
• Printed slides
• Short quizzes on the material

10. Keep it to one chart or graph per slide.

This is both a design example and a warning. Graphs and charts are an excellent way of displaying quantitative data in a digestible format.

However, you should have no more than one graph or chart per slide so your presentation doesn't get too confusing or muddled. 

11. Use a large font.

Just like capital letters, a large font will help your shift your audience's focus to key points in your presentation.

Pro tip: You can combine large fonts and capital letters to boost its effectiveness. 

12. Include videos.

Embedding a video into your PowerPoint can help you expand on a point or effectively break down a complex topic. You can either embed a video from a platform like YouTube or TikTok or use HubSpot's Clip Creator to make your own.

Pro tip: Try to keep videos short, like, under a minute, and don't use more than one or two. 

13. Use GIFs.

GIFs add more visual interest, and they can be a great way to add humor or personal touch to your PowerPoint presentation.

14. Use contrasting colors when comparing two ideas or arguments. 

Contrasting colors can convey the difference between two opposing thoughts or arguments in a way that is visually appealing. 

15. Add a touch of nature.

If you want your presentation to exude a calming energy to your audience, including images of trees, flowers, and natural landscapes can do the trick.

PowerPoint Theme Ideas

Atlas (theme).

Covering a more creative subject for a younger or more energetic audience? I’d recommend using the cover slide design below. Its vibrant red color blocks and fun lines will appeal to your audience.

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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Practice Assessment Tests

Free assessment tests to get you prepared, how to animate first page in powerpoint [step by step tutorial].

In this step by step tutorial you will learn how to create  PowerPoint Slide Animation so you can you start your b usiness presentation with something that captures attention and want people to learn more?

When designing PowerPoint presentations for business audience, it’s important to strike the right balance between content, quality and delivery of your message.  You want your slides to be eye-catching and engaging to your audience, while still retaining a professional tone. This may seem like a steep challenge, but we focus on how you can solve it in this tutorial : using the step by step tutorial , you can easily create a  animated first slide for PowerPoint presentation that captivates your audience, but doesn't detract from your message and keeps them fascinated and asking for more.

Follow step by step instructions to learn how it was accomplished and you can also download final PowerPoint template , if you are just trying to reuse it for your upcoming presentation.

Final Cover Slide starts with black and white background animation of NY City and consists of 3 PowerPoint animations

• Flying large parallelogram object with text
• Smaller parallelogram with text entering the screen
• Black and White background converts into Color background

Step by Step Tutorial to Animate First Slide in PowerPoint

Step 1. launch powerpoint and select blank presentation.

• On Start Screen select Blank Presentation.

Step 2. Select and delete all extra elements on the screen

• Delete all extra elements, we will not be using
• Click Insert Tab and select Insert Pictures

Step 3: Insert Picture of NY City

• Switch to Insert tab and Click Insert->Images->Pictures

NY City WallPaper Picture can be downloaded by using the link below

http://wallarthd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/New-York-City-Wallpaper-High-Definition.jpg

Step 4. Create a duplicate of the picture

• Select picture and then click Copy and then Paste. This creates a duplicate of the picture.

Step 5. Make top picture Black and White

With Top level Picture selected, navigate to Picture Tools and select Color-> Color Saturation: 0%

• Make sure second picture is selected
• Select Picture tools
• Select Color
• Select Black and White
• Realign second picture to make sure it is on top of the first one

Step 6. Apply Animation to top BW picture to Fade, making color picture available

Navigate to Animations and Select Exit->Fade Animation

• Keeping second picture selected, Click on Animations Tab in PowerPoint
• Add a new Fade Animation Effect – Make sure to select Fade on Exit as there are two Fade effects available
• Extend duration of default Fade effect to make sure you can see gradual fading of Black and White picture

Make Animation Pane Available. This allows you to select the timing for animations

Right Mouse Click on Picture’s 5 Animation and select Effect Options

Adjust timing for animation to make Duration=3 seconds

Click Preview button to review the animation of the transition from Black and White to Color page. Adjust timings for the animation as you see fit.

Step 7. Insert Parallelogram

On Insert Tab, select Insert -> Shapes->Parallelogram

• Type the desired text to the shape, by selecting the shape and start typing
• Lets make font large, if necessary for better visibility and appearance
• You can change background color of the shape to the color of your preference. Click on the Shape and Select Properties. Then pick desired color

Step 8. Add text to Parallelogam

Below image shows text "PowerPoint Cover Page Animation" added to the parallelogram

Step 9. Select Desired Color for Parallelogram

Step 10. Insert Small Parallelogram

• Now we need to insert smaller shape, which could provide ability for you to insert additional text. Select Insert -> Shape->Parallelogram.
• Type desired text

Step 11. Add text to smaller parallelogram and adjust it’s background color

• Select background color of your choice
• Keep in mind that If you have selected lighter background color as I did to add more contract, you would need to change the color of the font as well to make sure font is visible

Step 12. Add Animation Effects to the large parallelogram

• Select Large Parallelogram and Add Fly-In effect
• Click Animations Pane and add Fly In animation for the larger shape
• Change the order of the animation to make sure Parallelogram’s animations gets triggered first, before animations for the background image
• Next Lets change duration of the Parallelogram’s animation. Click [Effect Properties], Select [Timing] Tab and select [Duration] equal to 2 seconds

In Effect Options select Directions -> [From Left]

In Timing select Duration -> [2 Seconds]

Step 12. Select small parallelogram and Add Animation Effects

In this part of the tutorial we will be focusing on below activities.

• Change the order for Second Parallelogram’s animation to make it executing right after the first one
• Now lets make sure it also flies-in from the left by selecting Effect Options and changing Direction to fly [From Left]
• Change Duration of the Animation to make it 2 seconds

Select Small Parallelogram

Add Fly-In effect

Step 13. Rearrange Order of effects

• Lets make sure second parallelogram’s Animation starts after the first Parallelogram’s one. We will do it by selecting smaller Parallelogram in Animation Pane and using Right Mouse Click selecting [Start After Previous] option

Step 14. Make sure First Effect starts [Start On Click] and others [Start After Previous]

Below is how Final sequence of effects looks like

Step 15. Adjust timings of animations and enjoy your animated slide

• And the last step is to preview the result of our hard work. Click preview button and enjoy the show!!!
• Note: We have selected 2 seconds for flying in animations, but some of you might prefer to make it shorter (i.e 1 second). Please play with timings and enjoy the slide you have just built.

Watch below Video to learn how to do make Cover Slide Animation in PowerPoint

Download Free Sample Animated PowerPoint Cover Page slide - PPTX file

Video Transcripts - downloadable PDF Files

How To Create Animated Cover Slide in PowerPoint - Video Transcript [English]

How To Create Animated Cover Slide in PowerPoint - Video Transcript [Simplified Chinese]

How To Create Animated Cover Slide in PowerPoint - Video Transcript [Hindi]

How To Create Animated Cover Slide in PowerPoint - Video Transcript [Russian]

PDF Tutorial

How to create Animated Cover Slide in PowerPoint - PDF Tutorial

Next Steps:

Would you like to learn more about PowerPoint Animations:  Enroll into PowerPoint Animations and Video (Online Training Course)

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25 Best PowerPoint Slide Designs (Best Designs for PPT in 2024) + Video

• Bahasa Indonesia
• العربية/عربي

In today's instantly interconnected world, communication is more important than ever. No matter the subject, an innovative and best designs for PowerPoint presentations  is a must to carry your message to an audience.

In this article, we're going to focus on 25 of the most modern, trendy and best design templates for PowerPoint . They're perfect for your presentations in 2024. Each one of the best PPT slide designs helps you project a cool and professional image to your audience—before you ever say a word.

Best PowerPoint Slide Design Templates on Envato Elements (With Unlimited Use)

You can find hundreds of the  best PowerPoint presentation design templates on Envato Elements. This is a great offer where you can download as many as you want for one low price. 

The premium best designs for PowerPoint presentations  we feature here from Envato Elements are designed for communicating your ideas efficiently. If you need the best PowerPoint design template that you can customize quickly, check out Elements.

These ready-to-use templates have unique slide designs for PPT and great visuals to choose from. Use them to showcase the concepts in your best slide designs for a presentation with pre-built slides for your:

• business plan
• product vision
• business model
• market size
• infographics

Look at the Best PowerPoint Presentation Designs

A pre-built PowerPoint presentation slide design is a blueprint for success. Swiftly add your business ideas, insert your data, showcase your innovative solution, and craft exactly the slides you need to win the room.

Just add your business ideas and key data to these already visually impactful business plan with the best PPT slide designs. Quickly prep your business template, and you’re ready to win over your audience. 

10 Best PowerPoint Slide Designs (Video)

Are you looking for the Best PowerPoint Slide Designs? Look no further. We've got some of the of the best PowerPoint presentation designs listed in the video below:

Do you want even more best design templates for PowerPoint to choose from? Browse through the list below for more options.

25 Best PowerPoint Slide Design Templates (From Envato Elements for 2024)

Imagine you're presenting research findings to your college class. Or suppose you're a corporate executive pitching a concept in search of funding. No matter what you're presenting about and who you're presenting to, the goal is really the same: persuasion . 

By getting a favorable impression, you're seeking understanding, approval, and agreement. With pre-built PowerPoint slide design templates, leave styling to the professionals. You'll have more time to focus on your message.

My favorite source for the best PowerPoint templates in 2024 is Envato Elements. Elements provides an incredible all-you-can-download resource for creatives , with a low monthly fee.  

Elements has such a huge selection. So, it really helps to have a starting point for choosing a PowerPoint slide design template. I’ve focused on five of the best below:

1. Evolution - Modern PowerPoint Template

When I’m choosing the bets slide design for a PPT, it’s key to find one that offers a lot of creative flexibility. Evolution is a prime example. This sleek, modern PowerPoint design is geared toward those building a comprehensive slide deck in 2024.

With a vast assortment of layouts, color options, and content placeholders, your work will become really simple. Simply download the template and insert your own content. This slide design in PowerPoint from Elements does the hard work for you.

2. ONE - Best Design for PPT

Nothing speaks to timeless elegance quite like the style of classic newsprint. Black and white colors provide stunning contrasts, with vivid images to illustrate the story. This vibe is captured perfectly by the ONE—one of the best PowerPoint templates from Elements.

This template has all the modern touches you're looking for. Modern touches such as image placeholders, video, and collection of charts and graphs. Some things never go out of fashion. This best design for PPT captures that perfectly right here.

3. BePro - Best Presentation Slide Design for Businesses

BePro is a great starting point for anyone looking to build the best presentation slide designs for their business. This slide design download includes content placeholders built around stunning visualizations of data.

Simply drop in your text, numbers, images, and graphics in this presentation slide design. You'll feel confident that your business is getting the portrayal it deserves.

4. Adren - Classic PowerPoint Template

This PowerPoint slide design theme stands out with pastel colors and graphics inspired by nature. Similar in styling to a modern magazine, Adren allows you to envelop your PowerPoint slides in the true essence of style.

Don’t forget to check out the many slide layouts and animation options included to bring more customization to your presentation. There's no doubt that Adren is one of the best presentation slides design.

5. Kintel - Modern Portfolio PowerPoint Template

With its unforgettable styling and bold fonts, Kintel is one of the best slide designs for PPT in 2024. The vibe is modern, yet rustic—this one's perfectly suited for showcasing art and all your other graphic design work.

You’ll also find hundreds of icons and dozens of uniquely themed slide layouts. It’s up to you to choose what works best for your presentation slide design and transform your vision into reality.

6. Buzinice - Outstanding Best Slide Design for a Presentation

Give your proposals an animated and fun feel with Buzinice, an outstanding best slide design for a presentation. You'll get over 150 total slides, perfect illustrations, resizable graphics, handcrafted infographics, and five color variations. It's plenty of room to add your information into your presentation and impress your audience.

7. Gradient - Colorful PowerPoint Template

This simple yet exciting PowerPoint slide design was made for an investor pitch. You can easily make it your own and show others what your business is about. It opts for quality over quantity. And that is the message you'll be delivering with this PowerPoint template.

8. Creature - One-of-a-Kind PowerPoint Template

Creature has a cool, modern look and feel. Click through it to find stylish, unique slides, customizable assets to match your branding, and Vector 3D Infographics, icons, and elements. With this awesome PowerPoint template, your presentation is sure to stand out.

9. Kamsupay - Best Design for PowerPoint Presentations

If you want to move away from minimalism, evolve into an abstract, creative PowerPoint template like this one. Kamsupay focuses on exciting shapes, ensuring it will catch the eye of your audience. Its dynamism and cool visual elements will put the emphasis on your information and images for your presentation.

It's definitely one of the best designs for PowerPoint presentations!

10. Blossom - Soothing Presentation Template

Help your PowerPoint BLOSSOM into a beautiful presentation (see what we did there?). You can do so with this fantastic PowerPoint template. Clean, elegant, and simple, this PPT template will get your message across. It has incredible features, like over 100 unique slides, photo and project galleries, editable graphics, helpful timelines, and more.

11. The X - Minimalist PowerPoint Template

Share details about your business, a personal portfolio, your products, or anything else you need to transmit. The X PowerPoint template is an effective, sophisticated, and professional way to raise your voice. It's ready to roll out in a flash because you can build and edit it quickly. You only have to drop your content and get moving.

12. Website Proposal - Best Presentation Slide Designs for Professionals

A business presentation needs to be clear, concise, and efficient. This way, you can ensure your investors, coworkers, clients, and interested parties will understand what you're about.

Website Proposal has contrasting colors and enough space to include your data. With professional best PPT slide designs like this one, you can transmit your big ideas about your business.

13. Compact - Easy PPT Design Template

If you need a professionally designed PowerPoint template that allows you to drag and drop your content, look no further. With this best presentation design, you can have a complete and beautiful presentation in just a few seconds and with a couple of clicks. Get started today with the Compact PPT Design.

14. Vogue Monal - Avant Garde PowerPoint Template

Pixel-perfect illustrations, high-quality design, handcrafted infographics, and beautiful graphics are only a few of the features of this PowerPoint template. Vogue Monal will elevate your presentation and make it more stylish and refined. Furthermore, it's extremely easy to edit, and you can make it your own with a quick download.

15. Union - Best Design for PPT to Create Pitch Decks

This is the perfect PowerPoint template for corporate life. It's the best choice if you have to pitch big ideas to investors. It comes with 100 unique and editable PowerPoint slides designed to create a well-constructed and engaging PowerPoint pitch deck.

Share vital aspects of your business with a sleek and professional best design for PPTs.

16. Mirage - Sophisticated Presentation Template

You don't have to start your PowerPoint presentation from scratch. More importantly, you don't have to spend hours trying to fit the pieces together to create an eye-catching message. This PowerPoint template has everything; striking contrast, shapes, and out-of-the-ordinary layouts.

It will capture your audience's interest and imagination. It's elegant and impressive, making it a good PowerPoint design for businesses.

17. Retro - Unique PowerPoint Template

The word "unique" doesn't begin to describe this next PowerPoint template. The Retro PowerPoint template is creative and a little bit quirky, but very complete and professional. You can use it for any business or personal venture. Download this awesome PowerPoint template and explore its full potential. 

18. Wixa - Good PowerPoint Design

Your content should be the focus of your presentation. However, the design aspect is critical in ensuring your content attracts your audience. The Wixa template has a modern and good PowerPoint design that's easily editable and customizable. Wow your audience with your content with this clean and minimal best PPT slide design.

19. Sami - Best Presentation Design for Companies

Don't just tell people about your company's performance; show them! Make your presentation more dynamic and captivating. This graphic-driven PowerPoint template will allow you to hit the points you want to make with extra strength. Discover the high-resolution graphics in this best presentation design for companies.

20. Callisto - Black-and-White Presentation Template

A black-and-white PowerPoint template design never goes out of style. The Callisto PPT theme is bold but clean. It worked down its color palette into shades of gray. This will ensure your text and images will pop. Plus, it has over 70 unique, well-designed slides and a ton of options to create enthralling PowerPoint presentations.

21. Autumn - Best Design Template for PowerPoint for the Fall Season

The fall season is beautiful. The leaves turn gold, red, and brown. The air becomes crisper. And there's pumpkin spice everywhere. This is why autumn is a crowd favorite. Capture some of that magic with the Autumn template.

Needless to say, this is the best design template for PowerPoint if you have a seasonal presentation to make.

22. Bravo - Top PPT Design Template

The following PPT design template is an excellent option for those looking to create a flawless, vibrant, and fun presentation. The Bravo PPT template is versatile and multipurpose and will fit right in with every message you have. Use it to display everything you have to give. Its design will inspire you and engage your audience.

23. Slider - Best Design Template for PowerPoint

You could easily stop your search for the perfect PowerPoint template after this one. The Slider PPT template design has all the features you will need, plus a killer design. It's a frontrunner and one of the best PowerPoint theme designs for 2024.

Give this best design template for PowerPoint a try and catapult your point!

24. Vegapunk - Best Slide Design for a Presentation Pitch

The Vegapunk Pitch Deck PowerPoint Template is equal parts trendy and classic. This gives you the confidence to face the crowd with the correct data, facts, and template design. And, as its name states, it's an ideal match to pitch your ideas to investors or clients.

Persuade them and make them trust your ventures with this best slide design for a presentation .

25. Mango - Amazing PowerPoint Template

Let's close this list with a bang! The Mango PowerPoint template is creative, beautiful, exciting, and professional. It has 150+ unique slides, color variations, galleries, illustrations, infographics, and other top-of-the-line elements. In all honesty, you don't need much more!

Still, remember that you can look through the thousands of the best slide designs for a presentation on Envato Elements !

Good PowerPoint Design Tips for 2024 Challenges

The problem in 2024 will be communication overload. The question for you, the presenter, becomes: “ how do I stand out above the crowd and make my message heard? ” 

The premium best PowerPoint presentation designs  convey information in visually appealing slide designs.

Use trendy, modern and best presentation design templates.  Using pre-designed PowerPoint slides saves you time and delivers an appealing presentation.

But if you aren't a graphic designer, how can you create the best PowerPoint slide designs?

The answer  is to use  pre-built best presentation slide designs from Envato .  They take the hard work out of building presentations. All you've got to do is choose one that fits your message and style, drop in your content, and give an epic presentation.

How to Make Good PowerPoint Designs Fast

When you choose one of our amazing PowerPoint presentation designs, you get professional layouts and styles. You don't need to have any graphic design experience to make beautiful, good PowerPoint designs of your own. 

Essentially, with presentation slide design templates all you've got to do is drop content onto pre-made slides. Envato slide designs already have flexible placeholders that scale and size your content perfectly. 

The premium Botany PowerPoint Presentation  has excellent slide presentation design.

Let's explore just how easy this is. We'll work in the  Botany PowerPoint Presentation  from Envato Elements and take a closer look at three specific slide designs.

1. The Title Slide

It's important to set the stage with great slide design right from the start. So, let's begin with slide 1: the title.

Title slide on a premium PowerPoint template.

As you can see, this best PPT slide design really consists of a few text boxes, along with an image placeholder in the middle.

To customize, go ahead and click to select each text box. Then simply start typing your own words. It only takes a few seconds. You'll have your content inserted in no time.

Next up, click on the image placeholder and browse to a photo stored on your computer. Click to insert it. PowerPoint will drop it right onto your slide. Even better—the placeholder on this beautiful template will ensure the photo is scaled to fit.

Just like that, we've made an engaging title slide. 

2. The Concept Slide

Slide 6 in this deck is a classic among PowerPoint slides: a simple text-and-photo layout. These drive many presentations by introducing a person, place, or idea through words and images. Once again, your job is easy, thanks to this Elements template.

Begin by adding a new title and supporting paragraph on the left side. Then, go ahead and click on each of the image placeholders to insert your own photos. 

3. The Mockup Slide

Slide 53 is a trendy PowerPoint slide design that you can use to show off your website or mobile app. It's called a device mockup. Featuring a 3D representation of a mobile phone, it really brings your product to life.

The first steps are the same as above:  adding your own text.  Now it's time to build the mockup. 

The best way to do this is to capture a screenshot on an actual mobile phone. Then, copy it to your computer. 

At that point, it's simply a matter of adding the image, just like we've been doing. The Botany template mockup will overlay the screenshot on the phone's screen, making it an exact replica of a real device!

As you can see, with robust and powerful professional PowerPoint slide designs from Envato slide creation is easier and better than ever. You'll wow any audience, without having to spend a long time designing slides from scratch!

5 Quick PowerPoint Slide Design Tips to Create the Best PowerPoint Presentation Designs 

As you can see, Envato has countless PowerPoint slide design templates to offer in 2024. But no matter which one you choose, there are a few tips and tricks that can help you build the best presentation possible. Here are some of my favorite PowerPoint presentation design tips.

1. Choose a Theme That Fits Your Message

Bright colors and whimsical graphics might not fit a corporate pitch deck but might be ideal if you’re talking to kids. Before making your choice, think about who you're presenting to and what message you're trying to convey. 

Use highly stylized premium templates like ECO from Envato Elements to fit your presentations

By choosing a theme for your PowerPoint presentation design you’ll pick a slide design template that works for your presentation

2. Keep Your PowerPoint Slides Clean

What looks good on your computer screen might turn into a cluttered mess on a giant wall projector. Be sure you use fonts that are large and clear enough to be readable from the back of a room. 

Less is more! Use PowerPoint slide designs that are clean and simplified. Avoid filling PPT slides with text and be sure chart labels are easy to see.

3. Avoid Dizzying Animations

Even though PowerPoint’s fancy animations and transitions might look cool to you, they can distract and annoy your audience. When changing slides, or animating objects onto a slide, it pays to keep things simple in your PowerPoint slide design.

Use a single animation in a premium template like ONE to animate without distraction.

Elegant fades and push animations ease content on and off the screen in a calm, non-distracting way.

4. Set a Clear Goal

Each PPT slide should have a clear purpose. Be sure text aligns thematically with a slide title, and that charts and images have a clear relation to the content around them. Nothing is worse than a confused audience. Always remember that a PowerPoint presentation is meant to be a visual aid and not a puzzle!

5. Transform Text-Heavy Slides With Infographics

One powerful way to slim down a slide is by using an infographic. An infographic combines information and graphics to explain concepts to the audience in a way that neither can do on their own.

One of the premium best PPT design approaches is to use an infographic like this one from BePro.

Infographics come in all shapes and sizes. Many of the best slides templates that you source from Envato Elements will include impressive infographics. Use them to explain complex concepts.

For even more design tips, check out this tutorial from Envato Tuts+:

5 Best PowerPoint Presentation Design Trends for 2024

The best PowerPoint slide design templates push the envelope and don't fall back on the tried and true. When choosing the slide design that works best for you, make sure it uses the design trends that are popular in 2024:

1. Minimal Slide Design

Minimal PowerPoint slide design has been trending for the last couple of years, but it's not going anywhere in 2024. Cut down on the clutter and excessive animations and keep the focus on your content. The result is a cleaner and easier to follow presentation.

The premium Creative PowerPoint Template proves that minimal isn't boring and can look very interesting.

2. Show, Don't Tell

This trend will help keep the focus on your content. Charts and graphs give you a visual boost when sharing data with your audience. Showing a visual will engage your audience more than just numbers ever will. They're a key part of good slide design. 

You'll have all the charts and graphs you'll need with the premium Smart Chart template .

3. Use the Pantone Color of the Year

Using the year's trendiest colors makes for great PPT slides. The Pantone color of the year is Peach Fuzz . Find the best PPT slide design templates for download that use this color and its shades to take good slide design to the next level.

4. Try Fancy Fonts

One of the newest trends in the last couple of years has been the use of bold typography. And no, that doesn't mean Comic Sans. If you want to apply this trend, find fonts that make bold statements, and can support good slide design on their own.

Improve the typography in your presentation in just a minute:

5. Isometric Illustrations

This type of illustration takes a 3D model and puts it on a 2D surface. The result is very satisfying to look at and adds a modern touch to any presentation. You don't have to be an illustrator to apply this trend. Just choose from the PowerPoint slide layout templates that have isometric designs.

This premium construction-themed PowerPoint presentation design uses a mix of isometric illustrations and images.

More PowerPoint Template Resources From Envato Tuts+

Choosing the best presentation design for you from the thousands of PowerPoint slide layout templates out there is a great first step. But what do you do next? 

If you're new to the PowerPoint software or just want to brush up your skills, the Envato Tuts+ team has put together the ultimate guide for PowerPoint . Find more layouts, PowerPoint shortcuts, presentation tips, and more. Here's just a taste of the guide to get you started:

5 Benefits of Using the Best Presentation Slide Designs in 2024

Envato Elements features stylish, and professional PPT slides with high-quality designs. These templates are the best you can get in 2024. Still, you've surely noticed that there are thousands of PPT template options out there. So why choose Envato Elements? What benefits does it have? Read on to learn more!

• Your message will be taken seriously. A less-than-perfect template will not be taken seriously. How you present your information holds a lot of weight. Find the best presentation design to elevate your message.
• You'll find a template for every sector. If you want a PPT template for a business proposal, you can find it on Envato Elements. If you need a PowerPoint theme design for a creative portfolio, you can find it there, too. You'll see a wide variety of options for every area imaginable. 
• You'll be stress-free. Designing the perfect PowerPoint template can be stressful, especially if you aren't a designer. You'll be more than halfway there with a pre-made but completely editable PPT theme.
• You'll get versatility. To present your message accurately, you need to be in control of some design choices. Luckily, the PPT templates on Envato Elements can be incredibly versatile, ensuring you'll make them your own.
• You'll get a confidence boost. Sharing your message is nerve-wracking. However, when you know you have the perfect backup (like a top PPT template from Envato Elements), you'll get a confidence boost that will help you spread the word effectively.

Benefits of Envato Elements (The Power of Unlimited Use)

Envato Elements is a subscription service where you pay a low monthly fee for thousands of high-quality digital assets.

Envato Elements is a subscription service where you pay a low monthly fee. By subscribing, you get unlimited slide design template downloads .

Download as many PowerPoint templates as you need. Use the templates that you download whenever you need a theme. Envato Elements provides more than just high-quality templates . You also get high-quality fonts, add-ons, and more. 

Subscribe to Envato Elements to get access to thousands of high-quality, professionally designed templates, for a low monthly fee !

Frequently Asked Questions Answered (FAQs)

PowerPoint is used by millions worldwide, but that doesn't mean that millions worldwide know its ins and outs. I've grabbed some of the most common questions about the program and answered them here to put any doubts you've got to rest. Let's dive in:

1. Can I Add Images to My Presentation?

Images and videos are both key elements to appealing slide design. There are a couple of options for adding images to slides, including paste and insert. Here's more useful information on working with images so you can have an awesome PowerPoint slide presentation design: 

2. How Do I Make a Chart in PowerPoint?

PowerPoint slide design benefits from visualizing data. To make information easier to understand with a chart, click on the Insert tab, then click Chart within the Illustrations group. 

Our tutorial on graphs and charts in PowerPoint goes into even greater detail:

3. Should My PowerPoint Presentation Design Be Industry Specific? 

Many great PowerPoint slide layout templates are multipurpose and work fine. But if you don't use an industry specific PPT template, you'll probably miss out on great icons and visuals designed for the industry.

4. Can I Use Props While Presenting?

Props are a unique way to complement some fun to good slide design. They can get a laugh and connect with your message. If you aren't comfortable with using props, there are other ways to spice up your presentation:

5. What Does Aspect Ratio Mean for PowerPoint?

Aspect ratio is the ratio between width and height. If you see PowerPoint slide design templates with an aspect ratio of 4:3, that means there are four units of width to three units of height.

This is important to know for the screen size you'll present on. Older screens are 4:3, while newer screens are 16:9. a 4:3 presentation on a 16:9 screen will have black bars on the left and right side of the presentation, which will make your slide design less appealing. Make sure you understand why you must know your presentation's aspect ratio:

Learn More About Using PowerPoint

No matter what type of presentation you're building, learning more about PowerPoint helps improve your results. When you're building PowerPoint slides, you've got to work quickly and efficiently. That frees up the time you need to build the best PowerPoint slide presentation design. 

On Envato Tuts+, we've built one of the deepest learning libraries for Microsoft PowerPoint. Use our resource, How to Use PowerPoint (Ultimate Tutorial Guide) , to launch your learning path.

Download Our Free PDF eBook on Making Great Presentations

We've got the perfect complement to a professional PowerPoint template. It'll help you learn how to write, design, and deliver great presentations.

Download  The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations  now for FREE with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter. Get your ideas formed into a powerful presentation that'll move your audience. 

Get a Head Start on Your Slide Design: Grab a Professional PowerPoint Template Design

In 2024’s hustle and bustle, you don’t have the time and energy to build a PowerPoint presentation design from scratch. So, it pays to use pre-built slide design themes like these.

With Envato Elements unlimited slide design downloads , you’ll find a plethora of dynamic slide templates at your fingertips. So, now it’s time to get started! Download your favorites today and begin building trendy, modern presentations for 2024.

Editorial Note : This post has been updated with contributions from Sarah Joy , Nathan Umoh , and Dacia Egurrola . Sarah and Nathan are freelance instructors for Envato Tuts+. Dacia is a staff writer with Envato Tuts+ .