Our client, Yin, asked us a question while we were working on their investor pitch deck: “What’s the one thing that instantly makes a slide look professional?”
Our Creative Director answered without hesitation: “It’s not about one thing. It’s about removing everything unnecessary.”
As a presentation design agency, we work on countless pitch decks, sales presentations, and corporate reports throughout the year. And we’ve observed a common challenge: Most slides are overloaded—with text, visuals, or distractions that dilute their impact.
So, in this blog, we’ll cover the best PowerPoint design practices to help you create slides that don’t just look good but also work. Let’s get into it.
Why PowerPoint Design Matters
PowerPoint is often the villain of bad communication. Not because the software itself is flawed, but because most people use it like a digital document instead of a visual storytelling tool.
We’ve all sat through presentations where slides were crammed with paragraphs, random stock images, and fonts so small they required binoculars. And let’s not even get started on the infamous “bullet-point overdose.” The result? A disengaged audience that zones out within minutes.
Good design isn’t just about making slides look nice. It’s about directing attention, simplifying information, and enhancing clarity. When done right, it turns a forgettable presentation into a compelling experience.
Now, let’s dive into the best PowerPoint design practices that will help you create slides with real impact.
Best PowerPoint Design Practices for Impactful Slides
Now that we’ve established why design matters, let’s talk about the how. Most people assume that making a great PowerPoint is about picking a nice template and adding some visuals. That’s far from the truth. The best slides aren’t just “decorated” — they are designed with intent.
Here’s what separates mediocre slides from ones that leave an impact.
1. Master Simplicity: Less is Always More
One of the biggest mistakes people make in PowerPoint design is trying to cram everything onto a single slide. They overload it with text, bullet points, and graphics, thinking that more information equals more clarity. In reality, the opposite is true.
A good slide delivers one clear message at a time. If your audience has to read your slides instead of listening to you, you’ve already lost them. The rule is simple: If a slide looks crowded, it’s ineffective.
Start by stripping down unnecessary content. Do you really need that entire paragraph, or can you turn it into a short statement? Do you need five bullet points, or can you condense them into three? Can an image or visual explain the point better than words? When in doubt, remove.
Whitespace (or negative space) is not wasted space. It helps your content breathe, making key points stand out. A clutter-free slide is a powerful slide.
2. Use Visual Hierarchy to Guide Attention
Your audience’s eyes don’t magically land on the most important part of your slide unless you guide them there. This is where visual hierarchy comes into play.
Visual hierarchy is about structuring your slide so that key elements are seen first, followed by supporting details. This is controlled through size, color, contrast, and positioning.
Here’s how to create a strong hierarchy:
Make key text bigger: Your main point should be the largest text on the slide. If everything is the same size, nothing stands out.
Use contrast wisely: Dark text on a light background (or vice versa) ensures readability. High contrast makes critical elements pop.
Position with purpose: The most important content should be placed in a way that naturally draws attention, such as at the center or upper-left side of the slide.
Use color strategically: A single color highlight (like a bold red word in a black-and-white slide) directs attention instantly. But overusing multiple colors will dilute the impact.
Slides should guide the audience’s focus, not leave them guessing where to look.
3. Ditch Bullet Points—Use Visual Storytelling Instead
Bullet points have been the default for decades, but that doesn’t mean they’re the best way to present information. In fact, they’re a lazy design choice.
Instead of showing a list of text, find a way to represent the same idea visually. Can the information be turned into an infographic? A timeline? A set of icons? A comparison chart? A bold statement with an accompanying image? The more you replace text with visuals, the more engaging and memorable your slides become.
Of course, bullet points aren’t always bad. If you must use them, keep them minimal—no more than three to five per slide, with short, impactful wording. Anything beyond that belongs in your speech, not on the screen.
4. Stick to One Idea Per Slide
This is one of the most overlooked yet critical PowerPoint design principles. Each slide should communicate one clear idea.
Many presenters try to fit an entire conversation onto a single slide, leading to information overload. The result? A slide that’s difficult to read and an audience that tunes out.
If you find yourself squeezing multiple key points onto one slide, break them into separate slides. More slides don’t mean a longer presentation. It means clearer communication.
Think of your slides as signposts in a journey. Each one should lead smoothly to the next without overwhelming the audience.
5. Choose Fonts That Enhance Readability
Typography might seem like a small detail, but it has a huge impact on how your presentation is perceived. The wrong font choice can make your slides look unprofessional, outdated, or downright unreadable.
Here’s what works best:
Stick to two fonts max: One for headings, one for body text. Mixing too many fonts creates visual chaos.
Sans-serif fonts are your safest bet: Fonts like Arial, Helvetica, or Montserrat are clean and modern. Avoid script or decorative fonts unless they serve a specific purpose.
Keep it large: Anything below 24pt is too small for a presentation. Headings should be significantly larger—at least 36-44pt.
Good typography isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s about accessibility and ensuring that your audience can read your content effortlessly.
6. Use High-Quality Images—Not Generic Stock Photos
A slide with a compelling image is 10 times more engaging than a slide with just text. But here’s the catch: not all images are equal.
The biggest mistake people make is using cheap, overused stock photos. You know the ones—the overly enthusiastic businesspeople shaking hands in a boardroom, the generic “teamwork” puzzle pieces, the cliché light bulb representing an idea. These do more harm than good because they look staged and inauthentic.
Instead, choose high-quality, relevant images that support your message. Custom illustrations, real photos of your team or product, and visually strong abstract backgrounds work far better. And always ensure your images are high-resolution—nothing ruins a presentation faster than a pixelated graphic.
7. Keep Your Color Scheme Consistent
Color can enhance your slides if used correctly. But it can also destroy a presentation if misused. A common mistake is using too many colors, resulting in a chaotic and unprofessional look.
The best approach is to stick to a consistent color palette that aligns with your brand or presentation theme. Here’s how to do it right:
Use a primary color for dominant elements (headings, key text).
Use a secondary color for accents (graphs, icons, highlights).
Use neutral colors for backgrounds to avoid distraction.
Contrast is also crucial. Light text on a dark background (or vice versa) is easier to read than a low-contrast combination like yellow text on white.
8. Avoid Overusing Animations and Transitions
Animations and slide transitions can enhance a presentation when used sparingly. But they are often misused. Over-the-top effects like spinning text, bouncing images, or flashy transitions distract rather than add value.
If you use animations, keep them simple and purposeful. A subtle fade-in or slide-in effect can help guide attention, but anything excessive becomes annoying fast. The same goes for transitions—stick to clean, professional options like “fade” rather than gimmicky ones like “checkerboard” or “fly in.”
A good rule of thumb: If your animations make your audience notice the effect instead of the content, you’ve gone too far.
9. Design Data for Instant Clarity
Data-heavy slides are inevitable in many presentations, but how you present that data determines whether it’s useful or overwhelming. A common mistake is dumping raw tables or complex charts onto a slide without simplification.
Here’s how to make data more digestible:
Use charts instead of tables: Bar charts, pie charts, and line graphs are easier to read than tables full of numbers.
Highlight key figures: Bold or color-code the most important numbers so they stand out instantly.
Keep labels and legends clear: Overcrowded graphs with tiny labels are unreadable. Stick to the essentials.
A well-designed data slide should make your audience immediately understand the takeaway—without needing an explanation.
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.