If you want to step up your PowerPoint game with a professionally-designed slide deck, it may seem counterintuitive to NOT hire a graphic designer. However, there's a better approach.
Hiring a PowerPoint presentation designer is a more effective way to engage with your audience and provide relatable information in an attractive format. Generalist graphic designers typically don’t have the unique skills or knowledge to do the same, and here’s why:
It’s that simple: most graphic designers are better suited for general design projects. They might have a basic understanding of design elements and public speaking, but that doesn’t mean they have the knowledge a professional presentation designer does.
Think about it like this: would you take your broken down Tesla to the neighborhood mechanic? Although the mechanic might understand the basics of how your Tesla works, they simply couldn’t do the work you need them to.
A general designer usually delivers your presentations via InDesign, Illustrator, or a simple PDF. These software selections aren't familiar to non-designers and don't allow for easy editing or tweaking.
A professional presentation designer will use a user-friendly, presentation-specific software that will let you make changes to the final product. You won’t be locked in to using the exact files your designer sends over—you should have the freedom to make last minute changes to perfect your presentation.
Most graphic designers don’t have relevant experience to understand what kinds of presentations are appropriate for each venue. Depending on the situation, the presentation must be modified to fit the size of the group and the atmosphere of the gathering.
For example, the strategy used for a small room vs. large room, informational presentation vs investor pitch, in-person vs virtual, etc. will vary. Using an all-in-one delivery technique won't effectively relay critical information and may cause confusion or a loss of interest.
Professional presentation designers are well-versed in industry standards and knowledgeable in possible delivery methods. They will create a polished and clear message for your audience to enjoy.
The style of your presentations should be branded and consistent. You won’t be able to take the static slide deck and copy and paste new information into it because a generalist designer will likely send you an uneditable slide deck for a specific presentation that you can’t make changes to yourself. You’ll have to pay for a redesign every time you want to make a new presentation!
A professional presentation designer will set you up with adaptable templates that you can put to use over and over again. They’ll provide themes, a master, and a variety of layouts to guarantee simple presentation creation later on.
A generalist graphic designer probably won’t know how to correctly set up the master . A professional presentation designer, on the other hand, will understand how to properly build the master and all of its components: placeholders, text levels, font and color themes, footers, and all of the master layouts—a big help if you don't want to end up manually format all of your slides.
A professional PowerPoint presentation designer is an expert at developing slide decks that provide an impressive presentation. Some tools and approaches they use to craft their presentations include the following.
If you have an upcoming presentation, remember the many benefits associated with hiring a professional presentation designer. They can design the presentation you need now and in the future.
At Kristian Olson Art & Design, I work hard to create professional, on-brand presentations for all of my clients. I have over 20 years of experience in visual communication and focus exclusively on designing high-quality, contemporary presentations. Contact me to talk about what your next presentation will look like.
Ask questions. Get a quote. You know what to do.
