10 Tips to Design Slides for Video Presentations

Designing effective slides for video presentations helps to convey a clear and engaging message to your audience. Well-crafted slides not only support your points, but also enhance retention. If you’re curious about how to design impactful slides, the following tips are a great place to start.

1. Keep it simple

Simplicity is one of the most effective design elements for slide design. Avoid overloading slides with information or text that can distract people from your message. Limit the amount of text you add to each slide. Text should be used to summarize points, not to provide full paragraphs. You can elaborate on each point during the presentation.

Maintain sufficient white space around your slides so they don’t look cluttered. With a minimalist design, each slide should have a single, clear main focus, whether it’s an image, a graph, or a bullet point.

2. Use screen recordings for dynamic content

In addition to using static slides, consider making a screen recording to create some dynamic content. For example, if you’re trying to explain a complex idea, or you need to switch back and forth between data-heavy visuals, record a separate explanation using a screen recorder, and then edit that clip into your final digital presentation.

3. Use a consistent layout

Consistent slide layouts make presentations look professional. It’s okay to vary your background colors or images, but make sure to do it in a way that feels systematic. For example, alternate every other slide with a different background, or every three slides.

4. Choose readable fonts

Typography is important, even though the point isn’t to make people read each slide. Viewers will naturally read your bullet points and headlines, so use a readable font in a decent size. Sans-serif fonts like Arial and Helvetica are easy to read on all types of devices, and a good font size to start with is 24 points.

Where formatting is concerned, make your styles uniform. For example, all headlines should be the same size and color, and bolded. Don’t change the typeface in the middle of your presentation or use creative fonts for no reason.

5. Use high-quality visuals

The images you use on your slides should directly relate to your message. Never use an image just to take up space. High-resolution images will make your presentation look professional.

Avoid using clipart – it’s not just ugly, it’s outdated, and people will find it strange. If you don’t have access to your own images, search free stock photo sites like Pixabay and Pexels. However, remember to provide proper attribution when required.

6. Limit animated transitions

Animations aren’t as cool as they seem. To avoid annoying your viewers, keep animations to a minimum, and don’t use fancy transitions between slides. Flashy presentations can ruin your credibility. A simple transition is all you need.

7. Present data visually

People are predominantly visual, so using charts and graphs will help your audience understand information better. Use bar charts, line graphs, and pie charts whenever you need to represent data clearly. And stick to simple and essential points so you don’t overwhelm your audience.

Where formatting is concerned, use the same colors and style for all of your data visualizations, and label your axes clearly so people understand what you’re discussing.

8. Brand your presentation

Your slides should reflect your brand identity, whether you’re an individual or a business. Use your brand’s colors, include your logo in the same place on every slide, and make sure the overall tone of your presentation aligns with your brand’s voice.

9. Design your slides for accessibility

If you’re giving your presentation live, use high contrast colors to make your text and background appear distinct and readable from a distance. Avoid using color to make points because color blind individuals may not catch the reference.

For video recorded versions of your presentation, include alt text for your video file, bake closed captions into the video, and make a transcript available on the same page.

10. Account for aspect ratio

Design your slides for your chosen aspect ratio and maintain that ratio throughout your entire presentation. Before you publish your presentation, test it in different browsers and on different devices, like a tablet, laptop, and smartphone to make sure it looks correct.

Elevate your video presentations with better slides

Designing slides for presentations requires more than aesthetics. You also need clear information, engaging visuals, and an effective delivery. By keeping it simple, using readable fonts, and designing slides with accessibility in mind, you’ll create presentations that capture attention and leave a lasting impression on your audience.