best background for a powerpoint presentation

Free background templates for PowerPoint

You can create memorable and attractive presentations by using many of the templates that come with PowerPoint. Use the picture, shape, and graphic effects in these templates to add colorful, elegant, or playful backgrounds to your presentation.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Use a PowerPoint template with backgrounds to start a new presentation

To find a template with background images to begin a new presentation, do the following:

Click File > New .

In the search box, do one of the following:

To browse a wide range of templates with backgrounds, search for "Backgrounds."

For the background images shown above and more, search for the template called "Backgrounds for PowerPoint slides."

For backgrounds specific to a theme, search on a keyword, such as "mountains."

Click a template thumbnail, preview the slides by clicking the forward and back arrows, and then click Create when you find the template you want.

Note:  You may want to use only a few of the slides from the template in your presentation. To remove the other slides from your presentation, press and hold CTRL, click the slides that you don't want, and then press DELETE.

For more information on how to apply a template to a new presentation, see the article Apply a template to a new presentation .

Important:  Office 2010 is no longer supported . Upgrade to Microsoft 365 to work anywhere from any device and continue to receive support. Upgrade now

To find a template or slide with background images to begin a new presentation, do the following:

To browse a wide range of templates with backgrounds and individual slide backgrounds, search for "Backgrounds."

Choose a template or design slide that has the backgrounds you like, and then click Download .

For more information on how to apply a template to a new presentation, see the article Apply a template to your presentation .

Important:  Office 2007 is no longer supported . Upgrade to Microsoft 365 to work anywhere from any device and continue to receive support. Upgrade now

In the New Presentation dialog box, in the search box, do one of the following:

Choose a template or design slide that has the backgrounds you like, and then click OK .

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Home PowerPoint Templates Template Backgrounds

Professional PowerPoint Backgrounds & Templates for PowerPoint

Your search for aesthetically appealing and professional PowerPoint backgrounds for Microsoft PowerPoint presentations ends here. SlideModel PowerPoint backgrounds are carefully designed to engage any given industry’s audience. Download some of the most striking and impressive PPT templates.

PowerPoint background templates are created with PowerPoint vector graphics, allowing the user to fully customize its appearance and effects. You can include the backgrounds in your existing presentations without any issues and keep the visual quality of the shapes. Our backgrounds can be adjusted to different aspect ratios and presentation layouts.

PPT Backgrounds are a powerful tool for branding and idea retention; professional speakers organize their message around a common visual theme that will help the audience retain the message.

Featured Templates

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Editable Low Poly Backgrounds for PowerPoint

Heading Slide Gradient PowerPoint

Modern Gradient Backgrounds for PowerPoint

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Creative Cutout Layout for PowerPoint

best background for a powerpoint presentation

12 Tips List PowerPoint Templates

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Navy Blue Abstract PowerPoint Background

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Purple Abstract PowerPoint Background

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Green Blue Purple Abstract PowerPoint Background

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Dark Blue Curved Wave PowerPoint Background

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Pink Purple Orange Yellow Animated Gradient PowerPoint Background

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Blue Purple Animated Gradient PowerPoint Background

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Brand Management PowerPoint Template

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Business Slides Carnival PowerPoint Template

best background for a powerpoint presentation

BioTech PowerPoint Template

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Restaurant Business Plan PowerPoint Template

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Superhero Template for PowerPoint

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Immersive Technology PowerPoint Template

A PowerPoint background is an essential component of any presentation. It can make or break your presentation, so choose slide backgrounds with PowerPoint shapes that will feature a “wow factor” from a graphics standpoint and easily depict your content to your audience. We’ve compiled a list of Cool Backgrounds For Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, such as the e-commerce PowerPoint Template , designed to engage the audience.

These professional backgrounds for PowerPoint presentations were designed with special attention to colors, shapes, icons, graphs, and other valuable elements that make them visually appealing and aid in communicating effectively with your audience. We have PowerPoint backgrounds to cater to audiences of various industries. The choice of appropriate colors and themes is made while designing PPT background templates for every industry.

For example, we can take the Weather Report Dashboard for PowerPoint , a beautiful weather-themed template. You can use this template to create weather forecasts and reports. Numerous usable and editable PPT Background templates are available with Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Keynote that you can download and customize to suit your preference.

When to use Aesthetic Backgrounds?

When creating formal communication materials, like a Company Presentation or Business Presentation, it is essential to define a homogeneous style with aesthetic backgrounds and different PowerPoint Slides. When you must impress your audience with a branded visual, it is vital to have a PowerPoint background themed to your brand. Aesthetic backgrounds create this effect of a cohesive design with impactful visuals. With SlideModel, you can use a PowerPoint Background template designed to be cohesive and match your branding.

PowerPoint Backgrounds for Every Audience

From aesthetic backgrounds, to casual or educational content, our PowerPoint and Google Slides Background templates will help you achieve an outstanding visual impact. If you are searching for colorful background templates or simple minimalist backgrounds, SlideModel can provide the effect you need with the usability required to help you save time.

What are the best background and text colors for a PowerPoint presentation?

High contrast background colors are the best. These colors are easily visible to the audience and aid in communication. Use light, white text, and bright colors; on light backgrounds, use a dark or black color. It makes the graphs or shapes on each slide visible to the audience, and they can read the text. Avoid using color gradients. 

To improve accessibility, don’t use 100% pure white or pure black. Instead, opt for a lesser percentage of contrasty solid colors, making it much more comfortable reading the slides in dark room presentations.

How to add a background picture to a slide?

Use the simple DIY steps below to add a background image to a slide:

  • Choose the slide to which you want to add a background image
  • Choose design as the background format.
  • Fill in the background format with a picture or texture of your choice.
  • Click on the select file and insert the image of your choice.

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20+ Best Free PowerPoint Backgrounds to Download Now

20+ Best Free PowerPoint Back...

Small details matter. That’s why professional backgrounds for PowerPoint will help convey your attention to detail and make your presentation feel so much more personal. In this article, we compile the best PPT backgrounds for instant download.

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John McTale

Editor-in-chief

Dec 09, 2022

Twitter

You’re here because you want to add some flair to your PowerPoint presentation and the default PowerPoint backgrounds available in the standard themes don’t do it for you. Fair enough, they’re bland, boring, and featureless. Then again, many of the PowerPoint backgrounds available for free download are cheesy or just outdated. You could spend hours looking for one that fits your needs and still end up half-satisfied. The good news? I did the digging for you. Out of thousands, I picked 20+ of the most professional and elegant free PowerPoint backgrounds for instant download. Scroll down to see them, pick one you like best, and start creating!

Storydoc’s alternative to PPT

But first, give this a thought— You’re looking for PowerPoint backgrounds because you want to make your presentation more exciting. Why not take it a step further? See, even with the most imaginative background out there, you’ll still be dealing with the devilish PowerPoint interface, only to put together a static slideshow that doesn’t captivate anyone’s attention. With Storydoc, you can use our easy editor and create an interactive, animated presentation in minutes. Just see what it might look like:

Here's how a Storydoc presentation looks compared to a PowerPoint:

Slide decks are a relic of the past. With Storydoc, you’ll get interactive content you never thought you’d have. Wow your audience, make a lasting impression, and land more deals with investors. Ready in a flash.

Also, consider more than just a background upgrade for your presentation. See some of our articles offering the finest presentation templates you’ll ever see online:

  • Professional PowerPoint Templates
  • Free Google Slides Templates
  • Infographic Templates
  • Business Pitch Templates
  • Creative Presentation Templates and Ideas

And now, onto the *beef*.

How to set a background in PowerPoint?

First, a quick tutorial on how to change the default PowerPoint background. (If you already know how to do it, feel free to scroll down to the following section.)

  • Pick a slide you want to change the background in.
  • Go to “Design” → “Format Background.”
  • Select “Picture or texture fill.”
  • Choose the file you want to use as your background.
  • Click “Insert” in the Picture dialog box.

Then, in the “Fill” drop-down, you can adjust transparency and texture. You can also skip adding your own file and just go for a solid fill using the color of your liking, then tweak it playing around with different functions in the “Format Background” menu. You can try using different color combinations and color palettes that match the tone of your presentation or match your brand. Now, let’s get you some fine graphics that will bring your PPT presentation to life (even if just being there in the background:)).

The best PPT background images to download

wave green

Wave green (free)

Kicking off with “Wave green,” a free PowerPoint background that’s neither too fancy nor too basic. A good pick for presentations across different industries and use cases.

retro black

Retro black (free)

A minimalist, abstract PPT background brought to you by FreePPTBackgrounds. So, yes, you guessed it, it’s free to download!

cute floral

Cute floral (free)

Designed by Malti Drago, this cute PowerPoint background will add a touch of spring liveliness to your presentation. Use it when you want your slide deck to give off this homely kind of vibe.

low poly

Low poly (free)

Designed by SlideModel and, again, 100% free to use, “Low poly” is a professional background based on an imitation of a 3D surface with some subtle color shading going on. A very neutral, eye-pleasing design.

black waves

Black waves (free)

Not all presentations can pull off a dark background but if you’re in a modern area of business such as tech, engineering, or digital marketing and want to put your game face on, the free “Black waves” PowerPoint background will help you do just that.

blue art

Blue art (free)

Note: the developers of this background, “Free-PowerPoint-Templates” don’t allow you to download high-res mockup pictures from their website so this one might look a tad blurry. Nothing to worry about, though, if you choose to download it, it will be perfectly sharp, just as its design is.

All the templates above?

Yeah, they’re pretty. But Storydoc gives you much more than nice-looking presentations. 

We deliver real results. 

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Transform your static presentation with Storydoc and close more deals, improve engagement metrics, and increase your customer base. Like these teams did:

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"...We've seen  higher conversion, of up to x2 , among prospects who engaged with the Storydoc pages"

Boris Zlatkin

Boris Zlatkin

Digital Marketing Lead

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"Using Storydoc helped us build a rich and engaging deck, effectively delivering the full scope and value of our streaming service TVNow Premium"

Dirk Hannapel

Dirk Hannapel

BD & Sales Director

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"...Since we've started using Storydoc our sales accelerated,  increasing our customer base by more than 70% . It became an integral part of our sales funnel, helping us score new deals."

Dirk Hannapel

Red-blue-green (free)

A bit retro, a bit corny, and a bit 8-bit, but it still works! The RBG theme of this PowerPoint background will make it a great choice for all industries that have to do with image processing: TV, media, advertising, photography, graphic design, and so on.

lens flare

Lens flare (free)

Okay, this one *is* from Microsoft and I still decided to include it in the gallery despite all of what I said about how “boring” their backgrounds were. This one is classy, subtle, and easy on the eyes and free to download from the Microsoft website itself.

horizontal stripes

Horizontal stripes (free)

Using this one as a background for all of your PowerPoint slides might backfire as the differently-sized horizontal stripes can feel confusing and make the text harder to read. It will work great as a background for summary or “main point” slides, though.

lavender

Lavender? (Free)

Okay, I’m not so great with plants but I do think this one is Lavender. (Is it? Feel free to drop me a line if it’s not). Either way, a tasteful close-up of some nice flowers. Oh, and there’s a butterfly in there. Add a level of transparency to it, and you’ll have a very cute and professional look for a PPT background.  

stylish cartoon

Stylish cartoon

Designed by Yasemin Yaldiz of Turkey (and part of a collection of 4 different illustrations), this background for PowerPoint feels mysterious and inviting at the same time. A very unique aesthetic will surely help make your presentation unforgettable.

splash

A very simple idea executed to perfection. Splashes of bright paint on a dark background—looking cool and modern without trading off any of the perfect legibility.

simple desk

Simple desk

This cute PowerPoint background brought to you by Slidefabric will be a great choice for corporate presentations. There’s the desk, very much Marie-Kondo-style, there’s the nice looking chair, you just *feel* yourself getting comfortable and productive only looking at this one. 

digital classroom

Digital classroom

Any teachers in the house? Yeah, remote teaching is a pain, one that this fun PowerPoint background won’t necessarily heal on the spot, but I’m sure your students will appreciate the touch and feel this one can add to your presentations.  

pastel wallpaper

Pastel wallpaper

Okay, this is cheating a bit because the image on the left has actually been designed as a desktop wallpaper. Still, it’s beautiful while not being too distracting—that’s what makes a perfect PowerPoint background.

blurred backgrounds bundle

Blurred backgrounds bundle

Part of a bundle of 50+ similar-yet-different PPT backgrounds, all of those based on blurred splashes of color. A good pick for a funky, out-of-the-box presentation.

fiery wallpaper

Fiery wallpaper

Yes, I did it again. Yet another wallpaper-turned-background, one that will work great for all the same reasons. Designed by HappyPastels, loved by all customers!

customizable flowers

Customizable flowers

A pretty watercolor picture of flowers great for brochures, covers, or even business cards (yes, you can create all of those in PowerPoint). The bundle comes with a bunch of customizable text fields filled with different pastel colors.

pastel rainbow

Pastel rainbow

Another pack of PPT backgrounds on our list, this one created by Jax & Jake, containing 8 backgrounds with semi-transparent fill, 8 ones with white fill, and 8 transparent borders. 

fresh watercolor

Fresh watercolor

Last but not least, “Fresh watercolor” by KaySquaredPrintables. A PowerPoint background I loved because it just feels so comforting and stylish at the same time. Plus, I think the dynamics of the flowers on the sides of the image are just perfect for creating well-balanced slides. A really neat piece of work. 

And that's a wrap!

Hope you’ve found a PowerPoint background you fell in love with and one that will really captivate your audience. Just make sure to go for a design that fits the theme and vibe of your presentation. Cute little flowers wouldn’t work too well on a slide deck about war in Iraq, would they? But I’m sure you’d figure that out on your own. So why are you still here? Time to start creating!

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Hi, I'm John, Editor-in-chief at Storydoc. As a content marketer and digital writer specializing in B2B SaaS, my main goal is to provide you with up-to-date tips for effective business storytelling and equip you with all the right tools to enable your sales efforts.

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10 Simple PowerPoint Backgrounds for Better Presentations

By Letícia Fonseca , Jan 20, 2022

10+ Simple PowerPoint Backgrounds for Better Presentations

Presenting to a client, business partner, or a potential investor? Being articulate isn’t enough anymore. Your presentations need to have strong, memorable visuals.

Don’t overwhelm your presentation design with too many design elements. A presentation template should be as simple as possible. You don’t want to steal the limelight from the product or service you’re offering.

Creating a simple PowerPoint background for your slide deck doesn’t have to be a challenge. In this guide, we’ll share examples of great background graphics, with tips to create them.

Get a headstart when creating slide decks with the Venngage Presentation Maker . You don’t need any design experience to use our templates.

Click to jump ahead:

  • 10 best simple Powerpoint backgrounds

How do you format PowerPoint backgrounds using Venngage?

Faqs about powerpoint presentations, 10 best simple powerpoint backgrounds.

Creating your own PowerPoint templates has never been easier. The Venngage library offers a variety of slide layout options with each template, all compatible with Microsoft Office.

Choose the template that suits the story you want to share in your presentation and start customizing.

Here are 10 PowerPoint template examples and how you can make them your own.

Sequoia Capital pitch deck

simple powerpoint background

If your company has conservative and traditional values, this straightforward design should work best for your PowerPoint template.

Note how the PowerPoint slides avoid using long paragraphs. Instead, each slide uses bullet points and icons to get the message across and make the slides more readable.

You can change the color of the slides to be consistent with your branding. To improve the visual appeal of your PowerPoint templates, vary the slide layout throughout the presentation.

Easily add your branding to a PowerPoint template with Venngage’s My Brand Kit feature, available with business accounts . Add your website when prompted and the editor will import your logos, brand colors , and brand fonts .

Uber pitch deck

A simple PowerPoint template doesn’t necessarily have only a few images. Photos are powerful as you can see from the slide layouts in the Uber pitch deck below.

simple powerpoint background

Choose the best brand pictures you have for backgrounds. You can overlay some areas with a solid brand color to contrast with the color of the text. This way, you don’t hide background graphics but still keep the slide readable.

Using data visualizations can also improve your PowerPoint template. Add tables, charts and graphs for a more professional look. People are easier to convince if you show the numbers.

Iconics pitch deck

A black background can be impactful as long as you know which design elements blend well with it. From the example below, using neon icons is a clever technique. This is suitable for digital companies or brands offering modern products and services.

simple powerpoint background

Adding quotes to a blank presentation is an excellent way to show social proof. If you can back it up with numbers, like in the above example, even better.

Blue Guy Kawasaki pitch deck t emplate

The Guy Kawasaki slide deck design uses the 10/20/30 PowerPoint rule. This outline is made for 10 slides, that can be presented in just 20 minutes. How? None of the fonts can be anything smaller than 30 points.

Venngage has created slide layouts based on Kawasaki’s rule. The longer version is below, to accommodate larger presentations.

simple powerpoint background

Note how the slide layouts vary considerably from the master slides. This helps maintain audience attention and allows for a variety of information to be presented.

Return to Table of Contents

Product pitch deck

Create a PowerPoint template with this equally powerful design. Instead of using one or two colors in your presentation, you can use different shades per PowerPoint slide.

simple powerpoint background

As brutal as this may sound, people easily get bored. The technique is to tweak slide layouts and leave an impression that you have something new to present on each slide.

Gradient Guy Kawasaki pitch deck t emplate

Your presentation background can be both simple and interesting by using a gradient. It never goes out of style and is highly recommended for companies offering creative services.

If you are working in the advertising or marketing industry, this template will serve you well.

simple powerpoint background

Blue investor pitch deck

There’s so much to love about the PowerPoint template below. The colors are vibrant, the texts are of perfect length, and there are different business background styles. Some are plain while others have real pictures.

While there are many design elements in the presentation, they were able to follow a single theme. It makes the deck even more appealing, not to mention, powerful.

simple powerpoint background

Client marketing pitch deck

How about something bold for your PowerPoint templates? The design below gives off that fun vibe.

simple powerpoint background

Change the color to a muted tone and add your preferred icons. These minor alterations can help you design PowerPoint presentations that are anchored on your branding.

The template below is a great option for digital marketers, fashion lines, and even cosmetics. Use your own pictures and you’re all set.

Airbnb pitch deck

If you want to highlight your content, be sure to use the template below. As you can see, the design only has a few images but is heavy on information and data.

simple powerpoint background

This would be perfect if you are introducing a new product or service. After all, you wouldn’t want your audience to be distracted by your design elements, would you?

Yellow start-up pitch deck

If you want to improve your conversion, use an image of people. It is a proven design technique in marketing, for posters, billboards, and websites. Visuals of people can be added to your custom PowerPoint template, like in this example.

simple powerpoint background

You can add stock photos to the PowerPoint template. Venngage has over 4 million of them. Or upload original high-quality pictures of your team working together.

Apart from providing your audience with company facts, you are subtly showing them your working environment. That could also influence their decisions.

At Venngage, we always root for efficiency. That’s why we make sure that our presentation maker feature is easy to use.

Once you sign up with Venngage, you can access dozens of presentation templates and create a custom deck right away.

Change the colors and add your text. That’s fine because you can do these in a snap. Click the design elements that you wish to alter and start fine-tuning your template.

When you are already satisfied, you can export the presentation to PowerPoint. But if you want to present directly from the platform, that’s possible, too.

What is a custom PowerPoint template?

A custom PowerPoint background template is a personalized background design for your slide deck. Using a customized design means your presentation is unique, giving you a competitive edge in the industry.

How do you create a background in PowerPoint?

Here are the steps to creating a background in PowerPoint.

  • Access the Slide Master menu
  • Choose the slide you want to change
  • Select format background, and you can change to a solid fill, texture fill, or picture from file
  • Choose the style or file for your background

There’s also a feature to hide background graphics and show a plain design for selected slides.

What makes a good PowerPoint presentation?

When creating a PowerPoint presentation, always remember that less is more. Here are a few things to consider as well.

It must be organized.

When you organize your presentation, you should think about the design elements and how they could fit well into your layout. It shouldn’t look cluttered because that can cause your audience to lose attention.

It should tell a story

As much as possible, make your PowerPoint seamless by following a storyline. Your content should flow smoothly and the slides must be connected. Just imagine going back multiple slides during your presentation to clarify a point. It’s a waste of time.

It must be according to your company’s branding

Your PowerPoint presentation must reflect your company’s branding. Use your brand’s color and don’t forget to add your logo.

Is creating a PowerPoint template hard?

It is challenging to create a PowerPoint template from scratch especially if you are a nondesigner. You have to think about all the design elements that will go to the Slide Master.

This is the top slide in a hierarchy that keeps the information about your chosen theme, fonts, and layout. You can edit this from the Slide Master tab.

But it doesn’t stop there because you still need to check each slide to see if it goes well with your central theme.

Use Venngage to create an effective PowerPoint template

Having to create a custom PowerPoint template and deciding on background styles can take up a lot of time. Save time and energy by using ready-made presentation templates.

Venngage is one of the best platforms where you can choose from dozens of designs perfect for your presentation deck. Use the Venngage presentation maker and create slide layouts like the ones in this post.

Sign up is completely free and then you can start designing your slides with Venngage’s custom PowerPoint templates.

How-To Geek

8 tips to make the best powerpoint presentations.

Want to make your PowerPoint presentations really shine? Here's how to impress and engage your audience.

Quick Links

Table of contents, start with a goal, less is more, consider your typeface, make bullet points count, limit the use of transitions, skip text where possible, think in color, take a look from the top down, bonus: start with templates.

Slideshows are an intuitive way to share complex ideas with an audience, although they're dull and frustrating when poorly executed. Here are some tips to make your Microsoft PowerPoint presentations sing while avoiding common pitfalls.

define a goal

It all starts with identifying what we're trying to achieve with the presentation. Is it informative, a showcase of data in an easy-to-understand medium? Or is it more of a pitch, something meant to persuade and convince an audience and lead them to a particular outcome?

It's here where the majority of these presentations go wrong with the inability to identify the talking points that best support our goal. Always start with a goal in mind: to entertain, to inform, or to share data in a way that's easy to understand. Use facts, figures, and images to support your conclusion while keeping structure in mind (Where are we now and where are we going?).

I've found that it's helpful to start with the ending. Once I know how to end a presentation, I know how best to get to that point. I start by identifying the takeaway---that one nugget that I want to implant before thanking everyone for their time---and I work in reverse to figure out how best to get there.

Your mileage, of course, may vary. But it's always going to be a good idea to put in the time in the beginning stages so that you aren't reworking large portions of the presentation later. And that starts with a defined goal.

avoid walls of text

A slideshow isn't supposed to include everything. It's an introduction to a topic, one that we can elaborate on with speech. Anything unnecessary is a distraction. It makes the presentation less visually appealing and less interesting, and it makes you look bad as a presenter.

This goes for text as well as images. There's nothing worse, in fact, than a series of slides where the presenter just reads them as they appear. Your audience is capable of reading, and chances are they'll be done with the slide, and browsing Reddit, long before you finish. Avoid putting the literal text on the screen, and your audience will thank you.

Related: How to Burn Your PowerPoint to DVD

use better fonts

Right off the bat, we're just going to come out and say that Papyrus and Comic Sans should be banned from all PowerPoint presentations, permanently. Beyond that, it's worth considering the typeface you're using and what it's saying about you, the presenter, and the presentation itself.

Consider choosing readability over aesthetics, and avoid fancy fonts that could prove to be more of a distraction than anything else. A good presentation needs two fonts: a serif and sans-serif. Use one for the headlines and one for body text, lists, and the like. Keep it simple. Veranda, Helvetica, Arial, and even Times New Roman are safe choices. Stick with the classics and it's hard to botch this one too badly.

use fewer bullets

There reaches a point where bullet points become less of a visual aid and more of a visual examination.

Bullet points should support the speaker, not overwhelm his audience. The best slides have little or no text at all, in fact. As a presenter, it's our job to talk through complex issues, but that doesn't mean that we need to highlight every talking point.

Instead, think about how you can break up large lists into three or four bullet points. Carefully consider whether you need to use more bullet points, or if you can combine multiple topics into a single point instead. And if you can't, remember that there's no one limiting the number of slides you can have in a presentation. It's always possible to break a list of 12 points down into three pages of four points each.

avoid transitions

Animation, when used correctly, is a good idea. It breaks up slow-moving parts of a presentation and adds action to elements that require it. But it should be used judiciously.

Adding a transition that wipes left to right between every slide or that animates each bullet point in a list, for example, starts to grow taxing on those forced to endure the presentation. Viewers get bored quickly, and animations that are meant to highlight specific elements quickly become taxing.

That's not to say that you can't use animations and transitions, just that you need to pick your spots. Aim for no more than a handful of these transitions for each presentation. And use them in spots where they'll add to the demonstration, not detract from it.

use visuals

Sometimes images tell a better story than text can. And as a presenter, your goal is to describe points in detail without making users do a lot of reading. In these cases, a well-designed visual, like a chart, might better convey the information you're trying to share.

The right image adds visual appeal and serves to break up longer, text-heavy sections of the presentation---but only if you're using the right images. A single high-quality image can make all the difference between a success and a dud when you're driving a specific point home.

When considering text, don't think solely in terms of bullet points and paragraphs. Tables, for example, are often unnecessary. Ask yourself whether you could present the same data in a bar or line chart instead.

find a color palette

Color is interesting. It evokes certain feelings and adds visual appeal to your presentation as a whole. Studies show that color also improves interest, comprehension, and retention. It should be a careful consideration, not an afterthought.

You don't have to be a graphic designer to use color well in a presentation. What I do is look for palettes I like, and then find ways to use them in the presentation. There are a number of tools for this, like Adobe Color , Coolors , and ColorHunt , just to name a few. After finding a palette you enjoy, consider how it works with the presentation you're about to give. Pastels, for example, evoke feelings of freedom and light, so they probably aren't the best choice when you're presenting quarterly earnings that missed the mark.

It's also worth mentioning that you don't need to use every color in the palette. Often, you can get by with just two or three, though you should really think through how they all work together and how readable they'll be when layered. A simple rule of thumb here is that contrast is your friend. Dark colors work well on light backgrounds, and light colors work best on dark backgrounds.

change views

Spend some time in the Slide Sorter before you finish your presentation. By clicking the four squares at the bottom left of the presentation, you can take a look at multiple slides at once and consider how each works together. Alternatively, you can click "View" on the ribbon and select "Slide Sorter."

Are you presenting too much text at once? Move an image in. Could a series of slides benefit from a chart or summary before you move on to another point?

It's here that we have the opportunity to view the presentation from beyond the single-slide viewpoint and think in terms of how each slide fits, or if it fits at all. From this view, you can rearrange slides, add additional ones, or delete them entirely if you find that they don't advance the presentation.

The difference between a good presentation and a bad one is really all about preparation and execution. Those that respect the process and plan carefully---not only the presentation as a whole, but each slide within it---are the ones who will succeed.

This brings me to my last (half) point: When in doubt, just buy a template and use it. You can find these all over the web, though Creative Market and GraphicRiver are probably the two most popular marketplaces for this kind of thing. Not all of us are blessed with the skills needed to design and deliver an effective presentation. And while a pre-made PowerPoint template isn't going to make you a better presenter, it will ease the anxiety of creating a visually appealing slide deck.

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The Psychology of Color in PowerPoint Presentations

  • April 12, 2013
  • Kevin Lerner

The Psychology of Color in Presentations

Discover how the colors you choose for your PowerPoint presentations can guide the emotional response of your audience.

What are the best colors for a powerpoint presentation it all depends on who your audience is and what you want them to feel.

When used correctly, color can help audience members sort out the various elements of a slide. But its power goes beyond mere clarification. To some extent the colors you choose for your visuals guide the emotional response of your audience.

Blue: The most popular background color for presentation slides

Psychology of Blue

Blue is one of the most common background colors. It’s calming and conservative, which is why it’s very popular with business presenters, as well as for for trainers. Studies have shown that blue has the power to slow our breathing and pulse rates. Dark blue backgrounds with light text are great for conservative corporate no-nonsense presentations. Lighter blue- more common in re cent times- work well in relaxed environments with the lights on, and help promote interaction.

Examples of BLUE in Presentations

Examples of Blue in Presentations

  • Quest Diagnostics: A serious company with a seriously navy blue background. The subtle angled lines promote a feeling a movement and technology. Blue complements the Green of Quest’s logo, and the white title bar provides a clean but stark contrast to the body.
  • This blue template for waste management firm Republic Services provides a conservative backdrop for the financials and white bullet points. The yellow titles stand out, as does the orange, red and blue themed imagery at the bottom, not to mention the company’s logo.
  • This slide for Dr. Soram Khalsa’ Complementrix Vitamin system features a template with a dark blue with angled lines. And the inner portion of the template featured a light blue-hue burst of a sun-ray to convey bright life and energy.
  • This slide for Lender Direct featured an image of a file folder, edited in Photoshop, with a 80 % transparency set against a light blue background. The light blue graphic helped to convey a sense of openeness , and professionalism, while maintaining the company’s blue brand.

Green: Stimulates interaction and puts people at ease

Psychology of Green

Green stimulates interaction. It’s a friendly color that’s great for warmth and emotion. Green is commonly used in PowerPoint presentations for trainers, educators, and others whose presentations are intended to generate discussion. It’s also a great color for environmental and earth-oriented discussions.

Examples of Green in Presentations

Examples of Green in Presentations

  • This slide for Hills Pet Nutrition features a modern green background with textured lines promoting a warm, but contemporary feeling. Great for their topic on pet affection.
  • Money is green and so is this presentation for Presidio Finance. The white text contrasts nicely with the forest green finance images, helping to project a no-nonsense image of success and accomplishment.
  • In this slide for TD Waterhouse, we created top title bar in dark green, integrating smoothly with their lime green logo. The green-hued process chart on the slide image stands out comfortably against the textured grey background.
  • The flowing green arcs at the bottom and green title text helps substantiate this slides message of health and vitality. Executive Success Team’s green logo and brand also promotes a relaxed and comfortable feeling, just like Mona Vie.

Red: Handle with Care in Presentations!

Psychology of Red

Red is one of the most influential colors in your software palette — but it also carries negative cultural attachments, so use it carefully. Red is also a great color for conveying passion. Or talking about the competition. Do not use Red in financial information or tables and charts.

Examples of RED in Presentations

Examples of Red in Presentations

  • The rich red of Oracle is maintained in this template, featuring red title text in an inset red rectangle and a red bottom bar of binary numbers for a look of blazing edge technology
  • Trace Security uses a similar red title bar element, tying in to their black and red logo and brand.
  • Red and black are also colors for Sales Training Consultants, and in this slide, we used a flat beige background, with a title bar in bright red together with red bullets and a red target graphic.
  • The body pages of the Grenada presentation feature Red, but in an inset border. Text is inversed in white, as is the main body area. The key states in this map are highlighted in red.

Purple: Mystical and Emotional color in presentations and design

Psychology of Purple

Purple is often associated with royalty and wealth. Purple also represents wisdom and spirituality. Purple does not often occur in nature, it can sometimes appear exotic or artificial. Nearly all the clients who come to me with presentations featuring purple or lavender are women. It’s a feminine color and it’s a good color for emotional or spiritual presentations.

Examples of Purple in Presentations

Examples of Purple in Presentations

  • Crosley & Company’s branding is maintained with a dominant dark purple background, and orange titles.
  • A soft lavender background option gives these two medical doctors a chance to add some warmth for their mostly women audiences.

Yellow, Orange, & Gold: Attention-getting colors of affluence and prestige

Psychology of Yellow

Yellow can create feelings of frustration and anger. While it is considered a cheerful color, people are more likely to lose their tempers in yellow rooms and babies tend to cry more in yellow rooms.

Since yellow is the most visible color, it is also the most attention-getting color. Yellow can be used in small amount to draw notice, such as key words, or highlights but not in backgrounds. Rather than using flat yellow as a background color, consider a more “golden” or orange color. Simply adding texture to a yellow background or superimposing a photo (in Photoshop) with low transparency, can add more richness to the yellow background image.

Examples of Yellow / Gold in Presentations

Examples of Yellow in Presentations

  • This flat yellow slide is for Web-Reach, an internet consulting firm in Miami. Even though their message was to compete with the Yellow Pages phone book, their yellow background was flat and uninspired.
  • With a simple fix in Photoshop, yellow became Gold, and the same slide became more robust. We added a red bar to the top, and a grey arc to the left. Same information, just a textured golden hue helped deliver elegance and style.
  • A golden textured earth background helped this slide convey the message of international elegance. The green money background blends with the gold, and the black text brings a nonsense message to the page.
  • A golden textured background for Fountainhead Consulting with elements of yellow, blue, red, and grey.

Black: A strong and definite color that’s often overlooked!

Psychology of Black

Don’t forget your basic black. Often overlooked, black is a background color with useful psychological undertones. Its neutrality makes it a good backdrop for financial information. Black connotes finality and also works well as a transitional color which is why the fade to black transition is powerful, as it gives the impression of starting fresh.

Examples of Black in Presentations

Examples of Black in Presentations

  • It’s a matter of black and white for this construction company. It’s intro slides were pure white text on a black background, emphasizing the company’s core beliefs. After the 3 b&w slides, the room lit-up with a series of dynamic colorful slides as the speakers enlightened the audience.
  • Over 10 years old, this slide from Ryder transportation remains one of the strongest visuals. Set against a flat black background, the company’s grey logomark conveys a true sense of stability and no-nonsense action. The monotone building blocks tell a strong story.

White: Pure, Fresh and Clean. But a little boring.

Psychology of White

White is also a calm and neutral color for presentations. It’s terrific for conveying a fresh start such as a fade to white. It represents purity or innocence. Good for positive information where you want the focus purely on the message, and not competing with a brand image. It’s clean/open and inviting and can create a sense of space or add highlights. But it can also be perceived as cheap, flat (it’s the default color for PowerPoint slides) and harsh on the eyes. Consider grey as a better background color.

Examples of White in Presentations

Examples of White in Presentations

  • To help to maintain a clean and open look this consumer collaborative called on us to integrate their brand colors set against a plain white background. The blue and orange bars provided a conservative frame, while the arcs provided a contemporary look of flow and motion.
  • This slide for a large architecture and construction firm featured a flat white background offset by a colorful series of modern buildings and logos.

Grey and Silver: A conservative color; Good when Black or White won’t work.

Psychology of Grey

According to psychologists, grey is often thought of as a negative color. It can be the color of evasion and non-commitment since it is neither black nor white. Some say that Grey is the color of independence and self-reliance. A few years ago, silver was the most popular color for cars. And in the presentation world, this calm color is making a comeback. Grey (or “Silver”) is a softer background than the harsh default color of white, and works well on almost all presentations. A dark grey background with light text…or light grey background with dark text…you can’t go wrong!

Examples of Grey in Presentations

Examples of Grey in Presentations

  • Farmers Insurance’s silver background integrates subtle ray of light elements to help add depth and texture to this slide. The red, blue, and black stock images blend comfortably with the rest of the page. And the white border around the letters add a level of modernism and clarity.
  • The stainless steel background of this slide helps promote a modern contemporary look, helping to link the 4 brands together.
  • A clean flowing blue arc with a non-obtrusive silver background help make this slide for Margie Seyfer appear fun but conservative
  • Interim Healthcare’s brand is maintained, but a muted image in silver help add depth and dimension to the slide’s message, while supporting its key points.

arrange-colors-dark-to-light

We perceive dark colors as being “heavier” than light ones, so graphic elements that are arranged from darkest to lightest are the easiest for the eyes to scan. On charts, it’s best to arrange colors from dark to light.

Remember that most eyes aren’t perfect. Because color perception deficiencies are common, certain color combinations — including red/green, brown/green, blue/black and blue/purple — should be avoided.

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Our 25 best presentation backgrounds that grab your attention

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Prezi March 26, 2019

A good background of your presentation sets the stage for the rest of the look and feel, so it’s important to choose wisely. For example, a simple design can elevate the look of your content, but too simple and it can appear unpolished. Meanwhile, a colorful background can provide the foundation for a balanced palette, but one color too many and you’ve got a chaotic mess. A strong contrast can help make a bold statement, but text can easily get lost if the contrast is too high.

The process is certainly delicate, but not impossible. It simply requires thinking a bit deeper about your choice and keeping a couple of tricks in mind. Below, we’ve put together a collection of some of our favorite backgrounds to use in Prezi presentations and a description of why they work. You can find all of the examples below within the Prezi platform.

Using lines and curves in backgrounds to structure your presentation

If you have a hidden line in a photo, you can structure your content so that it follows a particular flow. Keeping your text or topics along the line can also help prevent you from placing content over subjects within a background image (a common mistake that can make your visuals difficult to digest).

1. Iceland in presentation backgrounds

best background for a powerpoint presentation

We like this photo of a lone figure in nature because the ice creates a natural direction for content and there’s plenty of room for placement.

2. Coffee mug presentation background

best background for a powerpoint presentation

This coffee mug is a nice choice for presenters who don’t want to deliver their content in a specific order. Text or topics can be placed anywhere around the central image, and presenters have the option to use techniques like conversational presenting to share their message.

3. The road forward presentation picture

If your presentation is about a type of journey (whether that’s actual travel, the process of achieving something in your professional life, or something in between), this road-forward image is a great option. The metaphor can be communicated fairly quickly, and the road provides an actual line for your content.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Using negative space in presentation backgrounds

It’s easy to discount empty areas in photos, but when it comes to good backgrounds, negative space can be incredibly useful. Consider spicing up a sparse area with text, shapes, icons, logos, etc. when you want to make them pop.

If slides aren’t your cup of tea, or you’re simply in the mood to try something new, Prezi’s open canvas might be the right change of pace. Prezi users can easily design their presentation within negative spaces by placing topics or stacks of content in them, and navigate to each area as needed. Here’s an example from one of our Prezi Awards winners:

Negative space surrounding your subject or content can also provide a “safe area” in the event that your presentation is printed. Create physical takeaways for your presentation with the exact same content and you can be sure none of your important information will get lost in the margins.

4. Black and white turtle background

We like the recoloring of this image because the dark water provides a space that can make your message really stand out. Pair this image with a memorable statistic in a bold , white font, a heartstring-tugging quote, or whatever message is most important for the audience to remember.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

5. Swimmers in presentation backgrounds

This photo makes a great background because it’s an even balance of subjects and empty space. The mid-action shot lends a sense of motion and excitement and would pair well with text or content of a similar sentiment placed on the right-hand side, or around the pier.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

6. Snowy paddler background image

The negative space in this snowy paddler image is balanced around the subject, making it a great option if you want to include a few pieces of information in this section of the presentation but convey a sense of equal importance between them.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Using action and flow in presentation backgrounds

While background images are, obviously, in the background, they can actually help drive the presentation if used within platforms like Prezi. See how we take the same backgrounds from the negative space section and turn them into an essential part of the story.

In the swimmer’s photo, for example, our main subject is jumping from the pier. We can, therefore, create a content flow that starts at the pier and finishes in the water, roughly in the spot where he will land. Adding slightly opaque topics like the ones pictured here can help give context to your presentation flow, and retain the full image.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Meanwhile, our black and white turtle is swimming towards the surface of the ocean. We can indicate growth, a journey, or problem-solving by placing topics along the same trajectory.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Lastly, our lone paddler is all about choices. She can either go straight, veer to the left, or head to the shore on the right side. If the story you’re presenting is about a crossroads, or the intention is to present content in a different order each time, a structure that leaves your options open to fit the situation at hand is ideal (think a sales pitch or a project proposal).

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Patterns and textures in presentation backgrounds

Sometimes a background with subjects or a metaphor isn’t the right approach to a presentation. In that case, patterns or textures are great for adding visual oomph to your message without getting too detailed. But not every pattern or texture is made equally. Some can be too distracting, or too bold to support your content. Make sure you’re thinking twice before you make your selection.  

Monochrome for good presentation backgrounds

A monochrome background can enhance the colors of your content– no matter what those colors are. The examples below also allow for a strong headline and multiple content flows, since they’re simple and straightforward.

7.  Woven wave presentation background

This woven wave is a great option if you want to give direction to your content but don’t want to include a metaphor of any kind. You can also choose from a wide variety of color palettes since just about everything stands out against black and white.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

8. Painted wall presentation image

This painted wall gives you options. You can place your content in a line on the top or the bottom half; either would look natural to the eye. The two halves also suggest categories, should you decide to place your content on the top and the bottom.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

9. Water ripple presentation background

Varying shades of the same blue make this watery monochrome background a great option for those looking to add movement or fluidity to their message in an elegant way.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Architectural makes good backgrounds

Architectural backgrounds in presentations are great for modern content. Their edginess or open-airiness is visually attractive, and they often consist of a flat pattern that can support many different content layouts.

10. Cityscape presentation image

Cityscape images make good presentation backgrounds because they give you the feeling of looking up. Try this background if the message you’re trying to communicate is forward-looking or about the promise of a brighter future.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

11. Quilted metal background

This quilted pattern is great for when you want to share the information in your presentation in a non-linear order. Because it’s textured and yet flat, your content can live anywhere and be placed in whichever order you choose without being visually confusing.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

12. High-rise presentation picture

This tall building naturally causes the eye to gravitate to the top of the image. Use this presentation background when you want to direct your audience’s eyes to a single area.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

13. Shifted city background image

Everyone likes a good cityscape, but they can sometimes be so mesmerizing that they detract from the content. By using black and white and a trick of the lens, this photograph is perfect for those who want the scenery to make a subtle urban statement.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Bright colors make good presentation backgrounds

Sometimes you want good presentation backgrounds that offer visual appeal without being too visually appealing. Subtle textures like the options below can, while full of color, easily add depth to content and keep context intact when you’re zooming in and out. And, because they’re flat, you can build almost any kind of presentation on top of them.

14. Moody blue background image

We like this moody blue option because it’s simple, calming, and has enough variation in the hue to remain visually interesting. Try this type of background if your message is meant to be soothing.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

15. Greenscape presentation background

This green option screams action, and much like a player’s handbook, or a score sheet, insinuates planning. Try this background if your presentation is about achieving a goal or strategizing a project. Think QBR, a sales kickoff, or even an all-hands company meeting.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

16. Blue wave paint presentation background

If your presentation is about creativity, the blue-painted waves in this presentation could be a great option. There’s enough variety in the palette to make it exciting, but not so much that it would detract from your overall message. Content can also be placed in any order and look natural.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

17. Bordered bricks presentation picture

The natural border this painted brick background provides can lend your presentation structure, especially if the content itself is meant to be unsystematic. Take this background for a spin if you’re going to try the conversational presenting method.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

18. Red wave background

This closeup of a structure in Milan, Italy, is striking for obvious reasons. In a presentation background, its bold color palette can easily be used in combination with neutral content (think black and white) to make a chic statement.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

19. Wooden geometry presentation image

The warmth of the wood and the various angles in this photo from Shanghai, China, make it a perfect background for a welcoming message. Try this option if you’re presenting something educational.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

20. Blurry confetti presentation background

Blurred backgrounds are great for presentations because they allow the presenter to build content on top of an image that subliminally tells the eye not to focus on it. This blurred confetti background has color, texture, and emotion all wrapped up in one. Try it out if you’re presenting about something cheerful, or really want to get your audience pumped.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Simple presentation backgrounds

Sometimes you don’t need a subject in your background. Sometimes you don’t even need a pattern! In the cases when simple makes the most sense, here are a few recommendations.

21. Dark presentation background image

A dark presentation background is particularly good for stage presentations and bold content. Be sure to use bright text and images for optimal contrast.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

22. Bright presentation backgrounds

When your content has a lot of colors, you can try using a neutral background with lots of texture like this one to give extra depth to your presentation.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

23. Light blue background images

Light blues are cool and calming– perfect for low-key presentations. With this background, it’s best to put your text in the brightest areas of the gradient.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

24. Deep blue background image

Deeper blues are great for professional topics, especially when you want to convey a serious mood.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

25. Soft presentation backgrounds

Soft presentation backgrounds are very flexible because they don’t command attention. If you use one that transitions from one color to the next, like this one, try placing your main points on the top and secondary points on the bottom.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

How to choose the right presentation background

Selecting the perfect presentation background is a critical step in creating a visually compelling and effective presentation. Here are some practical guidelines to help you make the right choice:

1. Define your presentation’s purpose and audience

Before you start browsing backgrounds for a presentation, take a moment to clarify the purpose of your presentation and understand your audience. Consider questions like:

  • What is the main message or theme of your presentation?
  • Who is your target audience, and what are their preferences and expectations?
  • What emotions or reactions do you want to evoke in your audience?

By having a clear understanding of your presentation’s purpose and your audience’s needs, you’ll be better equipped to choose a background that aligns with your goals.

2. Consider the message you want to convey

Your presentation’s content should drive your background choice. Think about the message you want to convey and how the background can support or enhance that message. Here are a few examples:

If your presentation is about innovation and creativity, a background with vibrant colors or abstract patterns can convey a sense of dynamism.

For a more serious and professional topic, consider using a clean and minimalist background to maintain a professional appearance.

If you’re presenting data or statistics, a background with simple lines or grids can help organize your information effectively.

The following presentation clearly communicates what it’s going to be about with its background image:

3. Balance simplicity and visual appeal

As mentioned earlier, balance is key. Aim for a background that is visually appealing but not overly complex. Too much visual noise can distract your audience from your content. Simplicity can make your message stand out, so choose backgrounds that enhance, rather than overpower, your presentation.

4. Think about color psychology

Colors play a significant role in conveying emotions and messages. Different colors can evoke various feelings and responses from your audience. Consider the following associations when selecting colors for good backgrounds:

  • Blue: Trust, professionalism, and calm.
  • Red: Energy, passion, and excitement.
  • Green: Growth, balance, and harmony.
  • Yellow: Optimism, warmth, and positivity.

Choose colors that align with the mood and tone of your presentation. Keep in mind that text and other content on your slides should contrast well with the background color for readability.

The choice of bright yellow ties together with the optimistic and inspiring message of the presentation:

5. Test and iterate

Before finalizing your background choice, create a sample slide with your content to ensure that it looks visually appealing and is easy to read. Test it on various screens and consider how it will appear in different lighting conditions. If something doesn’t work, be willing to iterate and make adjustments until you find the perfect balance.

6. Maintain consistency

Consistency is key to a polished presentation. Once you’ve selected good backgrounds, use them consistently throughout your presentation. This helps maintain a cohesive visual identity and keeps the focus on your content rather than the background.

The colors and elements of the background image stay the same throughout the presentation, providing a coherent viewing experience:

7. Explore Prezi’s options for good backgrounds

If you’re using Prezi for your presentation, take advantage of its background features. Prezi offers a wide range of good backgrounds, including patterns, textures, and images. Use Prezi’s search tool to find good backgrounds that match your criteria, and don’t hesitate to explore different options to find the one that best suits your presentation.

Dos and don’ts of presentation backgrounds

When it comes to good backgrounds, there are certain dos and don’ts to keep in mind to ensure your visuals enhance rather than detract from your message. Here are some key guidelines:

  • Consider the message: Think about the core message of your presentation. Does it require a specific mood, tone, or theme? Select a background that aligns with your message. For example, a serene nature background might be suitable for a presentation on mindfulness, while a dynamic cityscape could work well for a business strategy presentation.
  • Balance simplicity: Simplicity can elevate the aesthetics of your presentation, but avoid extremes. Too simple, and it may appear unprofessional; too complex, and it can distract from your content. Strive for a balance that enhances your message without overwhelming your audience.
  • Use negative space wisely: Negative space within a background can be a hidden gem. Utilize empty areas to add text, icons, or logos, making your content pop. This technique can help guide your audience’s attention to key points.
  • Create a visual hierarchy: Arrange your content on the background strategically. Use the background’s elements, lines, or flow to guide the viewer’s eye to the most important information. Ensure a logical visual hierarchy.
  • Test for clarity: Before finalizing your background, test it with sample content to ensure readability. Make sure your text contrasts well with the background color or pattern. Avoid backgrounds that make text hard to read.
  • Overcrowd good backgrounds: Resist the temptation to clutter your background with too many elements. It can make your presentation look chaotic and difficult to follow. Keep it clean and organized.
  • Distracting patterns: While patterns and textures can add visual appeal, be cautious not to choose backgrounds that are overly distracting. The background should complement, not compete with, your content.
  • Inappropriate color schemes: Consider color psychology when selecting background colors. For instance, avoid overly bright or clashing colors that might create visual discomfort. Opt for colors that evoke the desired emotional response from your audience.
  • Lack of consistency: Maintain consistency in your background design throughout your presentation. Abruptly changing good backgrounds can disrupt the flow and coherence of your message.

Selecting good backgrounds for your presentations is a nuanced process that requires thoughtful consideration. By following these dos and don’ts, you can ensure your background enhances your content, captures your audience’s attention, and helps convey your message effectively. Remember that a well-chosen background can set the stage for a successful presentation.

Learn more about the best presentation design practices by watching the following video:

How to find your perfect images for good backgrounds in Prezi

Adding a background image is a great way to set the look and feel of your presentation — and it’s super easy to do if you’re a Prezi user. You can select a background by using the “Background” sidebar from within the platform itself. From here, you can also change your background color. All of the images we shared in this post were found through this feature. 

Check out the process in the video below.

Adding a couple of keywords to your searches can help source images that are best suited to good backgrounds for your message. Our own designers often add “sparse” or “plain” to their queries in order to pull up options that have plenty of space for topics. You can also search for “texture” or “pattern” if you’d prefer something without a subject at all.

In addition to making background design easy, the search tool within Prezi will also source high-quality images and icons for you to use, so you can design your entire presentation from start to finish without ever leaving the platform.

Easily convert your PowerPoint to a Prezi

If you already have a presentation designed in PowerPoint, we make it easy to take Prezi for a test drive with PowerPoint converter. With Prezi, you can animate your existing set of PowerPoint slides. After importing and selecting which slides you want to keep, simply select your new background, layout, shapes, and colors.

If you’re new to the Prezi-verse, check out some of our favorite presentations on our gallery page . Prezi’s one-of-a-kind open canvas lets you organize and view your presentation as a whole.

Login to start designing your good backgrounds, or sign up for an account to get started.

Choosing the right presentation background may require some thoughtful consideration, but the effort pays off in creating a more engaging and impactful presentation. By aligning your background with your message and audience, you can set the stage for a successful presentation that captures your audience’s attention and effectively conveys your ideas.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

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Think Outside The Slide

Think Outside The Slide

Choosing Colors for Your Presentation Slides

What are the best background and text colors for a powerpoint presentation.

The best colors for slides have high contrast so they are easily seen. Dark backgrounds should have light text and bright accent colors. Light backgrounds should have dark text and bold accent colors. This way the audience can read the text and see the graphs or shapes on each slide.

The choice of colors for presentation slides is one of the important decisions that must be made at the start of the process of developing your slides. Most organizations today dictate a template with corporate colors that must be used for all presentations outside the organization as part of a branding initiative. In that case, you have no choice in the colors. But many internal presentations and in many other organizations you can choose your slide colors. So how do you choose? Here are some ideas to keep in mind when choosing colors for your next set of presentation slides.

Contrast Webster’s defines contrast as “To set in opposition, or over against, in order to show the differences between”. One of the most common mistakes in selecting colors for presentation slides is to not have enough contrast between the colors chosen for the background and the text or graphics. If you want the audience to see the text or graphics on the screen, they must be in a color that has a high contrast with the background color. This makes the text or graphic appear to float above the background instead of blending into it. In general, this will lead to selecting one of two color schemes – a dark background with light text and graphics or a light background with dark text and graphics. The further apart the colors are the more contrast they will have and the easier it will be for audiences to see the text or graphic you are using.  To ensure that the colors you have selected have enough contrast, use the online  Color Contrast Calculator  to test the colors using the two international standard tests for color contrast.

Using a corporate template If you work for a corporate or non-corporate organization, it is likely that you have a mandated template to use that defines the branding, fonts, colors, etc. (follow the steps in this article to use your organization’s PowerPoint template to create a new presentation ). Why do you need to know about color choice when the organization’s branding staff have already made these decisions? It is important to know how to select colors because when you create diagrams, graphs, or other visuals, you may have to select colors so that explanatory text can be seen on top of a shape or part of a graph. To make sure that the graphs you create in Excel follow the same colors your organization has set in the PowerPoint template, follow the steps in this article and video . Not all the decisions about color choice can be defined within a template, so you need to apply these guidelines using the colors defined in your organization’s template.

Emotional Meaning of Colors Studies have shown that different colors evoke different general feelings in many people. This can be important when selecting colors for your presentation slides since you will want to avoid colors that will negatively impact the message you are delivering. Here are some common interpretations for colors.

Given these general interpretations, you would want to steer away from using too much of colors such as black, orange, gray, red and brown, since they can either be too passive or too aggressive.

Color Combinations to Avoid Some colors should not be used together for a variety of reasons, so here are some combinations to avoid: Red & Green – these two colors clash with each other and are very hard to read. Also, people who have color deficiency will have trouble figuring out what you are trying to say on the slide (use the tool in this article to check colors for color deficiency ). Orange & Blue – another pair that causes a disturbing effect on readers as the colors seem to vibrate against one another Red & Blue – these two colors just do not have enough contrast to be seen well when used together. This combination also seems to suffer a further loss of contrast when projected on a screen.

Color Combination Suggestions The two color schemes that I suggest you use in presentation slides are either a dark background with light text and graphics or a light background with dark text and graphics. Here are the specific colors that I suggest for each color scheme.

Dark Background with Light Text and Graphics Background – a dark blue (navy shade) or dark purple Text and Graphics – white or yellow Accent Colors – red, lime green, camel orange, light blue The dark blue or dark purple background gives good emotional feelings as the predominant color on the screen and the yellow and white text and graphics have good contrast with the background. The accent colors should be used to highlight a word or portion of a graphic, not overused or they will become annoying.

Light Background with Dark Text and Graphics Background – warm beige Text and Graphics – dark blue, black, dark purple Accent Colors – dark green, burgundy The beige background combines the emotional impact of brown and white without gaining too much of the negative effect of these colors such as boring and staid. The dark text and graphic colors provide enough contrast to make the item stand out on the screen. The accent colors again are for emphasis and should not be overused.

Background Graphics or Patterns Many presenters want to make their slides more visually appealing by having a graphic or pattern as the background of the slide. This should be used with caution. Many times, the graphic or pattern has areas where the background color changes shade from dark to light or from light to dark. This means that the background is not actually one uniform shade and it makes picking a contrasting text and graphic color very difficult. I have seen slides where the text is visible on the first few words of a line but then disappear into the background for the rest of the line because of a change in the background. If you want to use a graphic or pattern, I suggest that it be very subtle, so there is very little difference between the lightest shade and the darkest shade in the background. One effect for graphics or logos is to use an embossing effect where the graphic looks like it is slightly raised in the background but the effect is very subtle and does not cause large changes in background color shade.

Getting the best image when connecting to a projector or screen for your presentation When you have carefully selected colors for your slides, you want them to look good when projected to the audience. The best connection is achieved when using a digital connection to the projector or screen if it is available. How you connect will depend on what ports your laptop has. Here are the most common options and the equipment I recommend using in each case.

Laptop has a full-size HDMI port If your laptop has a regular HDMI port, you can plug an HDMI cable in and you are ready to go. If the projector does not have an HDMI cable, but has a VGA cable instead, use this HDMI to VGA adapter . I have used it with a very long high-quality VGA cable and it worked perfectly. If the HDMI cable to the projector is not long enough to reach your laptop, you can use an HDMI extension cord and F-to-F HDMI adapter to connect the extension cord to the projector cable.

Laptop has a mini-DisplayPort port To connect your laptop to a projector cable you will need an adapter. I recommend one that gives you multiple output options, like this one that offers an HDMI, VGA, and DVI outputs . This is the one I use at my desk and when travelling. If you need to extend the projector connection, use the HDMI cable and adapter listed above.

Laptop has a USB-C port Newer laptops are moving to just offering a multi-function USB-C port instead of a port that is just for video output. If your laptop has this type of port, you will need an adapter that offers video outputs and a charging port if your laptop only offers charging through the USB-C port. The USB-C adapter/hub market is still developing and the one that looks best to me is this one from Anker , a company I have found reliable for adapters. Since this adapter (& most USB-C adapters) only offer an HDMI port, if you need to connect to a VGA projector cable or the HDMI cable is not long enough, use the links above to connect your laptop to the projector or screen.

By carefully selecting the colors for your next slide presentation, you can increase the impact your message will have on your audience.

Are you selecting colors and fonts to design a PowerPoint template? If so, you will want to get the book Building PowerPoint Templates Step by step with the experts. Read more and order here .

Are you looking for a customized workshop where your staff can learn to create PowerPoint presentations that have a clear message, focused content, and effective visuals?   Click here to learn more about my customized in-house workshops for executive presentations . If you are an individual who wants to learn these skills at your own pace, check out my guided self-study course .

Did you find this article helpful?  If so,  click here  to check out some great learning tools to help even more!

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Dave Paradi has over twenty-two years of experience delivering customized training workshops to help business professionals improve their presentations. He has written ten books and over 600 articles on the topic of effective presentations and his ideas have appeared in publications around the world . His focus is on helping corporate professionals visually communicate the messages in their data so they don’t overwhelm and confuse executives. Dave is one of fewer than ten people in North America recognized by Microsoft with the Most Valuable Professional Award for his contributions to the Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams communities. His articles and videos on virtual presenting have been viewed over 4.8 million times and liked over 17,000 times on YouTube.

By Dave Paradi

Dave Paradi has over twenty-two years of experience delivering customized training workshops to help business professionals improve their presentations. He has written ten books and over 600 articles on the topic of effective presentations and his ideas have appeared in publications around the world . His focus is on helping corporate professionals visually communicate the messages in their data so they don't overwhelm and confuse executives. Dave is one of fewer than ten people in North America recognized by Microsoft with the Most Valuable Professional Award for his contributions to the Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams communities. His articles and videos on virtual presenting have been viewed over 4.8 million times and liked over 17,000 times on YouTube.

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How to Choose the Best Colors for Your Presentations

How to Choose the Best Colors for Your Presentations | Quick Tips & Tutorial for your presentations

Choosing colors for your slides is one of the most crucial decisions to make even before starting to work on your Google Slides or PowerPoint presentation. Basically, colors can help you communicate your message more effectively, and they can evoke many different feelings or emotions on your audience. Keep reading to find out how to choose the best colors for your presentation.

Color Psychology

Color temperature, neutral colors, some tips on how to combine colors for your presentation.

It is quite important to know how your audience perceives colors and how these are related to the topic you are talking about. For example, red can convey a sense of danger, but also love, depending on the context. These are some common connotations that colors have on humans:

  • Red : Evokes passion and strength. It’s an energetic and intense color that represents power and determination. It’s usually present on brands related to beverages, gaming and the automotive industry.
  • Blue : Conveys a sense of security, confidence, responsibility and calmness. It is the most representative color in the healthcare and finance industries.
  • Yellow : This is the color of light. It is a stimulating color that conveys energy, awakes awareness and inspires creativity. You will surely find yellow in the food industry.
  • Green : Undeniably, the color of nature, life and peace. This color conveys a sense of growth, balance and stability like no other. It is quite popular among big companies, especially in the energy and tech industries.
  • White : It is considered the color of purity and innocence. When it comes to evoking simplicity, optimism and integrity, white is second to none. You will find it for sure in the healthcare industry, and it is making its way in the fashion industry too.
  • Black : Even though black is associated with seriousness, it can also convey elegance and courage. Fashion brands and luxury products make good use this color.

Take note of these hints and try to choose the color that best suits your message. For example, in this template we used bright and vibrant colors, since it is an education-themed presentation intended for a very young audience:

A presentation with bright colors

Click here to download this template

Colors can be grouped based on their temperature , which can be determined by comparing any given color in the visible spectrum with the light that a black body would emit when heated at a specified temperature. So, according to their temperature, there are two groups of colors: 

  • Warm colors: These range from red and orange to yellow. If you click on the footer below, you will be able to download one of our templates containing a palette full of warm colors:

A presentation with warm colors

  • Cool colors: These range from green and blue to violet. Again, click on the footer below to download a template that contains cool colors:

A presentation with cool colors

Mainly, warm colors convey energy and optimism—it is like giving a warm reception to your audience. On the other hand, cool colors are associated with serenity and confidence, just what you need to have a peaceful time.

White, black and all shades of gray are not considered neither warm nor cool. In fact, we could say colors such as creme, beige, brown and others with a high amount of gray are also neutral.  These colors do not influence others and can actually be combined with almost any color. As for their meaning, elegance and solemnity are pretty much guaranteed, as well as harmony.  When combining neutral colors, oftentimes a bright color is used as a contrast to highlight certain elements and bring them to the front. Click on the footer below to see an example of a presentation with neutral colors: 

A presentation with neutral colors

To achieve a nice color harmony and make the most of it, it is best if you take into account the color wheel, as well as the concepts of hue, saturation and brightness. 

  • Hue is basically what differentiates a color from any other. Thanks to the hue, you can visually tell apart red from blue, for example.
  • Brightness defines how light or dark a hue is, and measures its capacity to reflect white light.
  • Saturation refers to how pure a hue is. A saturated color appears more vivid, whereas a desaturated color looks duller.

Color wheel

With this information, you can make several different combinations: 

  • Monochromatic Color Scheme: These contain different shades of a single color. Click on the footer to see one of our monochromatic templates based on red.

A presentation with a monochromatic color scheme

  • Complementary Color Scheme: These are composed of a pair of opposing colors on the color wheel. If you click on the footer below, you will be able to download a presentation template with this scheme.

A presentation with a complementary color scheme

Analogous Color Scheme: This scheme includes colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. Click on the footer to see an example of this scheme applied to a presentation: 

A presentation with an analogous color scheme

Triadic Color Scheme: This uses three colors equally spaced on the color wheel. Click on the footer to download a presentation that makes use of the triadic color scheme.

A presentation with a triadic color scheme

In order to get the best combination, you will need to consider how many colors you will use in each slide and how you will manage the contrast between them. These should also be suitable for your intended message or your brand.   Finally, try not to overuse very intense colors—use them only for emphasis. Keep everything consistent by applying the same color to each instance of an element within your presentation (for example, use the same color in all the titles). Include illustrations or pictures that work well with the chosen palette. If you need to apply filters to the pictures, you can refer to our “ How to Apply Filters to the Pictures in Google Slides ” tutorial, or its PowerPoint equivalent. Some of our templates include color variants, making it so much easier for you to adapt them to your topic and/or brand. Just click one of the options that you will find below “Themes” on the right side of the screen. 

Selecting color variants in Slidesgo

Selecting color variants

best background for a powerpoint presentation

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20 Great Examples of PowerPoint Presentation Design [+ Templates]

Carly Williams

Published: January 17, 2024

When it comes to PowerPoint presentation design, there's no shortage of avenues you can take.

PowerPoint presentation examples graphic with computer monitor, person holding a megaphone, and a plant to signify growth.

While all that choice — colors, formats, visuals, fonts — can feel liberating, it‘s important that you’re careful in your selection as not all design combinations add up to success.

→ Free Download: 10 PowerPoint Presentation Templates [Access Now]

In this blog post, I’m sharing some of my favorite PowerPoint tips and templates to help you nail your next presentation.

Table of Contents

What makes a good PowerPoint presentation?

Powerpoint design ideas, best powerpoint presentation slides, good examples of powerpoint presentation design.

In my opinion, a great PowerPoint presentation gets the point across succinctly while using a design that doesn't detract from it.

Here are some of the elements I like to keep in mind when I’m building my own.

1. Minimal Animations and Transitions

Believe it or not, animations and transitions can take away from your PowerPoint presentation. Why? Well, they distract from the content you worked so hard on.

A good PowerPoint presentation keeps the focus on your argument by keeping animations and transitions to a minimum. I suggest using them tastefully and sparingly to emphasize a point or bring attention to a certain part of an image.

2. Cohesive Color Palette

I like to refresh my memory on color theory when creating a new PowerPoint presentation.

A cohesive color palette uses complementary and analogous colors to draw the audience’s attention and help emphasize certain aspects at the right time.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

10 Free PowerPoint Templates

Download ten free PowerPoint templates for a better presentation.

  • Creative templates.
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It‘s impossible for me to tell you the specific design ideas you should go after in your next PowerPoint, because, well, I don’t know what the goal of your presentation is.

Luckily, new versions of PowerPoint actually suggest ideas for you based on the content you're presenting. This can help you keep up with the latest trends in presentation design .

PowerPoint is filled with interesting boilerplate designs you can start with. To find these suggestions, open PowerPoint and click the “Design” tab in your top navigation bar. Then, on the far right side, you'll see the following choices:

best background for a powerpoint presentation

This simplistic presentation example employs several different colors and font weights, but instead of coming off as disconnected, the varied colors work with one another to create contrast and call out specific concepts.

What I like: The big, bold numbers help set the reader's expectations, as they clearly signify how far along the viewer is in the list of tips.

10. “Pixar's 22 Rules to Phenomenal Storytelling,” Gavin McMahon

This presentation by Gavin McMahon features color in all the right places. While each of the background images boasts a bright, spotlight-like design, all the characters are intentionally blacked out.

What I like: This helps keep the focus on the tips, while still incorporating visuals. Not to mention, it's still easy for me to identify each character without the details. (I found you on slide eight, Nemo.)

11. “Facebook Engagement and Activity Report,” We Are Social

Here's another great example of data visualization in the wild.

What I like: Rather than displaying numbers and statistics straight up, this presentation calls upon interesting, colorful graphs, and charts to present the information in a way that just makes sense.

12. “The GaryVee Content Model,” Gary Vaynerchuk

This wouldn‘t be a true Gary Vaynerchuk presentation if it wasn’t a little loud, am I right?

What I like: Aside from the fact that I love the eye-catching, bright yellow background, Vaynerchuk does a great job of incorporating screenshots on each slide to create a visual tutorial that coincides with the tips. He also does a great job including a visual table of contents that shows your progress as you go .

13. “20 Tweetable Quotes to Inspire Marketing & Design Creative Genius,” IMPACT Branding & Design

We‘ve all seen our fair share of quote-chronicling presentations but that isn’t to say they were all done well. Often the background images are poor quality, the text is too small, or there isn't enough contrast.

Well, this professional presentation from IMPACT Branding & Design suffers from none of said challenges.

What I like: The colorful filters over each background image create just enough contrast for the quotes to stand out.

14. “The Great State of Design,” Stacy Kvernmo

This presentation offers up a lot of information in a way that doesn't feel overwhelming.

What I like: The contrasting colors create visual interest and “pop,” and the comic images (slides 6 through 12) are used to make the information seem less buttoned-up and overwhelming.

15. “Clickbait: A Guide To Writing Un-Ignorable Headlines,” Ethos3

Not going to lie, it was the title that convinced me to click through to this presentation but the awesome design kept me there once I arrived.

What I like: This simple design adheres to a consistent color pattern and leverages bullet points and varied fonts to break up the text nicely.

16. “Digital Transformation in 50 Soundbites,” Julie Dodd

This design highlights a great alternative to the “text-over-image” display we've grown used to seeing.

What I like: By leveraging a split-screen approach to each presentation slide, Julie Dodd was able to serve up a clean, legible quote without sacrificing the power of a strong visual.

17. “Fix Your Really Bad PowerPoint,” Slide Comet

When you‘re creating a PowerPoint about how everyone’s PowerPoints stink, yours had better be terrific. The one above, based on the ebook by Seth Godin, keeps it simple without boring its audience.

What I like: Its clever combinations of fonts, together with consistent color across each slide, ensure you're neither overwhelmed nor unengaged.

18. “How Google Works,” Eric Schmidt

Simple, clever doodles tell the story of Google in a fun and creative way. This presentation reads almost like a storybook, making it easy to move from one slide to the next.

What I like: This uncluttered approach provides viewers with an easy-to-understand explanation of a complicated topic.

19. “What Really Differentiates the Best Content Marketers From The Rest,” Ross Simmonds

Let‘s be honest: These graphics are hard not to love. I especially appreciate the author’s cartoonified self-portrait that closes out the presentation. Well played, Ross Simmonds.

What I like: Rather than employing the same old stock photos, this unique design serves as a refreshing way to present information that's both valuable and fun.

20. “Be A Great Product Leader,” Adam Nash

This presentation by Adam Nash immediately draws attention by putting the company's logo first — a great move if your company is well known.

What I like: He uses popular images, such as ones of Megatron and Pinocchio, to drive his points home. In the same way, you can take advantage of popular images and media to keep your audience engaged.

PowerPoint Presentation Examples for the Best Slide Presentation

Mastering a PowerPoint presentation begins with the design itself.

Get inspired by my ideas above to create a presentation that engages your audience, builds upon your point, and helps you generate leads for your brand.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in March 2013 and has been updated for comprehensiveness. This article was written by a human, but our team uses AI in our editorial process. Check out our full disclosure to learn more about how we use AI.

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By Matt Moran January 3, 2024

22 Best PowerPoint Color Schemes to Make Your Presentation Stand Out in 2024

There’s nothing worse than an amateur PowerPoint presentation. If you’re going into a business meeting or sales pitch, your presentation slides should look as professional as you do. That’s why choosing the right color scheme is so important.

In this post, we’ll be sharing a roundup of 22 of the best PowerPoint color schemes you can use to make your presentation look the part. 

All the color schemes on this list have been incorporated into templates created by professional designers, so they’re super-stylish and guaranteed to make your slides stand out.

Whether you’re an educator looking for a color scheme that will keep your students engaged, or a business professional who wants to make an impact in your next meeting, you’re sure to find something suitable below.

Tips for Choosing the Best PowerPoint Color Schemes

Before we jump into the roundup, let’s talk about how to choose the right color scheme for your needs. Here are a few things to bear in mind when you’re comparing your options.

1. Use High Contrast Colors

When it comes to color, contrast is the number one most important consideration. Text, icons, and other important graphics on your slides need to be highly readable, so you need to make sure to use high contrast colors for these elements. 

In other words, use a color with a significantly different tone/brightness from your background. Certain colors are inherently lighter/darker than others. For example, blue is much darker than yellow. As such, these colors tend to pair well together.

I’d also recommend never combining warm and cold colors, like bright red on bright blue or vice versa. This is because human eyes have trouble distinguishing interactions between the different wavelengths, which causes eye fatigue.

2. Consider Color Associations (Psychology)

People have certain subconscious associations with different colors. For example, people associate blue with trust, calmness, and reliability, which makes it a safe choice for business presentations. 

Green is associated with nature, peace, and organic products, which might make it a good choice if you’re working on a sales pitch for an eco-friendly product. 

Black evokes sophistication, seriousness, evil, and mystery, so it can work just as well for spooky Halloween lesson PowerPoints as for high-end fashion brand presentations.

Try to choose a color scheme that fits the kind of associations you want to make. If you’re working on a brand PowerPoint presentation, a safe bet is to stick with your brand colors.

3. Always Use Gradients

In nature, colors rarely appear in solid blocks – they transition gradually from one hue to the next and blend into each other.  

Because we’re used to seeing colors naturally act this way, you should try to do the same in your PowerPoint presentations by blending colors into each other using gradients. Blocks of solid color can look amateurish. 

The good news is that all the templates on this list are designed by professionals who understand this and therefore use natural color gradients to create a professional look.

4. Choose the Right Color Scheme for Your Screen Type

Finally, don’t forget to consider the screen you plan on showcasing your PowerPoint presentation on. Darker color schemes will look good on close-up screens like tablets and desktops. However, lighter colors work better for projections as they tend to be more readable. 

In particular, never use red text if you’re projecting your presentation onto an external screen, as if any kind of unwanted ambient light/glare hits the screen, the color will wash out. In fact, it’s best to avoid any brightly colored text if you’re using a projector.

22 Best PowerPoint Color Schemes

Alright, let’s jump into the list. Below, we’ve listed our top 22 favorite PowerPoint templates with awesome color schemes.

1. Shades of Grey and Yellow – Our Top Pick

best PowerPoint color scheme

If you’re looking for a darker color scheme to use for a business presentation, you can’t go wrong with the Hornette template. Darker shades of grey and black strike a serious tone that befits a corporate environment, which is offset by bold yellow highlights. 

We like how the high contrast between the darker shades and the bold yellow can be used to direct the readers’ gaze to the most important elements on the page and make key messages stand out. 

The template itself includes 50 slides, including a gallery and portfolio slide, and features creative layouts and useful graphics. All graphics can be resized and edited.

2. Teal and White

second best powerpoint color scheme

Teal is a color that blends blue’s dependability with green’s optimism and healing properties. The result is a calming, balanced color that’s packed with personality. 

This multipurpose PowerPoint template uses teal alongside plenty of whitespaces and is perfect for business and personal presentations. All elements are fully editable, and if teal and white isn’t your style, you can pick another of the 5 included premade color schemes included. 

3. Shades of Black

black powerpoint color scheme

Dark themes are very on-trend right now. If you want to add a touch of sophistication to your presentation or strike a serious tone, you can’t go wrong with this Halbert PowerPoint template. 

The all-black color scheme looks slick and elegant, and the white text is highly readable. This template works best when you don’t have to worry about room lighting, and might be a good fit for fashion presentations.

4. Color Fun

multi-colored powerpoint template

If you want something a little more upbeat, try this Color Fun PowerPoint template. It uses a wide color palette, which can help provide enough variety to better organize the different sections and elements on your slides. 

It’s bright, upbeat, and sets a positive tone – without being too overwhelming. The designer has toned down the colors just enough that they’re not distracting and won’t cause eye fatigue.

5. Monochromatic Blue

blue powerpoint color scheme

This Tortoise PPT template uses a mix of light and darker blues to create a stylish, professional look. The download includes 150 slides in total, split into 5 colors (30 slides per variation). All graphics included are fully editable and resizable in PowerPoint. 

6. Minimalist Light Colors

minimalist powerpoint color scheme

Bold and bright colors can work well but sometimes, it’s best to keep things simple. This clean and modern PowerPoint presentation follows the principle of minimalism, with very light shades like beige and pale green. It comes in a 1920x1080p format and includes a bunch of awesome icons and graphic elements that are fully vector editable.

7. Orange Burst

best orange powerpoint color scheme

Orange is the most vibrant color in the color spectrum. It’s full of energy and life, so it’s perfect when you want to really get your audience excited about the contents of your presentation. This PowerPoint template from aqrstudio uses orange gradients alongside circular icons and graphics.

8. Yellows and Whites

best background for a powerpoint presentation

If you’re looking for a yellow template, check out Soaring by Jumsoft. It features an energetic, professional design and includes 20 master slides in the standard 4:3 side, as well as charts, diagrams, tables, and other awesome visual elements. You can choose the layout that’s most suitable for your content and customize more or less everything in MS PowerPoint.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Pastels are the color trend of the year. These lighter, softer shades of colors have been embraced by younger generations like Millennials and Gen Z and have rapidly become associated with self-care for their ‘calming effect’. If you want to incorporate them into your PowerPoint color scheme, check out this pastel template by UnicodeID.

10. Organic Greens

green powerpoint color scheme

Working on a food-related presentation for a culinary business? Or perhaps you’re putting together a pitch deck on an environmental topic? Either way, this organic green PowerPoint template has the perfect color scheme for you. It’s ideal for health and nature-related slides.

11. Bold Red and Black

best background for a powerpoint presentation

The NOVA PowerPoint template by Artmonk uses a stunning red-on-black color scheme. It’s a bold color combination that packs a punch, so it’s great for presentations in which you’re trying to break the mold and make a statement. It’ll look great on screens but might not show up well on projector displays due to the dark background.

12. Bright Multicolor

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Here’s another awesome multi-colored palette that’s upbeat and fun. Wide color palettes like this are great for large slide decks as they give you a lot of options to choose from. I can see this one working really well for creative agencies and personal portfolios. 

13. Lime and Dark Blue

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Blue and yellow is a classic combination. This lime and dark blue template offers a new twist on that classic combo to make it a little more exciting. If you already use dark blue as part of your brand color palette, this is a great template to use.

14. Pretty Pink

best background for a powerpoint presentation

The Pretty Pink color scheme is perfect for creating feminine and youthful PowerPoint presentations. This would be perfect for female-oriented business products, or presentations about beauty, pop culture, and more.

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Teal is the perfect color scheme for exuding wealth and intelligence. In color psychology, green connotes wealth and money, whilst blue evokes intelligence. Teal is the perfect blend of the two colors, which makes it a great choice for financial presentations and documentation.

16. Dark with Splashes of Color

best background for a powerpoint presentation

If you want a luxurious and ultra-modern color scheme, Black with splashes of color is just the ticket. The black creates a sleek and professional feel, whilst the bold and colorful highlights make the key information in your presentation pop.  

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Coral is a bold and vivid color scheme perfect for making an impact on your presentations. This PowerPoint template utilizes coral as the background of each slide which helps the text and other visuals to really stand out.

18. Classic Blue and White

best background for a powerpoint presentation

If you’re looking for a clean, modern, and professional color scheme for your PowerPoint presentations, you can’t go wrong with classic blue. The color scheme evokes professionalism and technological prowess and is perfect for tech businesses and startups. The Contact PowerPoint from Envato Elements is a great example of how this color scheme can be used.

19. Pinks and Purples

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Pinks and Purples is a vibrant and feminine color scheme that would work perfectly for beauty brands and retail stores. The colors are bold and inviting and have a luxurious feel. This Beauty Care template from Envato Elements utilizes this color scheme as well as unique shapes to make for a visually interesting presentation.

20. Winter Watercolors

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Winter Watercolors is a great color scheme for festive presentations. The muted, blue, and green cold tones are easy on the eye and evoke a homily feeling. This would be perfect for creating slideshows for Christmas parties or other winter-themed events.

21. Coral Highlights

best background for a powerpoint presentation

Unlike the last coral color scheme we looked at, which used a coral background with white text, this template uses mostly white slide backgrounds. Coral is used much more sparingly to highlight key elements on the slide. This gives the PowerPoint a more relaxed and feminine touch.

22. Primary Colors

best background for a powerpoint presentation

This Primary Colors color scheme is perfect for adding a vibrant touch to your presentations. This color scheme is a modern take on the classic colors of red, yellow and blue, and would be perfect for creating fun and engaging business presentations.

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30+ Stylish PowerPoint Color Schemes 2024

Color is an element that can make or break a design, and that rule holds true for presentation design as well. Choosing the right PowerPoint color scheme is super important.

But there’s one extra thing to consider – where your presentation will be given. A PowerPoint presentation can look quite different on a computer or tablet versus on a projected screen.

When it comes to selecting a PowerPoint color scheme, this is an important consideration. We’ve rounded nearly stylish PowerPoint color schemes as inspiration. While darker color schemes might look great close-up on screens, opt for lighter backgrounds (for enhanced readability) for projected presentations.

Note: The last color in each scheme is for the slide background.

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Explore PowerPoint Templates

1. Blue, Gray Green & Orange

powerpoint color schemes

With a bright overall scheme that’s easy on the eyes, this color scheme can help you create a modern PowerPoint presentation that’s readable and friendly. You can even tweak the colors somewhat to better work with your brand, if necessary.

The best thing about this color palette is that it lends itself to plenty of different presentation styles and applications.

2. Violet Gradient

powerpoint color schemes

Using the first two colors noted above, you can create a dark-to-light monotone gradient that can make for a modern PowerPoint design style.

Take this concept and expand it to any other colors you like for your spin on this modern color scheme.

3. Mint and Orange

powerpoint color schemes

On paper, these colors don’t seem to blend all that well, but with the right application min and orange on a black background can work.

Use a pair of colors like this for presentations where you are trying to make a bold statement or impact. This concept is often great for trendy topics or ideas that are a little unconventional.

4. Bright Blue and Light

powerpoint color schemes

The brighter, the better! Bright blue color schemes are a major trend in PowerPoint design … and for good reason. The color combination creates a bright, light feel with easy readability. Those are two things that pretty much everyone wants in a presentation template design.

The other thing that’s great about a color scheme like this – which focuses on one color – is that it matches practically everything else in the design with ease. It’s great for image-heavy presentations or those where text elements are a key focal point.

5. Teal and Lime

powerpoint color schemes

Two colors that you might not expect to see paired create a classy combo that’s interesting and engaging. Both teal and lime are considered “new neutrals” and work with a variety of colors easily. (What’s somewhat unexpected is putting them together.)

What’s great about this PowerPoint color scheme is that the extra interest from the hues can help generate extra attention for slides. The template in the example also mixes and matches teal and green primary color blocks to keep it interesting from slide to slide.

6. Colorful Gradients

powerpoint color schemes

Gradients are a color trend that just keeps reinventing and resurfacing. In the latest iteration, gradients are bright with a lot of color. Designers are working across the color wheel for gradients that have more of a rainbow effect throughout the design, even if individual gradients are more subtle.

What you are likely to see is a variety of different gradients throughout a project with different colors, but maybe a dominant color to carry the theme. Use this for presentation designs that are meant to be more fun, lighter, and highly engaging.

7. Light Blue Minimal

powerpoint color schemes

This color scheme with light blue and a minimal aesthetic is super trendy and so easy to read. You can add a lot of style with a black-and-white style for images or a deep blue accent for header text.

While a pale blue is ideal here, you could also consider experimenting with other pastels and the same overall theme for a modern presentation design.

8. Bright with Dark Background

powerpoint color schemes

The combination of bright colors on a dark background can be fun and quite different from the traditional PowerPoint color schemes that are often on white or light backgrounds. This design style for a presentation is bold and engaging but can be a challenge if you aren’t comfortable with that much color.

When you use a style like this, it is important to think about the presentation environment to ensure that everything will look as intended. A design like this, for example, can work well on screens, but not as well on a projector or in a large room.

9. Navy and Orange

powerpoint color schemes

The navy and orange color combination is stylish and classic for presentation design. To add a fresh touch consider some of the effects such as the template above, with color blocking and overlays to add extra interest.

What makes this color combination pop is the element of contrast between a dark and a bright pair. The navy here is almost a neutral hue and works with almost any other design element.

10. Dark and Light Green

powerpoint color schemes

A modern take on a monotone color scheme involves using two similar colors that aren’t exactly tints and tones of one another. This pairing of dark green and light (almost minty) green does precisely that.

What’s nice about this color scheme is that the colors can be used almost interchangeably as primary elements or accents. It provides a lot of flexibility in the presentation design.

11. Bright Crystal Blue

powerpoint color schemes

Blue presentation color schemes will always be in style. The only thing that changes is the variance of the hue. This pair of blues – a bright crystal blue with a darker teal – works in almost the same way as the pair of greens above.

What’s nice about this color palette though is that the dark color is the accent here. That’s a modern twist on color design for presentations.

12. Blue and Yellow

powerpoint color schemes

Blue and yellow are classic pairings and can make for a striking presentation color combination. With a bright white background, these hues stand out in a major way.

What works here is the element of contrast. A darker blue with a brighter yellow creates an almost yin and yang effect with color. The only real caution is to take care with yellow on a white or light background with fonts or other light elements.

powerpoint color schemes

Teal is a personality-packed color choice. If you are looking for a bold statement with a PowerPoint template, start here.

While the above color scheme also includes a hint of yellow for accents, the teal color option is strong enough to stand alone. You could consider a tint or tone for a mono-look. It also pairs amazingly well with black-and-white images.

Teal is a fun color option that will provide a lot of practical use with your slide deck.

14. Bright Coral

powerpoint color schemes

This color scheme is one of those that you will either love or hate. The bright coral color is powerful and generates an immediate reaction.

It’s also quite trendy and will stand out from many of the other more bland PowerPoint colors that you may encounter. This is a great option for a startup that wants to present with a bang or a brand that has a similar color in its palette. It may not work so well for more traditional brands or those that are more conservative with their slide designs.

15. Dark Mode Colors

powerpoint color schemes

A dark mode color scheme might be the biggest trend in all of design right now, and that also applies to presentation design.

This purple and emerald color paired with black with white text looks amazing. It is sleek, modern, and has high visual appeal without having to use a lot of images.

This works best for digital presentations when you don’t have concerns about room lighting to worry about.

If you aren’t ready to jump into dark mode on your own, the Harber template above is a great start with nice color, gradients, and interesting shapes throughout the slide types.

16. Navy and Lime

powerpoint color schemes

A navy and lime combination is a modern take on colorful neutrals that are anything but boring.

These colors have a nice balance with a white or light background and are fairly easy to use. With so many brands already using blue in their base color palette, this is an option that works and is an extension of existing elements for many brands. (Use your blue and add the lime to it.)

Also, with this color combination, the idea of a minimal overall slide structure is nice so that the power of the colors and impact comes through. They work beside images in full color or black and white.

17. Modern Blue

powerpoint color schemes

When you aren’t planning to use brand colors – or maybe as a startup or independent contractor so you don’t have them yet – a modern color combination can add the right flair to a PowerPoint presentation.

The bright grayish-blue in the Lekro PowerPoint template – you can find it here – adds the right amount of color without overwhelming the content. Plus, subtle orange accents help guide the eye throughout this PowerPoint color scheme. https://elements.envato.com/lekro-powerpoint-presentation-67YW3M

18. Blackish and Yellow

powerpoint color schemes

While at first pass, black and yellow might seem like a harsh color combination, it can set the tone for a project that should emanate strength. This PowerPoint color scheme softens the harshness of the duo with a blackish color, that’s grayer and has a softer feel.

Pair this combo on a light background or with black and white images for a stylish, mod look.

19. Orange and White

powerpoint color schemes

A bright color can soften the harshness of a stark PowerPoint design. Especially when used for larger portions of the content area, such as background swatches or to help accent particular elements.

The Sprint template makes great use of color with a simple palette – orange and white with black text – but has slide ideas that incorporate the color throughout for something with a more “designed” look to it. (And if you aren’t a fan of the orange, change the color for use with this template to keep the modern feel.)

powerpoint color schemes

Purple presentations are in. The color, which was once avoided by many in design projects, has flourished with recent color trends.

Because more funky, bright colors are popular, a presentation with a purple focus can be acceptable for a variety of uses. The use in Batagor template has a modern design with a deep header in the featured color, which works best with images that aren’t incredibly bold in terms of color.

21. Blue-Green Gradients

powerpoint color schemes

Another trending item in color is the use of gradients. This trend can be applied to PowerPOint presentations as well.

Use a blue-to-green gradient for a soft and harmonious color scheme that won’t get in the way of content. Use each hue alone for accents and informational divots throughout the presentation design.

22. Black and White

powerpoint color schemes

Minimalism is a design trend that never goes away. A black-and-white (or gray) presentation screams class and sophistication.

It can also be easy to work with when you don’t want the color to get in the way of your message. And if a design can stand alone without color, you know it works.

23. Reds and Black

powerpoint color schemes

If you are designing a presentation for viewing on screens, such as desktops or tablets, a dark background with bright color accents and white text can work well. (This combination gets a lot trickier on projector displays.)

While reverse text and red aren’t always recommended, you can see from the Nova template that they can be a stunning combination. But note, this modern color scheme is best for specific content and audiences.

24. Blue and Pink

powerpoint color schemes

This color scheme is a spin on Pantone’s colors of the year from 2016. https://designshack.net/articles/graphics/how-to-use-the-pantone-color-of-the-year-in-design-projects/ The brighter, bolder versions of rose quartz and serenity and fun and sophisticated.

The unexpected combo sets the tone with a strong, trustworthy blue and adds softness with the paler pink. The colors work equally well with white or darker backgrounds.

25. Blue and Green

powerpoint color schemes

Blue and green accents can help a black or white background come to life in a presentation template. The colors here can work with either background style, based on how you plan to display your presentation.

What’s nice about these colors is that they are pretty neutral – since both are found in nature – and can be used with ease for design or text elements in a PowerPoint color scheme.

26. Beige and Gray

powerpoint color schemes

If you are looking for a softer color palette, consider beige and gray. These hues can work well on screens or projected, making them a versatile option.

The nice thing about such a neutral palette is that it gives content plenty of room, so that will be the true focus of the presentation.

27. Tints and Tones

powerpoint color schemes

While the purplish blue-gray in the Business PowerPoint Presentation template is stunning, it represents a greater trend in presentation design. Pick a color – maybe your dominant brand color – and use tints and tones for the presentation color scheme.

By mixing the color with white or black and gray, you’ll end up with a stunning set of color variations that match your messaging.

28. Bold Rainbow

powerpoint color schemes

While most of the color schemes featured here only include a color or two, bright color schemes with wider color variations are trending.

This distinct “rainbow style” can be somewhat difficult to use without rules for each color. Proceed with caution.

29. Bright Neutrals

powerpoint color schemes

Lime green is the brightest “neutral” you might ever use. A fun palette that’s versatile can be a solid foundation for a color palette.

It works exceptionally well in the Rouka PowerPoint template thanks to a pairing with a subtle gray background. Using a light, but not white, background can be great for screens and projected presentations because it takes away some of the harshness of a white background. The subtle coloring is easier on the eyes for reading and viewing.

30. Rich Browns

powerpoint color schemes

Browns aren’t often what comes to mind when thinking of building a color scheme, but rich browns can be a modern option.

Pair a neutral beige-brown with a darker color for an interesting contrast that works with almost any style of content.

31. Mint Green

powerpoint color schemes

Go super trendy with a modern and streamlined palette of mint green and gray on white. While this combination can have a minimal feel, it also adds a touch of funkiness to the design.

Add another hint of color – think orange – for extra accents.

32. Dark Gray and Blue

powerpoint color schemes

It doesn’t get more classy than a combination of grays and blues. This new take on a classic color scheme adds another brighter blue as well to pick up on modern trends.

Just be careful with text using a dark background such as this one. White is probably your best option for typography (and look for a font with thicker strokes!)

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Best microsoft powerpoint templates.

These templates can help you create an outstanding presentation

One of the most popular presentation tools, Microsoft PowerPoint, offers a range of design templates with varied colors, visuals, fonts, and formats to help you create visually appealing slides quickly. If you want to create presentations that leave a lasting impression, we put together a list of templates you can try when working on your favorite tablet or laptop.

PowerPoint templates for professional and personal use

The template you choose should mirror the message you want to convey. It should take away from the presentation or overshadow it. Listed below are a few aesthetic Microsoft PowerPoint templates that you can use for different purposes.

Proposal presentation template

A slide from the proposal presentation template

This whitepaper proposal presentation template is ideal for presenting professional reports highlighting your company's growth or key events. The base template has seven slides, which include editable icons and infographics.

You can use the template as is or add more slides to accommodate additional photos, animations, and videos. The template uses a clean and professional font, and you can customize it to suit your company's branding style and guidelines.

PowerPoint logo over an array of AP logos

What's the difference between Microsoft PowerPoint templates and themes?

Pitch deck template.

A slide from the pitch deck presentation template

This PowerPoint pitch deck template includes 20 slides. It can help you tell your brand's story to potential investors. It features a modern design and plenty of slides to showcase your brand's business model, the market opportunity for your business, competitor analysis, and a two-year action plan. It also includes slides you can use to introduce key team members to potential investors.

Since it has futuristic elements, this template is best used by technology startups, innovative businesses, and firms presenting technology-forward solutions or business ideas.

Personal portfolio

A slide from the personal portfolio template

If you're a creative professional and want to showcase your projects, you're likely looking to create a portfolio. This photography portfolio template , which has a modern and simplistic design, is a great option.

The template lets you present your work through a minimalist template that is vibrant and aesthetic. It succeeds in keeping attention on your photographs. This template is primarily used for photographs. However, you can customize it to showcase other creative projects, like video editing reels or graphic design work.

The template also includes a Services page that you can use to detail the types of services you offer. Use this page to describe your professional abilities and the unique skills you bring to the table.

Trip planner

A slide from the trip planner template

If you're planning a trip with your family or friends and want to create a presentation to share your travel details, this trip planner template is a great choice. This well-designed template includes eight slides. The user-friendly layout helps you detail your itinerary, planned activities, accommodation arrangements, and budget. There's also a mood board slide you can use to add images that capture the essence of your trip.

This standard template is an easy way to share broader travel plans with your group. You can customize it by adding maps, videos that your travel companions can refer to, and a detailed day-by-day agenda. A presentation like this is a great way to coordinate your travel details with a larger group so that everyone is on the same page.

Training presentation

A slide from the training presentation template

If you're putting together a training slideshow for your company or a personal project, this training presentation template can help you deliver engaging content. It has 12 slides, including an introductory slide, six slides to cover the training modules, a summary slide, and a final slide for the assessment and evaluation.

If your training is longer, you can modify the template by adding as many slides as needed. You can also include images, videos, and infographics to make your presentation more impactful.

Photo album presentation

A slide from the photo album presentation template

Whether it's a wedding or a birthday celebration, what better way to share photographs with your guests than through a thoughtfully put-together photo album? This photo album template is a great choice. It includes 20 slides that allow you to highlight your favorite memories in a visually appealing way.

The slides include a variety of layouts that allow for full-sized images and multiple smaller images. This album template is primarily meant for photographs. You can customize it to include videos from your special day.

The end of the template has a few text-focused slides that you can use to share stories, quotes, or details about the event. Whether you decide to make this presentation for yourself or want to share it with your friends and family, this template is an excellent way to digitize your memories.

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The best Microsoft PowerPoint templates to keep you happy, healthy, and organized

Mind map presentation.

A slide from the mind map presentation template

Mind maps are an excellent way to brainstorm, allowing you to detail your ideas visually without sticking to a specific format. You can turn a project that would otherwise include a long list of to-dos into a visually engaging web of interconnected tasks or concepts. If you want to try this method of brainstorming for a personal or professional project, a mind map template is what you need.

How to pick the best template

Choosing the right template is key to creating an effective presentation. While the right template can enhance the impact and readability of your content, the wrong one can be jarring and reduce audience engagement.

When choosing a template for your presentation, consider factors like the color scheme, the format, the graphics and imagery used, and the font style and size.

You should also assess whether the template is appropriate for the message you share through the presentation. For instance, if you're creating a business proposal, don't select a template with contrasting colors and a less formal layout. Additionally, to deliver a professional-looking presentation, maintain a consistent PowerPoint theme .

A collage of colorful PowerPoint designs organized into tidy rows

5 golden rules of PowerPoint design

february 6, 2024

A smiling woman with blonde hair, glasses, and a leopard print cardigan poses with her hands on her hips in front of an olive green background.

by Deb Ashby

Wondering how to design the perfect PowerPoint presentation? It's easier than you think–just follow five simple rules to get started:

1. Consider using templates

When building a slide deck, it’s important to maintain consistency throughout. We want to ensure we are using consistent font styles, colors and themes. This can be tricky when designing from scratch, so why not start from a template?

Microsoft Create contains hundreds of pre-made, customizable PowerPoint templates, which means you don’t have to start from scratch and the fonts and colors are already set for you.

Simply choose a template from the gallery, customize it as needed, and you are done!

Screenshots of slides in a branded PowerPoint presentation, in hues of navy, maroon, and brown.

2. No walls of text

We’ve all seen PowerPoint presentations where slides contain too much text. The human brain struggles to listen and read at the same time. If you are presenting to an audience, keep the text on slides to a minimum.

Consider employing the “5-5-5" rule. No more than 5 lines, no more than 5 words, no more than 5 minutes. Think short and sharp memory joggers instead of rambling paragraphs.

Where possible, consider replacing text with visuals to represent your point. People remember images more than words.

A minimalist, black and white PowerPoint template

3. Be mindful of colors and fonts

No one wants their audience to leave with a headache after an hour of straining to read slides. We need to ensure that our presentation is easy to read for everyone – even for those in the nosebleed seats at the back! Think about the font you are using. Is it appropriate for the presentation? What about the font size? Can people at the back easily read? What about people with visual impairment? Ensure all text is at least 24pts.

When it comes to color, ensure all slides have good contrast. Dark backgrounds should have light font and vice versa.

4. Use animation sparingly

Animation can really liven up an otherwise flat presentation. However, it should be used thoughtfully and sparingly. Too much of the wrong type of animation with objects flying in and zooming around the screen, while fun, can look confusing and unprofessional.

Animation should be subtle. With every animation you add, ask yourself, "Is this going to enhance my presentation or distract from it?"

5. Engage your audience

When presenting to an audience, there is usually an awkward time before the presentation begins while the speaker waits for everyone to arrive. During this time, people may start scrolling on their phones or get distracted with work emails, and it can be hard to pull the audience back.

To avoid this issue, work to grab your audience's attention before the presentation even starts. Instead of just having the title slide on the screen, consider creating "kiosk slides." These are a series of slides that contain a combination of interesting things for the audience to look at or engage with. Maybe you have an interesting image? A funny quote or fun facts? Or maybe there is a question you want them to think about prior to the session?

Create these slides and have them automatically cycle round before the presentation starts.

A PowerPoint presentation for a whitepaper proposal.

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Home / How to pick the best colors for your presentation slides

How to pick the best colors for your presentation slides

Want to create an eye-catching presentation? Then finding the perfect color combination is key.

Color is really important to a presentation. A great color scheme will make your slides look professional and polished. But that’s not all.

Your color scheme can also help to set the mood of your presentation and attract the attention of your audience. Colors can even influence a viewer’s perceptions and emotions .

So you want to get your presentation color scheme right!

But building a color palette doesn’t just mean picking out colors you happen to like. If you don’t have any design knowledge, choosing a winning color combination from scratch can be a real challenge.

That’s why we’ve put together the following tips on presentation color schemes. Read on to discover how to combine colors in your presentation in a way that will elevate your message and move your audience (plus a few excellent ready-to-go color combos too!).

Slides Carnival Google Slides and PowerPoint Template How to pick the best colors for your presentation Guide 2

Download our PDF guide on how to pick colors to have it always at hand.

How do colors work together?

How to create a color scheme for your presentation, pick your colors, keep colors in balance, a fourth color, use the theme color palette.

Why do some colors sit side by side harmoniously whilst others create a terrible color clash? The answer to this question lies in the color wheel .

Designers and psychologists have used the color wheel for centuries . But what is it?

Put simply, a color wheel is a circular model showing how different colors relate to one another.

Slides Carnival Google Slides and PowerPoint Template How color works Color wheel

Using the wheel, we can easily find colors that look good together. And this helps us to design attractive color schemes!

Possible color schemes fall into three different categories:

Complementary colors

These are colors that sit opposite each other on the color wheel . They are always highly contrasting. But when paired together they look incredible!

Slides Carnival Google Slides and PowerPoint Template Complementary color palettes

Triadic colors

These colors are equally spaced around the color wheel . They form an equal-sided triangle when you draw lines between them.  This kind of color scheme creates a more balanced contrast than a complementary color scheme.

Slides Carnival Google Slides and PowerPoint Template How colors combine Triadic color palettes

Analogous colors

This color scheme involves two to four colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel . Combine these shades and you get a soothing scheme, without the contrast that characterizes the previous two.

Slides Carnival Google Slides and PowerPoint Template How colors combine Analogous color palettes

Now we know how the color wheel works, it’s time to pick out a color scheme for your presentation. Bear all of the following points in mind to create a cohesive scheme that focuses, rather than confuses, your message.

1. The dominant color

Firstly, we need to pick out the dominant color for your scheme.

Whilst the black or white background of your presentation slides may feel like the most dominant hue, we can discount it. Black and white are neutral colors that combine with all other colors.

So with black and white out of the equation, what should you pick as your dominant color?

Try to do a little reading around color theory before you just plump for a color you happen to like.

Slides Carnival Google Slides and PowerPoint Template Create a palette 1 The dominant color

If you’re not restricted to a set of standard brand colors, pick a dominant color that resonates with the beliefs and values of your audience. Pick a color that reinforces your presentation topic. Or pick a color that represents your niche within the industry.

This visual language will speak to your audience on a sub-conscious (and very effective) level. Clever use of color is a great way to communicate a message without you having to say a thing!

Some presentation designers leave it there. Great designs with big impact are sometimes just based around one bold color . But if you want to move beyond a monochromatic color scheme, it’s time to pick out your secondary color.

2. The secondary color

The secondary color is the supporting actor in your color scheme. Its primary purpose is to make the dominant color look good! Analogous colors (colors that sit near to your dominant color on the wheel) make great color sidekicks.

Slides Carnival Google Slides and PowerPoint Template Create a palette 2 The secondary color

3. The accent color

Finally, we can pick an accent color. Your accent is used for emphasis, contrast, or to create rhythm within a presentation.

Revisit the color wheel to find your accent. A complementary color (one opposite the dominant color you’ve chosen) will work perfectly.

As you can probably see, accent colors are often bold and vivid. They have the potential to really overwhelm the eye, so try to use them sparingly (more on that in our next point).

Slides Carnival Google Slides and PowerPoint Template Create a palette 3 The accent color

Now you’ve chosen your colors you need to work out how you’re going to use them. You can use colors to highlight text, reinforce your information hierarchy, or brighten an otherwise boring slide.

But in order to keep your colors looking good alongside each other, you need to keep them in balance. To do this, you should try to use the 60-30-10 design rule for each of your slides.

Slides Carnival Google Slides and PowerPoint Template 60 30 10 color design rule

This means that the dominant color should account for around 60% of colorful elements on the slide. (Remember, this doesn’t mean 60% of your entire slide! Just the colorful bits.)

The secondary color should be used for 30% of colorful elements .

And the accent color should only be used for around 10% of colorful elements . This ensures it’s solely used for emphasis or contrast and isn’t allowed to dominate.

This 60-30-10 split works well because it creates a sense of balance that’s appealing to the eye. However, the rule isn’t set in stone . Breaking the rule on occasional slides can help to create impact and avoid monotony.

Sticking to just three colors is your best bet unless you’re an expert designer. Combining more than three can get tricky and you’re more likely to end up with a scheme that just doesn’t work.

But if you feel that your presentation design needs more than three colors, there’s an easy way to find one.

Try splitting your secondary color into lighter and darker tones. You could even try this process with your dominant color.

Slides Carnival Google Slides and PowerPoint Template Create a palette 4 A fourth color

But leave your accent color alone . Splitting this color will leave you with a misaligned scheme that will stand out for all the wrong reasons.  

And if you need to find those extra colors for elements like graphs and charts that fit in with your scheme, you can always try a palette picker of visually equidistant colors .

When it’s time to apply your color scheme to a presentation, use the theme color palette in either PowerPoint or Google Slides .

That way, you can adjust the colors easily and quickly , and changes will be applied to the whole of your presentation. Then, if you need to go back and tweak the scheme, you don’t have to edit design elements individually.

Slides Carnival Google Slides and PowerPoint Template How to pick the best colors for your presentation Color Wheel

If you need ready-made color palettes that work, check these 12 great color combo ideas for presentations (and a few examples of how they can be used in slides).

And remember that you can always visit the PowerPoint library or Google Slides library for deck templates and color schemes suited to any presentation situation.

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