The Do's and Don'ts of Presentation Design [A Detailed Guide]

Our client Charlie asked us a pretty interesting question while we were working on his investor presentation. He said,

“What actually makes a presentation look professional without overdoing it?”

Our Creative Director didn’t hesitate.

“Knowing what to do and what to avoid — that’s 90% of it.”

As a presentation design agency, we work on hundreds of decks every year — for pitches, sales, funding, internal strategy, all of it. And across the board, we’ve noticed one thing: most people don’t struggle with making things look pretty. They struggle with knowing what not to do.

They overcompensate. They guess. They crowd slides. They throw in ideas just to “use the space.” It becomes a game of excess rather than intention.

So in this blog, we’re breaking down the do’s and don’ts of presentation design — based on what we’ve seen work (and flop) in real-world, high-stakes scenarios.

In case you didn't know, we specialize in only one thing: making presentations. We can help you by designing your slides and writing your content too.

Why Should You Know the Do's & Don'ts

Here’s the thing: people don’t read presentations. They scan them. Fast.

You’ve probably sat through enough of them to know — the moment a slide looks cluttered, wordy or just plain off, your brain checks out. Now imagine that happening to your audience during your pitch. Or your board review. Or your product launch.

That’s why the do’s and don’ts of presentation design aren’t just cosmetic rules. They’re strategic filters. They help you shape what matters and strip out what doesn’t. They’re about controlling attention — slide by slide — so the core message isn’t buried under a mess of design “noise.”

From our experience, great presentation design doesn’t just “look good.” It guides thinking. It builds trust. It gets people to say yes.

So yes, following the right principles matters. But more importantly, avoiding the wrong ones matters even more. One poor design choice can throw off the entire narrative. It signals a lack of clarity, professionalism or even confidence — and that’s not a risk worth taking.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Presentation Design

Let’s get into it. What actually works? What actually doesn’t? What’s worth your time? What’s quietly ruining your slides?

Here’s our real-world list of do’s and don’ts, based on hundreds of decks we’ve designed, edited, and rescued.

DO: Design for clarity, not decoration

Good design is invisible. You notice what it’s saying, not how it looks.

That doesn’t mean visuals don’t matter — they absolutely do. But they exist to support the message, not compete with it. A clean layout, structured hierarchy, and enough breathing space go a lot further than a slide stuffed with visuals that don’t know what they’re doing.

White space isn’t empty space. It’s thinking space. It’s what keeps your audience from zoning out.

DON’T: Treat your slides like a canvas

Your slides are not a playground for “creativity.” They’re tools for communication. We’ve seen teams throw in drop shadows, glowing text, rainbow gradients, and photo filters all in the name of design. None of it helps. All of it distracts.

Think of your slide like a billboard. You’ve got about 5 seconds to land your point. If you need visual fireworks to keep someone interested, your content isn’t doing its job.

DO: Stick to one core idea per slide

One idea per slide keeps your message focused. It gives your audience a mental anchor. And it prevents that overwhelming feeling of “where am I supposed to look?”

Let’s say you’re pitching growth metrics. Don’t dump revenue, user base, and customer retention into one data-dense slide. Separate them. Give each idea the space it needs to land clearly.

DON’T: Cram in everything just because you can

Just because PowerPoint or Google Slides gives you infinite slide space doesn’t mean you need to use it like a dumping ground. Slides packed with charts, text blocks, three logos, a stock photo, and two icons are exhausting. They don’t say “I’m prepared.” They say “I don’t know what matters most.”

If you’re adding more just to fill space, it’s probably a slide that needs less, not more.

DO: Use visuals intentionally

We’re big fans of using icons, infographics, and images — but only when they add to the understanding of the content. A simple chart can communicate more than a paragraph. A custom visual metaphor can lock in a key point better than any bullet list.

The test? If you can remove the visual and the message stays equally strong, it wasn’t doing much in the first place.

DON’T: Use visuals as decoration

Not every slide needs a picture. Not every point needs an icon. If you’re using visuals to just make a slide “less boring,” take a second look at your message instead.

We’ve redesigned plenty of decks where visuals were just noise — and removing them instantly made the slide better.

Also, stock photos? Use them carefully. If it looks like it came from page one of a free image site, it probably did.

DO: Create a visual hierarchy

Every slide should have a clear structure: a heading that tells us what the slide is about, content that supports it, and a layout that guides our eyes naturally from one point to the next.

This is where font size, weight, and spacing come in. Make the key point stand out. Use size variation, color contrast, and alignment to create visual flow. You want your audience’s eyes to move

exactly the way your narrative moves.

DON’T: Treat all elements equally

When everything is bold, nothing is bold. If all text is the same size, the slide becomes flat. No hierarchy. No emphasis. No clarity.

Same goes for colors. Don’t use ten. Use two to three — max. And use them with intention, not just because they “look nice together.”

DO: Stick to your brand guidelines (or build your own)

Consistency is a form of professionalism. If you’re working for a company, your slides should reflect your visual identity — fonts, colors, logo usage, tone. If you’re not working with a defined brand, create a basic style guide for your deck and stick to it. This isn’t about rules. It’s about coherence.

When every slide feels like it came from a different planet, trust erodes. Cohesion builds trust.

DON’T: Copy-paste random styles from other decks

We get it. The internet is full of nice slides. But mixing and matching random design elements from different sources leads to Frankenstein decks — mismatched fonts, weird color palettes, and layouts that don’t talk to each other.

Inconsistency doesn’t feel creative. It feels careless.

DO: Use animations and transitions strategically

Animations can help control the pace of your delivery. Reveal one idea at a time. Build suspense. Highlight relationships between elements.

But here’s the keyword: strategically.

DON’T: Add animations just to make things “pop”

Zoom-ins, bounce-ins, fly-ins, dissolve-ins — used without restraint — scream amateur hour. They distract more than they delight.

If your slide flips like it’s doing a gymnastics routine, your audience will remember the animation, not the message.

Keep it subtle. Keep it purposeful. Use fade and appear for flow, not show.

DO: Edit your text ruthlessly

You are not writing a novel. Slides are not reading material. They’re speaking companions. Use fewer words. Use simpler words. Break long paragraphs into tight bullets. Keep only what helps drive the message forward.

Your audience shouldn’t have to read your point. They should be able to get your point instantly.

DON’T: Dump your entire script on the slide

This is probably the most common issue we fix: slides packed with full sentences, long blocks of text, and jargon nobody asked for.

Don’t turn your slides into a teleprompter. If you need detailed explanation, that’s what your voice is for.

Slides are a support act, not the main act. Respect their role.

DO: Think story first, design second

Design should follow your narrative. Not the other way around.

Before you even open PowerPoint, know what you’re trying to say, how you want to say it, and in what order. Sketch the story on paper if you have to. The design only works when the thinking behind it is solid.

Great slides follow a story arc. They have rhythm, contrast, and flow. That doesn’t happen by accident.

DON’T: Design in isolation

If you’re jumping slide-to-slide without a bigger narrative plan, the deck will feel disconnected. That’s how you end up with repeating ideas, awkward transitions, or entire slides that don’t serve a purpose.

Start with the story. Then let the design elevate it.

DO: Review your deck like a skeptic

Before sending or presenting, take off your “creator” hat and put on your “audience” hat. Ask yourself:

• Would I understand this without someone explaining it?

• Does anything feel out of place?

• Would I care about this if I were in the audience?

  
  

Even better — ask a colleague who wasn’t involved to go through the deck. Fresh eyes catch what familiar ones don’t.

DON’T: Assume your deck is self-explanatory

Just because you know what the slide means doesn’t mean your audience will. Clarity doesn’t happen by default. It happens through iteration.

And don’t rely on your speaking delivery to “fix” a bad slide. A good slide should still work even if someone flips through the deck without you in the room.

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Why Hire Us to Build your Presentation?

If you're reading this, you're probably working on a presentation right now. You could do it all yourself. But the reality is - that’s not going to give you the high-impact presentation you need. It’s a lot of guesswork, a lot of trial and error. And at the end of the day, you’ll be left with a presentation that’s “good enough,” not one that gets results. On the other hand, we’ve spent years crafting thousands of presentations, mastering both storytelling and design. Let us handle this for you, so you can focus on what you do best.

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