- Slide presentations can be fab or drab
depending on a few simple design elements.
Fab ones can help strengthen
the ideas being presented,
while drab ones can leave
an audience feeling uninspired and confused,
and no one wants that,
least of all your audience.
Hi, I'm Andy and I'm the design lead
for presentations at Canva.
In this tutorial, I'll show you templates
that are undeniably fab
and easy to customize
along with the elements creators have used
to create such eye-catching designs.
But first, I'll start by showing you
just how easy it is to access all
of Canvas free and pro user templates.
Just type presentations into the search bar like this
and a whole range of designs will appear.
If they have a crown symbol,
it means they are only for pro users,
but all the rest are free.
If you're starting out,
take your time to scroll through the selection
and don't worry if there's no obvious choice,
it's just a matter of figuring out
which template is best suited
to the style and mood of your presentation.
To see what I mean,
let's take a look at some of my favorite templates
and categorize them by style.
Even though the designs are quite different,
some of them convey
a similar mood or message.
I'd say these ones are fun and playful
while these ones have a more corporate feel.
Let's start with the more playful ones.
Playful designs are great for introducing
a vibrant person, product, or brand.
They're also commonly used
to present educational concepts
because they're warm and inviting.
Despite being distinctly different,
each of these designs feel fun and playful.
This has been achieved
by using bright colors
and the elements that look handmade.
In this design, the creator has used
a handwritten font and torn paper edges.
It looks a bit like the page of a journal
which makes it feel personal and friendly.
The doodles and illustrations help
further engage the audience
adding energy to the layouts.
You'll notice on this slide design,
we've actually got some information
that you might find helpful.
The 20/30 rule, have you heard of it?
The 20/30 rule is basically this,
limit your slides to a maximum of 20
and don't talk for longer than 20 minutes.
Make it snappy to keep attention.
And keep your font size to a minimum of 30.
Keep it large to focus
on the most important ideas.
Remember, the audience should listen to you,
not read a novel.
Polka dots and other bright geometric shapes
have been used in this design
to give a sense of fun and freshness.
The monochrome polka dot background helps
the content jump off the page,
giving the presentation a strong, recognizable identity.
I love how they've used the iPhone frame as well.
Search through frames in the elements tab
and you'll find a range from desktop computers
to alphabets that you can insert images into.
There are thousands.
Finally, I'm loving the use of circular shapes here.
It references the polka dots
but also softens some of
the more rectangular frames.
And this designs fun look has been achieved
with vintage fonts, pastel tones, and youthful imagery.
The creator has used colors
like pastel pink, orange, and turquoise,
as well as floral illustrations plus a bold Sara font.
It's super important to use imagery
that has the same color scheme
of your design elements.
It creates cohesion across
the whole brand and presentation.
If you're starting with images first,
then you can scroll down in the color menu
and Canva will create a palette
from the prominent tones in the photos.
Smart, huh?
Now let's look at a design
with a more corporate feel.
The first thing that says corporate to me
is the use of color.
Both designs have chosen a primary color
and a monochrome palette.
The blue tones are subtle and calming
which invite the audience to focus on
the information being presented.
Compared to the previous design,
you can see how the mood has changed
from playful to professional.
Corporate designs like this
are best suited to audiences
who simply want the facts.
Think professional services like architects,
accountants, engineers, and lawyers.
While they may appreciate great design,
what they're really interested in
is the content within it.
First up, I wanna talk about this design
because I like how the creator
has used a stock image for the background.
It's subtle, but very effective
because it adds depth and dimension.
Let me show you how easy it is
to achieve this look.
Start by selecting a stock image
that aligns with the idea of the presentation.
Here, a creator chose a geometric pattern
that could symbolize building and construction.
They've selected the image
and dragged it onto a background color.
Next, they've adjusted the transparency
so the image is less dominant
and the background color can come through.
It's effective, isn't it?
There's also a nice use
of background remover here too.
It's a pro feature
but it's super powerful and so easy to use.
Just grab an image,
hit the "Edit" button, select background remover,
and it's bye-bye background.
Stock images have also been used in this design
to help tell a story of a travel agency.
The sky immediately makes you think
of travel without saying anything.
Using arrows is another trick
to get the audience to look at something
without using a word.
Once again, the arrows are subtle
but they direct the audience's eye around the page.
Arrows also create a sense of movement,
which align so well with the brand identity
of a travel agency.
Here, we have a couple of modern
and futuristic looking designs.
Both have used thick Sansara fonts,
included pops of neon among muted colors.
Modern designs are excellent
for communicating future company goals and projections.
They also align well with presentations
about innovation and technology.
This design in particular
gives the impression it's about technology
because of the glitch effect made
using different lines and shapes.
You can see how the creator uses it
through the presentation to create consistency
and highlight different elements on the page.
They've even used the same color to create a graph
which brings me to my next point.
Graphs and infographics are great
for showcasing information in a way
that's easy to read.
On Canva, there's a graph maker
which allows you to make
all kinds of graphs and charts.
You can see the pie graph in this design.
Going back to the other modern design,
you can see it includes a bar graph
as well as a basic timeline and flow chart.
Another great feature in this design
is its use of borders.
See how the creator has used borders
and rounded elements throughout?
This design trick helps create a visual hierarchy
and draws the audience's attention to key information.
The final design I wanna show you
is what I describe as classic or elegant.
This is largely because of its simplicity.
Everything is straight and clean
with only one color used
outside of gray scale.
It also features simple imagery
that speaks to the natural aesthetic of the brand.
Elegant designs like this symbolize beauty and simplicity
so they are great for luxury goods and services,
think day spa's, resort wear, and face products.
That said, simple designs like this
can be used whenever you wanna let
the info speak for itself.
Hopefully now you feel more equipped
to create a presentation design
that communicates the style
and mood you're after.
Remember, if you're struggling
to make something from scratch,
there are plenty of templates on Canva
to help you get started.
Speaking of templates, I've got one more thing
that I want to show you before you go.
See this little picture?
That indicates it's been designed
by one of our Canva creators.
When you click on the picture,
it'll take you to their profile
where you can see all their designs.
If you love their style,
you can even follow them and get notifications
when they publish new templates.
Let me know in the comments
which template or style you like best,
and subscribe to our channel to be notified
when a new video like this drops
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