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Creating a presentation in Google Slides is easy, but making it look good takes some know-how. We’ve all been there—working on a project that looks functional but lacks the flair to grab attention. With a few clever techniques, it’s easy to transform bland, predictable slides into visually engaging presentations that not only capture but hold your audience’s interest.
1Use a Professional Template
Creating an attractive presentation from scratch in Google Slides might end up taking hours. When I’m pressed for time or not up to the task, Idownload a Google Slides templateand tweak it to fit my presentation.
Templates are time-savers since they already have consistent formatting and elements like images, transitions, and animations baked in.
I usually get templates from websites likeSlides Go,Slides Carnival, andPresentationGo. These sites have a variety of templates that suit many scenarios, whether it’s education, business, events, marketing, or any other purpose.
2Add a Fullscreen Background Image
Instead of having a bland white background, I sometimes like to include a picture in the background and have it cover the whole slide. Doing this instantly creates a cohesive theme and makes the presentation more immersive and engaging.
If the picture doesn’t work for the whole presentation, I at least ensure the title page has one to engage audiences from the start.
To do this, after inserting the picture, select it and clickArrange > Order > Send to backin the menu to bring the text to the front.
Then, right-click it and selectFormat Optionsin the menu. In the panel on the right, expand theAdjustmentssection and tweakBrightnessandContrastto make the text more visible.
For instance, if I want to use white text and the image is light, I decrease the brightness and increase the contrast until I can see the words clearly.
3Layout Is Key
Before I dive deeper into designing the slide, I pick a layout to use throughout the presentation to keep things consistent. If the content isn’t laid out well or is all over the place, the other design choices don’t matter.
Since Google Slides has some great pre-made layouts, I don’t waste time on creating custom layouts. To pick one, select the slide in the left panel, clickSlide > Apply Layout,and then select the layout in the flyout menu.
4Create a Color Palette and Stick With It
You needknowledge of color theoryto create great color palettes. Alternatively, you can save time byusing a color palette generator. These generators use the power of AI to create visually appealing color palettes.
Ensure the color palettes you create work with the theme of your presentation. For instance, a presentation about nature works well with earthly and grounded colors, such as forest green, brown, and beige.
Once your colors are ready, add them to the presentation’s theme. To do that, select a slide, clickSlide > Edit themein the top menu, and then clickColorsin the toolbar at the top.
In theTheme colorspanel on the right, click theChoose a theme colordropdown and select the theme color you want to change (e.g.,Text and background 1,Accent 1, orLink).
Afterward, enter the Hex code or RGB value of the custom color from the palette. Do this for all the necessary colors in your palette until you have a good color scheme.
You can see a preview of how it looks in the editing area of the slide on the right.
When you create new slides and insert content, things like text, the background, and links will automatically adopt your color scheme.
5Pick the Right Font
Just like colors, there is a lot of theory that goes behindpicking a font. But it is generally a good rule to choose one or two fonts.
The fonts you pick depend on the presentation. For instance, if it’s a professional presentation, fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Helvetica work best, as they are readable, clean, and modern-looking. Fonts like Comic Sans, Lobster, or Pacifico work best for fun presentations.
6Add Transition and Animations
I also like adding transitions and animations to make my presentations more dynamic and engaging. Toadd a transition in Google Slides, right-click a slide in the left panel and selectTransitionin the menu.
In the panel on the right, click the down arrow next toNonein theSlide Transitionsection. Then, click the dropdown and select a transition (e.g.,Dissolve,Fade in, orSlide from left).
If you want all slides to have the same transition, clickApply to all slides.
You can also add various animations to objects (e.g., text, images, and shapes) within the slide. To do that, right-click the object and selectAnimatein the menu. In theObject Animationssection of the panel on the right, you will see two dropdowns.
The top dropdown isAnimation type, and it lets you choose how the elements move in and out of the slide. You have options likeAppear,Fade in,Fly in from left,Zoom in, andSpin.
The bottom dropdown isStart condition, and it lets you set what triggers the animation. The options areOn click,After previous, andWith previous.
You can animate as many objects as you want and add more than one animation to an object.
ClickPlayto preview the transition and animations.
7Add Images, Music, Videos, and GIFs
Adding the right media can bring your presentation to life, hold the audience’s attention, and reinforce your message. Fortunately, Google Slides allows you to add several types, including the following:
To add these, click “Insert” at the top and choose the media you want—Image(which includes GIFs),Audio, andVideo.
You can alsogenerate images in Google Slides with Gemini.
8Keep It Minimal
Designing a presentation can be fun, but I always remind myself not to go overboard. I stick to simplicity as much as I can to eliminate visual noise and make the content stand out.
Here are a few things I keep in mind when designing so I keep the presentation clean and professional:
While Google Slides offers many more features, these tips represent the easiest ways to quickly make an eye-catching presentation. By implementing even a few of these strategies, you’ll create presentations that captivate your audience and effectively convey your message.
