Presentation Planning and Design
Start with audience and purpose
Every design decision should trace back to two questions: who will view the presentation, and what should they do or understand afterwards? A presentation for executives in a boardroom differs from a self-running kiosk or a printed handout. Candidates should be able to choose an appropriate format (on-screen show, widescreen 16:9, print handout) and justify it.
Masters, layouts and themes
Understand the hierarchy: the slide master controls fonts, colours, placeholders and background for all layouts; layouts define placeholder arrangements; a theme bundles colours, fonts and effects. Editing a master changes every slide using it; editing a single slide overrides only that slide. A common trap is confusing the master with an individual slide, or expecting a layout change to erase manual formatting already applied.
Consistency and restraint
Good design uses a limited palette, one or two typefaces, consistent alignment, and generous white space. Know the principles: contrast, repetition, alignment, proximity (often summarised as CRAP). Traps include decorative clip art that adds nothing, low-contrast text on busy backgrounds, and text so small it fails in a large room.
Accessibility
Include alt text for images, sufficient colour contrast, readable font sizes, and unique slide titles so screen readers and navigation panes work. Avoid conveying meaning by colour alone.
Worked rule of thumb
The 6x6 guideline: no more than about six bullet points per slide and six words per line. It is a heuristic, not a law, but it prompts candidates to split dense slides rather than shrink fonts.
Reusable templates
Saving a custom theme or template (.potx) preserves masters and layouts for future decks, saving time and enforcing brand consistency.