Master template in PowerPoint, that is!

I can’t tell you how many PowerPoint files I work on where the creator either doesn’t understand what a master is or just totally disregards it.  It’s a pain for me because then I have a lot fo clean up work.  So, that’s why I’d like to give you some reasons as to why one should pay attention to their slide master and what benefits they can enjoy as a result:

  • More consistent colors.  You can set your color palate for the entire file in the slide master so that way you can ensure that the entire deck is using the same, red, blue, green, grey, etc.
  • More consistent fonts.  I get a lot of decks that are in Arial, Tahoma and Calibri all together.  They’re all san serif, pick one, use it the whole time.  Pick that font in your slide master, both in the “fonts menu”  and on the main page.  Save lots of time!  Have a cleaner looking deck!
  • Titles won’t jump from page to page.  The fastest way for your deck to look unprofessional is if your titles have different font sizes and are in slightly different spots on every page in your deck.    Ensure that they’re uniform!
  • Your grid.  The grid is the geometrical lay out of your page.  All left margins are in one spot, right, white space between title and text, location of columns, foot nots, page numbers, etc.  If you set your grid properly in your master slides with the various elements you use and over and over, they’ll all be in the same spot from page to page, ensuring a much more professional looking deck with less effort.

After you’ve rest your grid, don’t forget to “reset layout” to your various pages afterwards for easier clean up.  And don’t forget, everything you do in the master ripples through the entire file!  So be deliberate, be careful!

Happy designing!