What is Presentation Visual Aid [How to create one]
- Ink Narrates | The Presentation Design Agency
- Sep 16
- 6 min read
Our client Seth asked us an interesting question while we were making his presentation. He asked,
“What exactly counts as a presentation visual aid?”
Our Creative Director answered,
“Anything you use in your presentation that helps the audience see, understand, or remember your message.”
As a presentation design agency, we work on many presentations throughout the year and in the process we’ve observed one common challenge: most people struggle to create visuals that actually make the message clearer instead of just decorating the slides.
In this blog, we’ll talk about what is & how to create a presentation visual aid that genuinely supports your message and engages your audience.
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.
What is a Presentation Visual Aid
A presentation visual aid is any visual element you use to support your spoken message. It can be a chart, an image, a diagram, a video, or even physical objects. The key is that it is designed to make your audience understand your point faster and remember it longer. A slide full of text is not a visual aid, it’s just a distraction.
We often see people confusing decoration with communication. Adding icons or fancy backgrounds without a purpose does not make your presentation stronger. A true visual aid clarifies, emphasizes, or simplifies your message in a way that words alone cannot.
Here are some common types of presentation visual aids:
Charts and Graphs
Show numbers and trends in a way that’s easier to digest than tables of data.
Images and Photographs
Evoke emotion, set context, or illustrate examples.
Diagrams and Flowcharts
Break down processes, relationships, or hierarchies into simple visual forms.
Videos and Animations
Demonstrate complex actions or tell a story in a short time.
How to Create a Presentation Visual Aid
Creating a presentation visual aid is not about making your slides look pretty. It is about making your audience understand your message faster and remember it longer. Yet, most people start designing by opening PowerPoint or Google Slides and picking a template. That is the wrong place to start. If your visual doesn’t help your message, it’s just noise. So, let’s start from the beginning.
Step 1: Define the purpose of your visual
Every visual aid should have a purpose. Ask yourself, “What do I want my audience to take away from this?” This question is non-negotiable. Without an answer, you are just throwing visuals at slides hoping something sticks.
For example, if you are showing sales growth over the last year, your purpose could be to highlight trends, not to show every single number. That means a line graph or bar chart is better than a table filled with data. If your goal is to explain a process, a flowchart or diagram will serve you far better than a stock photo of people shaking hands. Define the purpose first, and the format almost chooses itself.
Step 2: Simplify the message
One of the biggest mistakes we see is cluttered visuals. People think that adding more information makes their point stronger. In reality, it does the opposite. A visual aid that tries to say everything says nothing.
Your job is to strip the message to its essence. Imagine your audience has 10 seconds to understand your slide. Can they do it? If not, cut text, remove unnecessary elements, and focus on the one idea you want to communicate. A good rule of thumb is this: if your audience can describe the main point in one sentence after seeing the slide, your visual aid is doing its job.
Step 3: Choose the right type of visual
Not every visual works for every message. We’ve worked on hundreds of presentations and noticed patterns in what works best for different kinds of content. Here’s a quick guide:
Numbers and trends: Use line graphs, bar charts, or pie charts. Avoid tables unless absolute precision is necessary.
Processes or workflows: Flowcharts, diagrams, or step-by-step visuals simplify complex sequences.
Comparisons: Side-by-side charts or before-and-after images make contrasts obvious.
Abstract ideas: Metaphors in visuals, illustrations, or icons help make intangible concepts tangible.
Choosing the right visual type is critical. Using a pie chart to explain a process is confusing. Using a process diagram to show a single number is overkill. Match the format to the message.
Step 4: Design for clarity, not decoration
This is where most people go wrong. They think design is about making slides beautiful. It is not. It is about making your audience understand the message at a glance.
Here’s what works:
Contrast: Make sure the text or data stands out from the background. Don’t hide information in a pattern or gradient.
Consistency: Stick to a single color scheme and font family. Random colors and fonts distract, not communicate.
Whitespace: Don’t cram your slide. Empty space is not wasted space; it guides the audience’s eyes.
Highlighting: Use size, color, or boldness to emphasize the key point. The rest can fade into the background.
If you focus on clarity, beauty will follow naturally. But if you focus on beauty first, clarity will suffer. And if clarity suffers, your visual aid fails.
Step 5: Use storytelling principles
Every visual aid should be part of your story. A graph or diagram is meaningless if it doesn’t connect to the narrative you are telling. When we design visuals for our clients, we always ask: “Where does this slide fit in the story arc?”
For instance, if you are introducing a problem, your visual should help the audience feel or understand that problem. When you are presenting a solution, visuals should make the solution tangible. Each visual aid is a bridge between what you are saying and what your audience is understanding. Skip storytelling, and your visuals will be ignored.
Step 6: Test readability and comprehension
A slide that looks great on your laptop may not work for your audience. Test it. Show it to a colleague or friend who doesn’t know the content and ask them what they take away. If their understanding matches your intended message, your visual aid works. If not, iterate.
Remember, presentation visual aids are not static. They are tools to communicate, and tools are only useful if they serve their function.
Step 7: Use software wisely
PowerPoint and Google Slides are not your enemy. Neither are Canva, Keynote, or other tools. The problem is when people rely on templates without thinking. Templates give structure, but they cannot think for you.
Use software to execute your idea, not to create it. Draw rough sketches first. Decide the purpose, the message, and the type of visual. Then, go digital and make it clean. Software should enhance your concept, not define it.
Step 8: Avoid common pitfalls
From experience, here are mistakes that ruin visual aids:
Too much text: Bullet points are not a magic fix. If your slide reads like a report, no one will read it.
Overloaded charts: Avoid charts with dozens of categories or colors. Simplify the data.
Decorative visuals: Icons, stock photos, and clip art only work if they clarify a point. Otherwise, they distract.
Inconsistent styles: Different fonts, colors, and shapes on each slide confuse the audience subconsciously.
Ignoring the audience: If your visual requires inside knowledge, it will fail. Always design for someone seeing it for the first time.
Step 9: Use hierarchy and flow
Visual hierarchy is how your audience’s eyes move across a slide. Your most important point should be obvious first, and secondary points should be clear without competing.
Flow is the order in which you present information. A good visual guide leads the audience’s attention in a natural sequence. We often recommend using alignment, size, and color to guide the eye. A slide should answer “What do I see first? What next?” instinctively.
Step 10: Iterate and refine
Rarely does the first version of a visual aid work perfectly. Iteration is key. Show it to colleagues, simplify, adjust, and improve. In our agency, no slide goes live without at least three rounds of review. Iteration ensures that your visual is not only accurate but also immediately understandable.
Creating a presentation visual aid is a process, not a one-time task. From defining purpose to testing comprehension, every step ensures that your audience leaves with the message you intended. Done right, visual aids don’t just decorate your slides; they make your presentation memorable.
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.