Slide Design

---
name: slide-design
description: "Visual hierarchy, data visualization, and minimal text patterns for impactful presentations"
lastReviewed: 2026-04-30
---

# Skill: Slide Design Principles


> Visual hierarchy, data visualization, and minimal text patterns for impactful presentations.

## Metadata

| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| **Skill ID** | slide-design |
| **Version** | 1.0.0 |
| **Category** | Communication |
| **Difficulty** | Intermediate |
| **Prerequisites** | None |
| **Related Skills** | executive-storytelling, defense-presentation |

---

## Overview

Great slides don't display information—they **communicate insights**. This skill provides principles for designing slides that enhance (not compete with) the speaker's message.

### The Core Principle

> **Slides support the speaker. The speaker is not the slides' teleprompter.**

---

## Module 1: Visual Hierarchy

### The 3-Second Rule

Viewers should understand the slide's main point in 3 seconds.

**Test**: Show slide briefly, cover it, ask "What was the point?" If they can't answer, redesign.

### Hierarchy Elements

| Element | Purpose | Usage |
|---------|---------|-------|
| **Title** | Main takeaway | Full sentence, not label |
| **Visual** | Evidence/illustration | Center of attention |
| **Supporting text** | Clarification | Minimal, if any |
| **Source** | Credibility | Small, bottom corner |

### Z-Pattern and F-Pattern

**Z-Pattern** (for sparse slides):

```
[Title/Headline]
      ↘
[Supporting visual/data]
      ↘
[Conclusion/CTA]
```

**F-Pattern** (for text-heavy slides):

```
[Strong headline] ← First scan
[Key point 1] ← Second scan
[Key point 2]
[Supporting detail fades...]
```

### White Space

White space is not empty—it's breathing room for ideas.

| Mistake | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| Cramped margins | 10% margin on all sides minimum |
| No padding between elements | Visual grouping with space |
| Text wall | Break into digestible chunks |

---

## Module 2: The Assertion-Evidence Model

### Traditional vs. Assertion-Evidence

**Traditional** (weak):

```
Title: Q4 Sales Results
• Revenue: $2.3M
• Growth: 15%
• New customers: 47
• Retention: 92%
```

**Assertion-Evidence** (strong):

```
Title: Q4 revenue grew 15% to $2.3M—our best quarter ever
[Bar chart showing growth trend]
```

### Structure

| Component | Traditional | Assertion-Evidence |
|-----------|-------------|-------------------|
| Title | Topic label | Full-sentence claim |
| Body | Bullet points | Visual evidence |
| Cognitive load | High (decoding) | Low (supporting) |

### Application

1. Write the assertion (what you want them to believe)
2. Find/create visual evidence (chart, diagram, image)
3. Remove all unnecessary text
4. Test: Does the visual prove the assertion?

---

## Module 3: Data Visualization

### Chart Selection Guide

| Data Type | Best Chart | Avoid |
|-----------|------------|-------|
| Comparison | Bar chart | Pie (hard to compare) |
| Trend over time | Line chart | Stacked bar |
| Part of whole | Stacked bar, treemap | 3D pie |
| Relationship | Scatter plot | Bar chart |
| Distribution | Histogram, box plot | Pie chart |

### Visualization Principles

**1. Title = Insight**

- ❌ "Revenue 2020-2025"
- ✅ "Revenue doubled in 5 years"

**2. Reduce chart junk**

- Remove gridlines (or make very light)
- Remove 3D effects
- Remove unnecessary legends
- Remove borders and boxes

**3. Highlight the insight**

- Color the key data point differently
- Use annotations to point to insight
- Grey out non-essential data

**4. Simplify scales**

- Round numbers ($2.3M not $2,347,891)
- Start axis at zero (unless change is the story)
- Use consistent intervals

### Before/After Example

**Before** (cluttered):

```
[3D pie chart with 8 slices, legend on side, 
percentages on each slice, title "Q4 Breakdown"]
```

**After** (clear):

```
Title: "AI projects drove 40% of Q4 revenue"
[Simple horizontal bar chart, AI highlighted in blue,
others in grey, percentages inline]
```

---

## Module 4: Typography

### Font Guidelines

| Element | Recommendation |
|---------|---------------|
| **Font family** | Sans-serif (Calibri, Arial, Segoe UI) |
| **Title size** | 32-44pt |
| **Body size** | 24-28pt |
| **Min readable** | 18pt (even for source notes) |
| **Max fonts** | 2 (one for titles, one for body) |

### Text Rules

| Rule | Rationale |
|------|-----------|
| **No sentences in bullets** | Bullets are prompts, not scripts |
| **6 words or less per bullet** | Forces concision |
| **Max 3 bullets per slide** | Cognitive limit |
| **Left-align text** | Easier to read than centered |
| **No ALL CAPS paragraphs** | Harder to read |

### Contrast

- Dark text on light background (default)
- Light text on dark/image requires high contrast
- Test: Squint at slide—can you still read it?

---

## Module 5: Color and Images

### Color Palette

| Purpose | Color Choice |
|---------|--------------|
| **Primary** | One dominant brand color |
| **Accent** | For highlighting key data |
| **Neutral** | Greys for supporting elements |
| **Avoid** | Red/green together (colorblind) |

### The 60-30-10 Rule

- 60% primary/neutral (background, most content)
- 30% secondary (supporting elements)
- 10% accent (calls to action, key insights)

### Image Guidelines

| Do | Don't |
|----|-------|
| High resolution (1920x1080+) | Pixelated images |
| Relevant to point | Clip art |
| Full-bleed when impactful | Stretched/distorted |
| Consistent style | Stock photo clichés |

### Image Sources

| Source | Type | License |
|--------|------|---------|
| Unsplash | Photography | Free, attribution optional |
| Pexels | Photography | Free |
| Flaticon | Icons | Free with attribution |
| The Noun Project | Icons | Subscription or attribution |

---

## Module 6: Slide Types

### Title Slide

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                         │
│         [Compelling Title]              │
│         Subtitle / Context              │
│                                         │
│         Author | Date                   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

### Section Divider

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                         │
│                                         │
│           Section Title                 │
│                                         │
│                                         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

Minimal text, bold color, signals transition.

### Data Slide

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Insight as full sentence headline       │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                         │
│         [Chart/Visualization]           │
│                                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Source: Data source                     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

### Full-Image Slide

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                         │
│   [Full-bleed image]                    │
│                                         │
│         Quote or key point              │
│         (white text with shadow)        │
│                                         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

### Comparison Slide

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Comparison headline                     │
├──────────────────┬──────────────────────┤
│    Option A      │      Option B        │
│    [Visual]      │      [Visual]        │
│    Key points    │      Key points      │
└──────────────────┴──────────────────────┘
```

---

## Quick Reference

### Slide Design Checklist

- [ ] One main point per slide
- [ ] Title is a full sentence (assertion)
- [ ] Visual evidence supports assertion
- [ ] Minimal text (bullets < 6 words)
- [ ] High contrast (readable from back of room)
- [ ] Consistent font sizes
- [ ] White space for breathing room
- [ ] Source cited for data

### The "Billboard Test"

Pretend your slide is a highway billboard:

- Would someone get the point at 65 mph?
- Can they read it in 3 seconds?
- Is one thing clearly most important?

### Common Mistakes

| Mistake | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| Reading slides aloud | Slides are visual aid, not script |
| Too many animations | Simple fades, if any |
| Inconsistent styling | Use master slides/templates |
| Busy backgrounds | Solid colors or very subtle |
| Logos on every slide | Title and closing only |

---

## Activation Patterns

| Trigger | Response |
|---------|----------|
| "slide design", "presentation design" | Full skill activation |
| "data visualization", "charts" | Module 3 |
| "assertion-evidence" | Module 2 |
| "too much text", "clean up slides" | Simplification guidance |
| "defense slides", "dissertation presentation" | Link to defense-presentation skill |

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*Skill created: 2026-02-10 | Category: Communication | Status: Active*

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