You can be a PowerPoint novice and still rock out slides that look clean and polished! Avoid these common PowerPoint design mistakes to level up your presentations and reports.
Photo by Elisa Ventur on Unsplash
I’m a big proponent of the common ideology that almost every rule has an exception. But, unless you know what those exceptions are, it’s a safe bet to stick to the guidelines. So, to keep things simple, let’s look at the top things you should absolutely avoid doing when designing in PowerPoint.
Unless you’ve been properly trained on how to break these rules, don’t try these at home:
1. DON'T Keep the Default Clutter on Charts & Tables
While PowerPoint's default charts and tables act as a helpful starting point, taking an extra minute or two for simple design formatting can make a huge difference. Whenever you’re using these elements, ask yourself, “What is the least amount of information I can show to communicate the main message?”
Let's look at a default bar chart. If you already have data labels for each bar, get rid of the axis that’s providing the same information and remove the background lines.
PRO TIP: When applicable, think about matching the colors of your text labels with the colors of the data in your charts (e.g., bars, lines, slices of pie, scatter bubbles, etc.). This makes it even quicker for your audience to connect the information that goes together.
2. DON’T Use Drop Shadows Like They’re Going Out of Style
Go through your presentation and take out every single drop shadow. This means shadows on photos, on charts, on shapes, and definitely on text. While there’s a time and place for shadows, nixing those pesky shadows can do a lot to simplify your slides.
3. DON’T Put Outlines on Photos
If you’re using photography on your slides, let the image shine! Don’t box in the image and add visual clutter by giving it a colored outline. And at all costs, avoid using PowerPoint image frames (under the ‘Picture Format’ tab). These are just down right cheesy.
4. DON’T Stray from Your Color Palette
It can be jarring for the audience to see colors pop up on a slide that are not a part of the chosen color palette. A design should feel cohesive, and sticking to the pre-determined palette is a must. While PowerPoint has ‘Standard Colors’ available, avoid choosing these if your ‘Theme Colors’ don’t have what you’re looking for. Take time to understand the palette for your brand/project and use consistent colors across your slides.
PRO TIP: If you don’t have a color palette and have no idea where to start with colors, you can find great inspiration by simply googling things like “color palette ideas” or “color palette inspiration.”
For specific detail on choosing colors for a presentation, Peter Stern gives loads of great information in his article: Design Tips For Non-Designers: Using Color.
5. DON’T Use Inconsistent Footers on Your Slides
Consistency is key in any design. While it can seem like unimportant details, it’s the little polishing touches that set your design apart. Before you finalize your work, take a few minutes to flip through the slides, keeping your eyes focused on the footer. Make sure the standard footer items (e.g., page number, logo, source text, etc.) are all in the exact same spot from one page to the next.
PRO TIP: A good way to make sure you don’t have any misplaced page numbers or logos is to set up the footer in the ‘Slide Master’ (under the ‘View’ tab).
My challenge for you: Select two “don’ts” from this list that you’re the biggest culprit of doing, and start correcting them ASAP in all your PowerPoint designs moving forward.
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