Presentation Backgrounds
When creating a PowerPoint presentation do you select a different background each time? Continuity is part of a brand. When someone sees a presentation from you, they should know that it is yours and remember other presentations that they have seen.
You can search online for free backgrounds (called templates) until you find one that you like, with PowerPoint you can take a template and change the colour scheme so that it fits with your brand colours. If you can’t find a template that you like you can create one using the slide masters. There are 2 basic types of slide masters, the title slide and all other slides. The title slide introduces a topic or section and all other slide types. All other slides are the data of the presentation.
In new versions of PowerPoint there are several of each of these but they can each be put into the 2 types. You need to design how the title slides are going to look and how all other slides look. The title slides can be dramatically different as long as the colours and textures match with the other slides. For example the title slide could have a large leaf in the centre where the title goes, this would be too distracting on the other slides so instead they might have a small leaf in the top left corner.
Once you have a slide master that you like, with the colour scheme how you want it, then you should save it as a design template. It can then be used for all new presentations that you create.
Katherine
Find out how to create templates with this Cheat Sheet http://www.katherinedavison.co.uk/products-page/microsoft-powerpoint/creating-templates/
6 Responses to Presentation Backgrounds
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I like this post a lot – because underlying it is a much more important message.
How many times when you are starting out creating a presentation do you spend hours messing around with themes??
I suggest not even starting powerpoint or (or even keynote) until you have written out your presentation – making sure your message is right, direct and in a form that will be understood by your intended audience.
Then look at themes – and YES pick one that is in keeping with your “brand” and stick to it!
Spoken like a marketeer!
Surely the most important thing is not whether clients recognise a presentation you send them, but whether the slide design is the best one for the presentation (and frankly, templates never are!). If that means that no two presentations I design for a client look the same, then I guess I'll just have to suck it up (to quote my daughter) and suffer the loss of branding opportunity….
It's more important to be respectful of the message and the audience than to be consistent (of course, sometimes one can do both….).
I guess we're probably talking about different kinds of presentations though!
S
Twitter: presentations
Absolutely Marc – designing should be done with the computer turned off. I've posted (ranted?) about this loads of times in various fora (and in particular, obviously, my presentation skills blog!)
S
Happy to have another guest post from you Simon
I can do drag……