How to Make a Presentation Look Good

This guide walks you through the core design choices that separate a polished slide deck from a cluttered one. You don’t need to be a graphic designer; you just need to follow a few repeatable rules about layout, color, and text. Before you start, open your presentation software (PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote, or Canva) and have your content ready: the key points you want each slide to make.

What You’ll Need

Your presentation file (PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote, or Canva)
Your slide content (headlines, bullet points, images, charts)
Access to fonts (system fonts are fine; no need to download anything)
Optional: a color palette tool like Coolors or Adobe Color

Step-by-Step

Start with a clean slide master. Go to View > Slide Master (PowerPoint) or Theme (Google Slides). Remove any default graphics, shadows, or gradients. Set a plain white or very light background. This gives you a neutral canvas so the design decisions you make next actually show up.
Pick two fonts max. Choose one font for headlines and one for body text. Good pairings: a bold sans-serif like Montserrat or Arial for titles, and a readable serif like Georgia or a clean sans like Calibri for body. Use the same two fonts on every slide. Avoid Comic Sans, Papyrus, or any script font.
Limit your color palette to three colors. Pick one dark color for text (near-black like #222), one accent color for highlights or buttons (e.g., a deep blue or teal), and one light neutral for backgrounds (white or off-white). Use the accent sparingly — for the headline underline, a key number, or a single call-to-action button. Too many colors make the slide look busy.
Use one idea per slide. If a slide has more than six bullet points, split it. The headline should be a full sentence that states the takeaway, not a vague label. For example, instead of “Q3 Sales,” write “Q3 Sales Grew 12% in Europe.” This forces you to design around a single message.
Add whitespace aggressively. Keep margins of at least half an inch on all sides. Don’t fill every corner. Space between bullet points should be at least 1.5 times the line height. If a slide looks empty, that’s usually a good sign — it means the viewer’s eye can rest.
Replace bullets with simple visuals. Turn lists into icons, a simple chart, or a large quote. If you must keep bullets, keep them short (under 10 words each). Use a single image per slide, and make sure it’s high-resolution — no stretched or pixelated photos. For charts, remove gridlines and legends unless they add information.
Align everything to a grid. Turn on guides (View > Guides in PowerPoint, or right-click > Guides in Google Slides). Make sure all text boxes and images line up along the same vertical or horizontal lines. Misaligned elements are the fastest way to look amateurish. Use the align tool to distribute items evenly.
Check contrast and readability from the back of the room. Stand a few meters away from your screen, or zoom out to about 40%. If you can’t read the text, it’s too small or the contrast is too low. Body text should be at least 24pt, headlines at least 36pt. Dark text on a light background is always safer than light text on a dark background, unless you have a very dark room.

Common Mistakes

Using too many bullet points. Slides with walls of text force the audience to read instead of listen. Cut each bullet to a phrase, or remove bullets entirely.
Mixing more than two fonts. A different font for every heading looks chaotic. Stick to your chosen pair.
Overusing animations. Fly-ins, spins, and sound effects distract from your message. Use a simple fade or none at all.
Low-resolution images. A blurry photo makes the whole deck look unprofessional. Use images that are at least 1920px wide for full-slide backgrounds.
Inconsistent alignment. Some slides left-aligned, others centered, and titles in different positions on each slide breaks the visual flow.

Tips

Use a 16:9 aspect ratio. It matches modern screens and projectors. Change it via Design > Slide Size > Widescreen.
Borrow a template. If starting from scratch is hard, use a free template from Google Slides or Canva, then strip out the parts you don’t need.
Keep images consistent in style. Use photos with similar lighting or color tones, or stick to flat icons from one icon set (like Noun Project or Flaticon).
Test on a projector. Colors look different on a projector than on your laptop. Run through your slides once in the actual room if possible.
Use the “Design Ideas” feature. In PowerPoint, the Designer tool suggests layouts based on your content. Use it as a starting point, then adjust.

Troubleshooting

Text is too small when projected. Increase the font size by 4–6 points on every slide, and shorten the text to match. If a slide has too much text, split it into two slides.
Colors look washed out. Projectors often mute colors. Increase the contrast by using a darker text color (near-black) and a brighter accent. Avoid pastel colors for text.
Images get stretched when you resize them. Hold the Shift key while dragging the corner handle to keep proportions. Or crop the image instead of stretching it.
Fonts look different on another computer. If you use a non-standard font, either embed it (File > Options > Save > Embed fonts in PowerPoint) or export to PDF before presenting.
Slides look fine on your screen but messy on the projector. This is usually an alignment issue. Turn on guides and make sure all elements snap to the grid. Also check that your slide size matches the projector’s resolution (16:9 vs 4:3).

Frequently Asked Questions

How many slides should I have?

Aim for one slide per minute of speaking. A 10-minute talk should have roughly 8–12 slides. Fewer slides with more whitespace are better than many crowded ones.

Should I use a dark or light background?

Light backgrounds (white or off-white) with dark text are the safest for most rooms. Dark backgrounds work only in a fully dark room and with large, high-contrast text.

Can I use stock photos?

Yes, but choose photos that are relevant and not cheesy. Sites like Unsplash and Pexels offer free high-resolution images. Avoid clichés like handshakes or people pointing at screens.

What if my company has a brand color scheme?

Use the brand colors but limit them to two or three shades. If the brand palette is very bright, use it for accents only and keep text neutral.

Is it better to use PowerPoint or Google Slides?

Both work. PowerPoint has more advanced design tools (like Designer), while Google Slides is easier for collaboration. Choose the one your team uses, and export to PDF for the final presentation to avoid font issues.

How do I make a chart look good?

Remove gridlines, use a single accent color for the main data series, and label the data directly instead of using a legend. Keep the chart title as a full sentence that states the insight.

Sources: Microsoft Support. Menus and buttons can differ slightly by version. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.