How to Make Presentations like PWC [PricewaterhouseCoopers]
- Ink Narrates | The Presentation Design Agency
- Aug 17, 2025
- 8 min read
Updated: Nov 24, 2025
Our client Mario asked us an interesting question while we were making their corporate deck.
He leaned in and said,
“How does PWC make their presentations look so polished yet so simple?”
Our Creative Director replied instantly,
“They design for clarity, not decoration.”
We work on many corporate decks throughout the year and in the process, we’ve observed one common challenge: teams often confuse complexity with professionalism. The result is cluttered slides that bury the message instead of bringing it forward.
So, in this blog we’ll talk about how you can make presentations like PWC—sharp, structured, and impossible to ignore.
In case you didn't know, many consulting firms outsource slide design to us. We can help you by designing your presentations and writing your content too.
Why you need to think about PWC presentations before making your own
You present to influence, not to decorate
You don’t sit down to create a presentation because you need a hobby. You’re doing it because you want to shift someone’s perspective—clients, investors, leadership, or a boardroom full of skeptics. A presentation is influence in slide form. If you don’t treat it that way, your audience won’t either.
PWC presentations deliver authority, not flash
What makes a PWC presentation stand out is not colorful design or fancy animations. It’s authority. PWC presentations reinforce trust in every chart, every recommendation, every sentence. When a global firm like PWC speaks, people listen—and the way they structure their presentations ensures they stay listened to.
The common mistake: copying the surface
Most teams who admire PWC’s style get it wrong. They borrow the muted colors and the simple layouts but miss the discipline. At PWC, every slide has a job. Every graph is tied to a decision. Every line of text has a reason to exist. The strength is in the thinking, not the template.
The real question you should ask yourself
Before you even open PowerPoint or Google Slides, stop and ask: What is the one message I need my audience to remember? If you can’t answer that in a single sentence, your slides will drift into clutter. PWC presentations are sharp because they are anchored in one clear message.
How to Make Presentations like PWC
When you think of a PWC presentation, the first thing that comes to mind is professionalism. They don’t rely on theatrics, and they don’t try to “wow” with gimmicks. Their slides are not just documents—they are decision-making tools. The real value of a PWC presentation lies in how it simplifies complexity and communicates authority in the clearest way possible.
So how do you replicate that approach in your own presentations? Here’s what we’ve learned from working on hundreds of corporate decks and studying how firms like PWC deliver their message.
1. Start with structure, not design
Most people jump into PowerPoint and start throwing elements on a blank slide. That’s the fastest way to end up with a messy, inconsistent deck. What PWC does differently is this: they begin with structure.
Think of the structure as the backbone of your presentation. At PWC, every deck has a logical flow—introduction, context, analysis, recommendation, and next steps. Nothing is random. By the time you reach the final slide, you can trace a straight line from the opening statement to the conclusion.
How to apply this yourself:
Write down your storyline before opening your presentation software.
Divide your content into sections that build on each other logically.
Ensure every slide answers the question “Why is this here?”
If you nail the structure, design becomes a tool for clarity, not decoration.
2. Anchor everything around one big idea
Here’s something we’ve seen across almost every PWC presentation: there’s always one dominant idea holding the slides together. It could be a market insight, a strategic recommendation, or a financial shift. Whatever it is, that idea acts like gravity—every slide orbits around it.
When you fail to establish a central idea, you end up with a fragmented presentation that feels like random thoughts stitched together. But when you define your core idea, every chart, quote, or case study has a purpose.
Try this exercise: Write your “one big idea” in a single sentence and keep it in front of you as you design. If a slide doesn’t support that idea, it doesn’t belong in the deck.
3. Keep design simple but intentional
There’s a misconception that PWC presentations look good because they’re minimalist. That’s only half true. The real reason they look good is because design choices are intentional.
Fonts, spacing, and colors are not random—they are deliberate. The fonts are legible, not trendy. The spacing creates breathing room, not empty gaps. The colors guide your eye toward what matters most.
How you can borrow this approach:
Stick to one or two professional fonts.
Use whitespace as a tool to avoid overwhelming your audience.
Apply color sparingly to highlight—not decorate—important points.
Align elements consistently across slides to create rhythm.
Design isn’t about making things pretty. It’s about making things unmissable.
4. Present data as a story, not a dump
PWC presentations often include heavy data—financial analysis, audit results, or market research. But you’ll rarely see a slide overloaded with numbers. Why? Because data without a story is just noise.
At PWC, data is always framed within context: what it means, why it matters, and what the audience should do with it. Instead of flooding a slide with tables, they simplify it into charts, highlight the trend, and add a headline that tells you the takeaway in plain language.
How you can do the same:
Replace dense tables with charts whenever possible.
Summarize the key insight in the slide headline.
Use callouts or highlights to direct attention to the most important numbers.
Avoid putting raw data in your deck unless you’re in a technical review.
Your audience shouldn’t have to squint to figure out why the numbers matter. Spell it out.
5. Use language that builds authority
Another reason PWC presentations feel credible is the language. They don’t use filler phrases or jargon just for the sake of sounding smart. The tone is direct, confident, and solution-oriented.
Notice the difference:
Weak: “This could potentially improve performance.”
PWC-style: “This improves performance by streamlining X.”
See the shift? One feels hesitant, the other feels decisive. And that decisiveness builds trust.
How to apply this:
Cut out hedging words like “maybe,” “possibly,” or “sort of.”
Write headlines as conclusions, not descriptions. (Example: “Revenue will grow 15% with adoption” instead of “Revenue projections.”)
Keep sentences short and to the point.
If you want to sound like an advisor, not an amateur, write like one.
6. Balance depth with digestibility
PWC’s audiences are senior leaders, decision-makers, and boards. These are people who deal with complexity every day. But here’s the trick: even though the subject matter is complex, the slides never feel overwhelming.
The balance lies in layering. PWC presentations often start with a high-level summary, then dive into details slide by slide. The audience sees the big picture first, then the details come in as supporting evidence.
How you can use this method:
Start each section with a summary slide.
Use supporting slides to unpack details without cramming them all in one place.
Think of your presentation like a funnel: wide at the top (big picture), narrow at the bottom (specifics).
This approach keeps your audience engaged without losing them in the weeds.
7. Control the rhythm of your presentation
Presentations aren’t just about what you say—they’re about how your audience experiences it. One of the subtle strengths of PWC presentations is rhythm. The slides alternate between text-heavy content, visual data, and summary insights. This variety keeps attention alive.
If every slide looks the same, your audience zones out. If every slide screams for attention, your audience gets fatigued. Rhythm is about pacing—knowing when to slow down for emphasis and when to move quickly.
Practical ways to control rhythm:
Mix slide types (text, visuals, data) instead of repeating the same format.
Use section dividers to give breathing space.
Build in moments of pause with a clean, minimal slide to reset focus.
Think of it like music—you need highs, lows, and pauses to keep people hooked.
8. Make recommendations actionable
At the end of the day, every PWC presentation points to action. Whether it’s a strategic recommendation, a process improvement, or an investment decision, the deck always makes it clear what the next step should be.
Too many presentations stop at analysis. They tell you what’s wrong but not what to do about it. That’s like diagnosing an illness without offering treatment. PWC doesn’t make that mistake.
Here’s how to apply this:
End every section with a clear takeaway or next step.
Frame recommendations in practical language (“Implement X process within 3 months”) instead of abstract ideas.
Prioritize the top 2–3 actions instead of overwhelming the audience with a long list.
Clarity on next steps is what separates a report from a presentation that actually drives change.
9. Respect the audience’s time
PWC presentations are concise, even when the subject matter is complicated. You’ll rarely see them padding slides with filler content. Every minute in the room is accounted for, and every slide is built to move the conversation forward.
Your audience’s time is valuable. If you waste it, you lose credibility. Respecting time is not just about keeping slides short—it’s about keeping them sharp.
How to show respect in your slides:
Cut unnecessary words, slides, or visuals.
Use appendices for details that only some audience members may need.
Practice delivery so you can get through the deck without dragging.
A presentation that ends on time and leaves room for discussion earns more respect than one that tries to cram in everything.
10. Build for both live delivery and leave-behind
One overlooked aspect of PWC presentations is that they serve two functions. First, they are presented live in a room. Second, they often act as leave-behind documents for decision-makers who want to review later.
This dual purpose means the slides are designed to stand on their own without the presenter. You’ll notice that their slides often include enough context to make sense on their own, but not so much that they become unreadable in a live session.
To adopt this approach:
Add explanatory notes or footers that help when the deck is read later.
Avoid relying on what you’ll “say” to fill in gaps—make sure the slides carry the essentials.
Keep visuals clean enough for live delivery but include supporting details for later review.
When you build for both scenarios, your presentation has a longer shelf life.
Common mistakes people make when trying to imitate PWC presentations
The most common mistake is treating PWC’s style as purely aesthetic. Many teams copy the muted color palette, the neat layouts, and the professional fonts, but they forget the thinking behind it. A PWC presentation is not just about looking clean—it’s about building a clear argument that earns trust. If your content is vague or unfocused, no amount of clean design will make your slides feel authoritative. This is where people miss the point: the strength of a PWC presentation lies in the discipline of the narrative, not just the visual polish.
Another mistake is overloading slides with “corporate-sounding” jargon in an attempt to sound professional. Instead of coming across as credible, this only makes the deck harder to follow. PWC’s strength isn’t in using complicated words; it’s in making complicated topics understandable.
Imitating the tone without the clarity turns your presentation into a wall of text that alienates your audience. If you want to channel the PWC style, focus less on copying their surface elements and more on adopting their mindset: clarity first, audience trust second, design third.
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.