10 PowerPoint Design Tips [Learn from experts]

Sean, one of our clients, asked us an interesting question while we were working on his investor pitch deck.

He said,

"How do you make a slide look good without making it distracting?"

Our Creative Director answered,

“Design should guide attention, not fight for it.”

That one line sums up the foundation of effective PowerPoint design.

As a presentation design agency, we work on dozens of PowerPoint decks every month. Sales presentations, board meetings, internal reports, you name it. And in the process, we’ve noticed one common challenge: most people either over-design or under-design their slides.

They either try too hard with gradients, animations, and clashing fonts, or they treat design like it doesn’t matter at all and rely on bullet points to do the talking.

Both approaches fail.

So, in this blog, we’ll talk about the basics. The ground rules. The design principles that quietly do their job without shouting for attention. These are not hacks. These are foundations. If you care about making slides that look sharp and deliver your message clearly, these PowerPoint design tips are for you.

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 PowerPoint Design Matters

Let’s clear something up right away. Design is not decoration. It’s not fluff. It’s not the icing on the cake. In a presentation, design is the plate that holds the cake. It’s what makes your message digestible.

Here’s the reality: people judge your content within seconds. Before they read a single word on your slide, they’re already making decisions based on how it looks. That doesn’t mean your design needs to be flashy. But it does need to be intentional.

We’ve seen brilliant ideas fall flat because the slides were cluttered, inconsistent, or just plain hard to follow. We’ve also seen average content land surprisingly well simply because the slides were clean, clear, and well structured.

Design affects attention. Attention affects understanding. Understanding affects action. That’s the chain. Break it at the first link and the whole thing collapses.

So no, design isn’t just about making things pretty. It’s about guiding the audience’s eye. It’s about deciding what deserves focus and what doesn’t. It’s about removing noise and amplifying signal.

You wouldn’t hand someone a report written in Comic Sans. So why would you build a presentation that looks like it was assembled in a rush between meetings?

Here’s the bottom line: if the goal of your presentation is to get someone to think, do, or feel something, then design is part of the message. You can’t afford to treat it like an afterthought.

10 PowerPoint Design Tips [Learn from experts]

Let’s make one thing clear. These aren’t trendy hacks or gimmicks that make your slides look “cool.” This is about clarity. It’s about using design to reinforce your message instead of watering it down. If you follow these 10 PowerPoint design tips, you’ll be ahead of 90% of the presentations you see at work.

1. One idea per slide

If we had to tattoo one rule onto every presenter’s wrist, this would be it.

One idea per slide.

When we say that to clients, the response is almost always the same: “But I have so much to say.” We get it. You probably do. But stuffing multiple points into a single slide guarantees your audience won’t remember any of them.

A slide is a visual unit of meaning. It’s not a whiteboard where you cram thoughts until you run out of space. If a slide doesn’t have a single focal point, your audience won’t know where to look. And when they don’t know where to look, they check out.

Split your ideas. Create breathing room. Give each point the space it deserves.

2. Cut the bullet points

Yes, bullet points are easy. That’s why everyone uses them. That’s also why they’ve become invisible.

A wall of bullets is a signal that says, “I didn’t care enough to design this.” Your audience gets the message.

Here’s what we suggest instead: turn each bullet into a visual structure. Use layout. Use contrast. Use icons if it helps, or just spacing. If it’s a list of steps, turn it into a numbered progression. If it’s a comparison, use columns. If it’s a list of examples, put them in containers.

Bullet points are lazy. Structure is respectful.

3. Use fewer words

This might sound ironic in a blog full of words, but on slides, less is more. If your slide looks like a page from a book, you’ve already lost your audience.

You’re there to speak. The slide is there to support what you’re saying, not to replace it.

We aim for no more than 10-12 words per slide, unless it’s a quote or a data-heavy chart. Short phrases. Keywords. Visual cues.

Your slide shouldn’t compete with your voice. It should complement it.

4. Stick to a grid

Ever looked at a slide and thought, “Something feels off,” but couldn’t quite explain why?

Chances are it’s a broken grid.

Every good layout follows some kind of invisible structure. Margins, alignment, consistent spacing — these things keep your slide balanced. Without them, even great content looks unprofessional.

If you’re building slides from scratch, create margins and stick to them. Align your text and elements to invisible lines. And no, centering everything is not a design strategy. It’s a last resort.

Design is not about decoration. It’s about structure. And the grid is your best friend.

5. Use one font. Maybe two.

Fonts are not fashion. You don’t need variety. You need consistency.

Stick to one professional-looking font throughout your presentation. Two, if you know what you’re doing. One for headings, one for body text.

We see people mix fonts like they’re designing a poster for a high school play. It never ends well. Fonts have personalities. If you put three different ones on a slide, they argue with each other.

Use a clean, legible font like Helvetica, Calibri, Lato, or Source Sans. Avoid decorative fonts. Save the flourishes for your email signature.

And always, always check how it looks on a big screen.

6. Make colors work for you

Here’s how to keep color from sabotaging your slides.

Use three colors max. One primary, one secondary, and one for highlights or emphasis. If your brand has guidelines, follow them. If not, pick a palette and be consistent.

Colors should have jobs. For example, use your primary color for headlines, your secondary for background or accents, and the third for callouts.

Don’t use red just because it “pops.” Use red because it means something — urgency, error, a warning, etc. Color is emotional. Use it with intent.

Also, high-contrast text over background is non-negotiable. If your audience squints, you’ve already lost.

7. Don’t stretch images. Ever.

This one’s a crime we see too often.

You grab a photo, drag the corner the wrong way, and boom — everyone looks 10 pounds wider.

If your image ratio doesn’t fit, crop it. Or find a different image. But never stretch. It instantly signals low effort.

Also, avoid cheesy stock photos. You know the ones. Overly happy people in boardrooms pretending to brainstorm. Your audience sees right through it.

Use relevant, high-resolution visuals that support your message. Not distract from it.

8. Animate with purpose

Animation is a tool, not a toy. Use it sparingly, and only when it helps reveal or reinforce information.

If your slide is a data chart and you want to reveal one section at a time, go for it. If you’re building up a concept piece by piece, animation can help guide attention.

But if your text is flying in from every direction like a PowerPoint party trick from 2003, please stop.

No spinning. No bouncing. No zoom-ins. We’re here to communicate, not to entertain like a magician with too much free time.

Simple fades and appear effects usually do the job.

9. Keep consistency across slides

Your deck should feel like one continuous experience, not a collection of unrelated posters.

That means slide transitions should feel smooth. Font sizes should stay consistent. Margins, colors, icons — all of them should follow the same rules throughout.

The first few slides set expectations. If slide 4 looks nothing like slide 1, your audience is confused. And confusion is friction.

Use slide masters if needed. Build templates. Define your rules and stick to them.

Design is partly about trust. Inconsistency breaks that trust.

10. Respect whitespace

Whitespace isn’t wasted space. It’s breathing room. It’s what keeps your slides from feeling like a packed elevator.

We’ve seen clients fight whitespace like it’s an enemy. “Can we add just one more point here?” “Can we fit the logo in the corner?” “Can we squeeze this chart in too?”

You can, sure. But you shouldn’t.

Whitespace helps the important stuff stand out. It creates rhythm. It makes your slide feel calm, not chaotic.

If you’re not sure whether your slide has too much, try this: remove one thing. If it looks better, you were overcrowded.

---

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.

---

Explore Case Studies | Get to Know Us | Start Your Project