How to choose a presentation template

Imagine that you have been looking for a presentation template for a long time, you chose, and finally bought it. It seemed that the presentation template would help you not to worry about the selection of fonts, colors, and styles. After all, the template already has compositional solutions, and there is a set of built-in graphics or icons.

But something went wrong, and you make your presentation even longer than from scratch because the template is crooked: colors do not change, charts cannot be edited. Most likely, you have bought a pseudo-template. It's just a presentation in which all the elements are beautiful graphics and not editable PowerPoint elements.

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Your job is to find a presentation template that makes your job easier, not more tedious.

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In this article we will tell you what questions you need to answer before clicking on the "Buy" button.

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What to look for when choosing a template in order not to buy a pseudo-template?

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1. Review the details carefully.
   Do not be lazy to look through the provided pictures and read the description for the template. Sometimes you may notice a phrase that graphics cannot be edited or that you need to download something additionally.
2. ‍Pay attention to the number of slides.
   If a template has a suspiciously large number of slides, you will most likely end up with one template duplicated in 10 different colors. Be aware that the number of slides does not mean quality.
3. Reading the review is the best way to define a pseudo-template. You can often find comments that the template cannot be edited or that PowerPoint knocks out an error. Also, look for comments on the author's other templates.
4. ‍Check slide variations.
   When you buy a template, you pay for ready-made presentation design ideas. Sometimes, you can end up with a template with almost the same slides, and you might not have enough ideas to show everything. We are for recycling, but not in slide format.
   

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The best templates are paid. In these templates, you can customize colors, charts, and design elements.

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Free templates usually have fewer slides and are poorly customizable. If you don't have the opportunity to invest in a presentation template, you can trust the official Microsoft website's templates.

Here are a few quite good resources for free and paid presentation templates:

• graphicriver.net;
• slidestore.com;
• etsy.com;
• templates.office.com.

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Templates always depend on the purpose of the presentation

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Work on a presentation starts with setting goals - present an action plan, sell a product, or show the work results.

Each goal requires its own approach, which can be reflected in the color palette, style, or layout of the presentation template.

On different resources, you can select types of templates: product presentation, pitch deck, report, company presentation. Choose the one that suits the purpose of your presentation.

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Are there enough slide options to convey your message?

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See how the text and illustrations will look in the template, whether your speech will fit this template. Perhaps you have a lot of pictures, but the template is designed for text content. Pay attention to whether other visual elements, such as gifs or videos, will fit into the layout.

Let's take a look at a presentation for investors as an example. At a minimum, you will need the following slides:

• Title slide;
• Slide about the project;
• Demonstration of the product, if there is one. It can also be a design with a phone mockup if it is a mobile application;
• Timeline for a business plan;
• Slides with tables and graphs for financial indicators;
• Slide with team members and contact details.

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Since you already know what you will talk about, check if there are all the necessary slide options in the template. The more design options there are, the better. After all, every slide that is not in the template will have to be done manually. As a result, you will waste your time and time is money.

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Here are a few templates made by The Reprezent team. Each template includes slides with team members, benefits description, various diagrams, and device mockups.

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What visual elements do you need to get things done?

Graphs and charts

If you need to display a lot of statistics and data, graphs and charts come in handy.

In a good presentation template, the color palette is customizable, and when you create a graph, it will automatically be in the colors of the presentation template.

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In a great template, all data visualizations support the same presentation style.

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Icons and illustrations

‍You will need to make separate slides for your project, even in the most thoughtful templates. That's where icons can help you, because they can be easily adapted in the template.

Some templates have built-in vector icons. Look for these templates to save time finding the right icons for your presentation style.

In addition to icons, the template may include a set of vector illustrations that will help you create cool storytelling or visualize ideas.

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Let's summarize.

You can buy a template with confidence if you:

Examined the template for quality and made sure that it suits you;

Chose a template type with the purpose of your presentation in mind;

Checked if the visual design meets your needs.

If you liked the templates in this article, you can look at them and buy them on Etsy.