How can you streamline your presentation design process with templates and design frameworks?

1 What are templates and design frameworks?

Templates and design frameworks are tools that help you create presentations faster and better. Templates are pre-made slides or layouts that you can customize with your own content, colors, fonts, and images. Design frameworks are guidelines or principles that help you organize your content, choose your visuals, and apply your branding. Both templates and design frameworks can help you avoid common design mistakes, such as clutter, inconsistency, or lack of contrast.

2 How to choose the right template for your presentation

Choosing the right template for your presentation depends on your purpose, audience, and message. You want to select a template that matches your topic, tone, and style. For example, if you're giving a formal business report, you might want to use a template that has a clean, professional, and minimalist design. If you're giving a creative pitch, you might want to use a template that has a colorful, playful, and dynamic design. You can find many free or paid templates online, or you can create your own template using your preferred presentation software.

3 How to customize your template to fit your content

When you've chosen your template, you'll want to customize it to fit your content. Don't just use the template as is, as it may not meet your exact needs or preferences. To make it your own, you can add, delete, or modify elements on the slides. When customizing your template, consider replacing placeholder text with your own headlines, subheadings, bullet points, and quotes. You can also replace placeholder images with your own photos, graphs, charts, or icons. Adjust the colors, fonts, and sizes to match your branding or theme. Additionally, add or remove slides as necessary to fit your presentation length and structure. Finally, use transitions, animations, and effects sparingly and consistently to create a better presentation flow and impact.

4 How to use a design framework to plan your presentation

A design framework is a great way to plan your presentation, giving you a clear and logical structure to follow. It can also help you craft your main message, key points, and call to action. There are several design frameworks available, such as the PPT formula, the STAR method, or the TED talk format. For example, when using the PPT formula you should start by stating the problem that your presentation aims to solve or address. Explain why it's important and relevant for your audience. Then present your promise or solution to the problem and explain how it works and what benefits it offers. Finally, provide some testimonial or evidence to support your promise or solution. This could be a case study, a statistic, a quote, or a demonstration.

5 How to use a design framework to design your presentation

A design framework can be invaluable when creating your presentation, providing best practices and tips to follow to improve your visual communication, readability, and consistency. There are many design frameworks you can use, such as the CRAP principles, the rule of thirds, or the 10/20/30 rule. As an example, the CRAP principles can be used to create contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity on your slides. Contrast can be achieved by using different colors, sizes, shapes, or fonts; repetition by using the same colors, fonts, styles, or layouts; alignment by using grids, guides, or margins; and proximity by placing related elements close together or apart.