Presentation Design

powerPoint template

PowerPoint is a key brand touchpoint for customers, where presentations are created by a variety of people within the business.

Challenge

The existing PowerPoint template was in the old visual identity, so a new version was required. This template needed to be flexible enough to be used for multiple different applications and by people who would not have design assistance.

Solution

1) Create a PowerPoint template that accurately reflects the updated brand identity

2) Ensure the template includes the brand colour palette and fonts, and has a broad enough range of pages to make things easier for the user, without being overwhelming

3) Work with the IT team for rollout directly into PowerPoint and provide announcements and some education on PowerPoint tips and tricks

Making improvements

The previous design of the PowerPoint template placed visual identity above functionality. This meant that there were lots of large graphic elements which curtailed how a slide could be used, and meant that ugly workarounds were sometimes used – leading to a disjointed experience for the customer and potentially negatively affecting the perception of the business.

The new design sought to reduce the amount of graphic elements, so that the content itself becomes the focus of the slide, and therefore communicates in a stronger way. There were options to include graphic elements, but these would not be at the expense of the slide message.

Creating impact

Additional to ensuring flexibility, I wanted to create a deck that showcased the brand as a modern, forward-thinking technology company. I created slides with both light and dark backgrounds. In practice the deck was largely used with the dark background, as it looked more high-end and less like a typical PowerPoint deck, which helped it to stand out from competitors.

Where I was required to work on PowerPoint decks (such as investor decks) I used the same template. I have not included examples of these decks as the content was typically sensitive.

Working for people

Ultimately the PowerPoint decks created with this template would be a key touchpoint for any customer or prospect. Therefore they needed to adequately reflect the brand and to be something and the user would be proud to present.

The template had to be easy to use. All fonts preloaded and the correct brand colours available for use. In addition some specialist slides were created that could be reused over again, such as timelines, 3 point lists and graphs. In the deck was also a page of common logos, so that users could copy and paste without needin to find new (potentially lower-quality) versions each time.