PowerPoint Presentation

10 Tips for creating perfect templates

Your guide to create perfect templates

▪ This document will explain the most important settings and provide tips for the perfect

PowerPoint template.

▪ Begin by opening an existing or new PowerPoint template.

▪ Many of the recommended steps are required to be performed in Slide Master view.

This will always be pointed out at the beginning of each tip.

▪ To open Slide Master view, please to the following:

▪ You may leave Slide Master view at any time by clicking here:

Set up color scheme

1

Set up color scheme

▪ Click here to adjust the color scheme of your template:

//

/

The color scheme adapts all elements to your cd.

▪ Enter the RGB values for 12 colors.

▪ The first 4 colors apply to text and background colors.

▪ As from color 5 the colors apply to charts and tables (please

refer to the preview on the left).

▪ Colors 11 and 12 (Hyperlinks) are not visible in the color picker

as they are only used for links.

▪ Unfortunately, the automatic color of PPT is unable to be

changed.

Set up color scheme

Adjust colors Tips

Set up chart templates

2

Set up chart templates

Create charts with all settings

▪ Close Slide Master view and adjust the chart you wish to save as a template. If you do

not have a chart in your presentation, create one as usual.

▪ Select the desired chart and click here:

▪ In a final step, please provide a name for your chart.

▪ This procedure can, of course, be repeated for as many chart types as required.

▪ Do the following to create a new chart with your template: ▪ If you wish to adapt an existing template, simply right-click

your chart and select the desired chart from your templates:

Using chart templates

New from template Adapting existing templates

Defining layouts

3

▪ Change to Slide Master view.

▪ It is best to delete all layouts you no longer need.

▪ Now set up new layouts

Defining layouts

///

Differentiate content from design with good layouts

Defining layouts

▪ A master always consists of what is known as a slide master as well as its layouts

(indicated as indented slides).

▪ Always begin formatting the slide master first (top slide), as all changes to title, content

and footer placeholders will then be applied to the connected layouts.

▪ You can then overwrite the “rules” set in the slide master when adapting the individual

layouts, should they require different formatting.

///

Structure of a Master

Defining layouts

▪ We recommend you use no more than 2-3 placeholders: “Content” (able to display all

kinds of content), “Picture” (to perfectly insert images) and, optionally, “Media” for

videos.

//

/

Using placeholders

IMPORTANT:

If possible, avoid using text placeholders, as they

can often lead to undesired changes to formatting

that are difficult to deal with.

Defining layouts

▪ The title placeholder as well as the footer can be displayed by clicking a checkbox.

▪ If you wish to display or hide background graphics of the main layout, your can also do

so by clicking the checkbox on the right.

//

/

Title and Backgrounds

Setting guide lines

4

▪ Simply right-click a slide and select the following: ▪ Move the guide lines to the desired position with the mouse:

▪ If you require more lines, click an existing line and move it

slightly while holding Ctrl (or Strg). Release the mouse button.

A further guide line has been inserted without repositioning

the old line.

▪ Should you want to remove a line, simply click it and move it

out of the range of the slide.

▪ To place a guide line at an exact location you can hold the Alt

button to move it more accurately.

Display guide lines

Display Setting

Setting standard elements

5

Defining standard elements

///

TEXT BOX

///

DEFAULT SHAPE

LINE

Default Shape

Selecting aspect ratio

6

Which aspect ratio is right for you?

Choosing the correct aspect ratio

///

Try to anticipate which medium will prmarily be used to display presentations. If you are unsure you can always create two master

templates.

Older monitors and

projectors (4:3)

4

3

DIN A4 (14:10)

29,7

21

Plasma and LCD monitors (16:9)

16

9

▪ Change to Slide Master view and click here:

▪ Select the desired aspect ratio:

Setting the aspect ratio

Setting the language

7

▪ Change to Slide Master view and select the placeholders of all layouts. Afterward, click

on the language in the bottom left (typically this would be either English or German):

//

/

ensure the correct review of your language

Provide a slide collection

8

Create professional templates

Slide collection

Flags

Timeline

Process

Pyramid

Project Plan

Eye Catcher

Cluster

SWOT-Chart

Maps

Funnel

Pro & Con

Organigrams

Icons

Step

Action Box

Traffic Light

S W

O T

+ –

1990 2000 2010 2020

▪ Create a separate PowerPoint file based on your new master template and create as many slide templates as required.

▪ Click here to display them on the right:

Insert a slide group

///

Easily include slide in PowerPoint

Create a style guide

9

Create a style guide

▪ In a PowerPoint presentation describe the most important functions of PowerPoint and

your template.

▪ Typically, the following is included:

– General rules (e.g. all slides contain an action title, headers are only as short as a

single line, etc.)

– Skillful use of layouts

– Footer settings

– Use of chart templates

– Turning on guide lines

▪ Do the following to change the footer‘s presentation title, date, and slide number:

▪ Click on the “Insert“ tab > ”Header & Footer”

▪ Set the create date: do not have it

update automatically!

▪ Click “Apply to All”

▪ Footer and references

▪ This is displayed in a separate text

placeholder

Formatting the footer

Template distribution

10

▪ In order to open your new template upon each startup of

PowerPoint, please do the following:

▪ Save the completed template with the following filename:

blank.potx (the correct notation is essential!)

▪ Go to the Windows Explorer.

▪ Enter the following into the address bar, then press Enter:

%AppData%\Microsoft\Templates

▪ Insert the blank.potx file into this folder (you may need to

overwrite the existing file).

▪ From now on your template will be opened every time

PowerPoint is started.

▪ In order for your colleagues to access your templates and

charts it is advisable to contact your IT (for smaller companies

a short instruction together with the required files should

suffice).

▪ Your chart templates are saved in this location:

%AppData%\Microsoft\Templates\Charts

▪ Insert all the files, incl. Your Blank.potx file and make them

available to your colleagues.

▪ Via software distribution your IT has the ability to share your

charts to all computers at a push of a button.

Distributing templates

Template upon startup Central distribution

Contact

We gladly support you in all aspects regarding PowerPoint:

▪ Creating templates

▪ Template design

▪ Creating slide collections

▪ Development of style guides

▪ Supply of our CSM software empower

Phone: +49 221 99 37 85 77

Email: empo[email protected]