7 Eye-Popping Tricks to Make Google Slides Look Aesthetic Now

Creating an aesthetically pleasing Google Slides presentation is an art form. With the right techniques, you can transform your slides from drab to fab. Follow these 7 eye-popping tricks to give your Google Slides presentation a makeover that will wow your audience.

Key Takeaways

• Selecting the right theme sets the tone for your entire presentation. Go for something unique that fits your content.
• Varying your slide layouts keeps things interesting visually. Customize layouts to highlight key information.
• Customizing colors makes your presentation more memorable. Choose hues that fit your theme.
• Using text sparingly focuses viewers on visuals. Let images do the heavy lifting.
• Curating meaningful images enhances your presentation’s message. Select visuals purposefully.
• Animations, transitions and other effects add flair. Use them judiciously to emphasize key points.
• Aesthetics matter! A polished, professional presentation leaves a lasting impression.

Selecting a Theme

Choosing a visually appealing theme is one of the most important decisions when creating a Google Slides presentation. The theme you select sets the tone for the look and feel of your entire deck.

Rather than settling for one of the preloaded themes in Google Slides, take the time to explore theme options to find one that’s unique and fits the style of your presentation. Here are some tips for selecting a presentation theme that wows:

Go for Something Unexpected

Many presenters default to generic themes like “Corporate” or “Simple Light”. While these are clean and professional, they can also seem uninspired. Opt for something a little more unusual to make your presentation pop.

For example, if your presentation is about sustainability, rather than a standard green theme, go for something unexpected like a palette with pops of metallic or a bold, geometric pattern. This creative approach makes your presentation more memorable.

Match the Theme to Your Content

Select a theme that fits the topic and tone of your presentation. For asomber subject, avoid an overly bright or playful theme. If your content is formal, don’t choose a casual theme with lots of decorative fonts.

Make sure the theme aligns with your brand identity as well. For example, if you work for an established law firm, opt for a classic, refined theme rather than something trendy.

Use Color Purposefully

Color choice has a huge impact on the look and feel of your presentation. Certain hues evoke specific emotions and associations.

Cool tones like blues and greens promote calm and trust. Warm tones like yellows and reds spark energy and excitement. Neutrals like gray, beige and black lend sophistication.

Carefully consider the desired emotional response and choose colors accordingly. A presentation meant to motivate sales reps could benefit from an upbeat red palette, for instance.

Customize the Fonts

Don’t settle for the default fonts. Experiment with font combinations to find ones that enhance your theme.

For a modern, tech-focused presentation, try a sans serif font like Lato paired with a bold display font like Oswald. For a formal pitch deck, combine classic serif fonts like Garamond and Baskerville.

Avoid font crimes like overly decorative scripts or using too many different fonts. Limit your selections to 2-3 quality font pairings for optimal aesthetics.

Add Creative Flair

Look for small opportunities to add unique visual details that reinforce your theme. This could be a subtle geometric pattern as a background graphic or creative icons for bullets and numbers.

Well-placed illustrations are another way to infuse artistic flair. Hand-drawn doodles work for casual themes, while more refined illustrations pair well with formal themes.

With the right thematic details, your presentation rises above generic themes to something truly special. Don’t be afraid to get creative!

Varying Slide Layouts

While a consistent theme creates cohesion across your presentation, varying the layout from slide to slide adds visual interest to keep viewers engaged.

Sticking to the same slide layout each time quickly becomes mind-numbing for the audience. Changing the layout highlights different types of information and directs focus where you want it.

Use Layouts Purposefully

Each slide layout has a specific use case. Select layouts deliberately to enhance your content.

For example, use:

• Title and text layouts for most standard slides
• Title and picture layouts to showcase visuals
• Sections and columns to compare information
• Quotes and conversational layouts to feature testimonials

Customize the Layouts

Tweaking the placeholder elements in a layout allows you to put your own spin on it.

Change the size, color, position and style of the title, text boxes, pictures and other elements. Consistency is key, though – customize layouts in a uniform way.

For example, you could:

• Increase title text size for more impact
• Style all photo placeholders with the same border
• Rearrange sections from vertical to horizontal

These kinds of customizations add interest within the framework of your chosen theme.

Highlight Key Points Visually

Use layouts strategically to draw attention to your main points. Place key headings in larger title text boxes toward the top for emphasis.

Spotlight important figures or concepts by giving them their own sections in a columns layout. Set key dates apart in a timeline graphic using the title and content layout.

Guiding the viewer’s eyes directly to your most critical information ensures key points are retained.

Avoid Information Overload

Be selective about which information to present in detailed layouts with lots of text and graphics. Use simpler title and text layouts for most slides to avoid looking cluttered.

Reserve the busier slide layouts for just the most crucial data or comparisons, where it warrants breaking things down extensively. The simpler your slides, the greater impact your key details will have.

Customizing Colors

Google Slides makes it easy to put your own spin on the theme’s color palette by customizing the colors for various elements. Strategic color choices can make a memorable impact.

Choose Colors with Purpose

Don’t just accept the default colors. Make conscious choices about which hues to apply to titles, text, backgrounds, etc.

Consider the meaning certain colors convey. Green and blue suggest trustworthiness, so they work for presentations trying to establish credibility. Red conjures urgency and passion.

Use colors to focus viewers on key text, create contrast between elements, or categorize related information through color-coding.

Use Palettes Creatively

Apply colors in interesting combinations, not just to single elements. For example, use a soft palette of all pastels or bold brights together. Or pair complementary colors like orange and blue.

Create visual intrigue by varying shades of a single hue. Try light, medium and dark blues or bright, muted and metallic greens together.

Establish a Color Hierarchy

Use color to distinguish the hierarchy across text, shapes, sections and other elements. For instance:

• Dark saturated hues for titles
• Bright accent colors for headings
• Soft muted tones for body text
• Pastels for backgrounds

This provides clear visual cues about the order of importance across the information presented.

Pick Colors Strategically

Be intentional about which colors go where. For example:

• Use brand colors prominently to reinforce company identity
• Apply red judiciously to emphasize key data
• Set important figures apart with a different text color

Purposeful color choices like these amplify your message and focus the viewer’s attention.

Check for Accessibility

Make sure color selections meet minimum color contrast ratios for visually impaired viewers. Tools like WebAIM’s color contrast checker help identify any problematic pairings.

Choosing colors creatively doesn’t mean sacrificing accessibility. With strategic combinations, you can have both visual impact and accessibility.

Using Text Sparingly

Resist the temptation to fill every slide with long paragraphs of text. Reading heavy slides quickly disengages audiences. Use text sparingly to allow visuals to take center stage.

Text Should Complement Visuals

Text overload obscures your key messages and impactful visuals. Ask yourself: does this text enhance the accompanying photo, chart or diagram? If not, cut it.

When text and visuals work in harmony – with images conveying most information and minimal text providing context – retention improves.

Visually Highlight Key Text

To ensure viewers notice must-read text, make it pop visually. Use text boxes, different colors and larger fonts to spotlight critical verbiage.

Surround key sentences with ample white space instead of cramming slides with paragraphs. This draws eyes directly to the most meaningful words.

Use Lists and Short Sentences

Break up long blocks of text with easy-to-scan lists using bullet points, numbers or icons.

Chop paragraphs into pointed sentences of just 1-2 lines each. This prevents intimidating walls of text and boosts comprehension.

Make Text Support the Narrative

Every word should serve a purpose in moving your story or message forward. If a text block doesn’t connect to your narrative flow, scrap it.

As a test, cover up text sections – if the storyline still makes sense without them, they aren’t needed. Ruthlessly cut superfluous verbiage.

The less you rely on heavy text, the more impactful your chosen words become. Use them strategically to articulate key ideas while letting visuals do the legwork.

Selecting Images to Enhance Meaning

Well-selected images create visual interest while conveying key information. Avoid generic stock photos that distract. Curate meaningful pictures purposefully chosen to enrich your message visually.

Pick Images that Tell a Story

Images that just take up space fade into the background. Choose ones that visually amplify your story and breathe life into your message.

For a presentation about charitable work abroad, use photos of real aid recipients, not models. Show don’t tell through visuals that illustrate your narrative.

Use Charts and Diagrams to Simplify Concepts

Complex ideas become more digestible with the right accompanying visual allegory.

For abstract concepts, inject creativity – represent stages of a process as a winding journey, or different states as locations on a map.

Turn dense data into intuitive charts and graphs. Visualizing simplifies statistics that may otherwise go over heads.

Make sure Images Align with Brand Values

Don’t undermine your message with inconsistent visuals. A nonprofit promoting sustainability should avoid pictures with disposable plastic.

Images that feel at odds with your brand identity, topic or angle come off as inauthentic and disjointed. Consistency breeds trust.

Customize Images Purposefully

Make images your own by modifying them to suit your presentation’s style. Add color tints, crop creatively, overlay text or apply other unique treatments.

Personalize photos by using shapes or filters to focus on a key focal point. This blends the visuals with your theme while highlighting the most relevant details.

Careful image selection and customization transforms your Google Slides from a sea of generic visuals into a purposefully curated visual story.

Adding Cool Effects

Subtle animations, transitions and other effects add a touch of visual magic to your presentation. They can make static slides come to life with movement and energy. But use effects judiciously – less is often more when it comes to enhancing, not overwhelming, your content.

Animating Key Elements

Animations engage viewers by creating dynamic movement within a static slide.

For example, have bullet points fly in one-by-one as you discuss them. Or have images zoom in from a tiny size for dramatic effect.

Reserve animations for your most important content to underscore key ideas and transitions. Simple, elegant motions are best – no dizzying gyrations.

Choosing Transitions Thoughtfully

Transitions between slides should complement your flow, not distract. Fancy slide-in slide-out effects feel gimmicky.

Subtle fades or wipes work well for most presentations. Save dramatic transitions like explosions for making an important point or concluding a section.

Integrating Interactive Elements

Occasional interactive elements like clicking to reveal information keep audiences leaning forward. But don’t overdo it.

Simple examples are clicking an image to zoom or tabs to toggle between views. Use interactives strategically, no more than a couple per presentation.

Applying Thematic Details

Well-designed icons, shapes, illustrations, and color accents tailored to your theme enhance your slides without overpowering them.

For example, integrate:

• Custom icons that tie back to your brand identity
• Hand-drawn doodles and illustrations relevant to your content
• Decorative geometric shapes and graphic elements in your theme’s color palette

Such thematic accents elevate your presentation visually when used consistently.

Checking Presentation Flow

Review your entire deck with effects applied to ensure your animations and transitions enhance, rather than disrupt, the narrative flow from slide to slide.

Adjust the sequence, duration or triggers of effects that seem jarring or distracting. Well-orchestrated effects should move in harmony with your content.

When used judiciously, subtle effects can work magic. But overdoing them can undermine your material. Stick to simple, elegant enhancements tailored to your theme.

Recap

To recap, make your Google Slides presentation pop aesthetically with these eye-catching tricks:

• Select a Unique Theme: Choose a creative theme that matches your content, brand and tone.
• Vary Layouts Purposefully: Tailor slide layouts to highlight key information.
• Customize Colors: Use colors strategically to create visual interest and focal points.
• Use Text Concisely: Let visuals take the lead while text provides minimal support.
• Curate Meaningful Images: Select pictures that enrich your message and align to your brand.
• Add Subtle Effects: Use animations, transitions and interactivity to delicately enhance your narrative flow.
• Focus on Aesthetics: A polished presentation gets your message across memorably and impactfully.

With a visually engaging, on-theme presentation that displays your content attractively, your message will shine through. A few purposeful design choices make all the difference between a generic deck and an eye-catching work of slide art.

These seven tricks provide a roadmap to create Google Slides presentations with aesthetic appeal. So what are you waiting for? Grab the digital scissors and construction paper and start crafting a memorable, masterfully designed slideshow!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I select a unique theme for my Google Slides presentation?

A: Choose a theme that fits the presentation’s content and tone. Customize the theme’s colors and fonts to match the presentation’s theme.

Q: Why is it important to vary slide layouts in a Google Slides presentation?

A: Varying slide layouts keeps the presentation interesting and engaging. It also helps to emphasize important points and break up long sections of text.

Q: How do I customize colors in my Google Slides presentation?

A: Choose a color scheme that fits the presentation’s theme. Customize the colors of individual elements, such as text boxes and shapes.

Q: Why should I use text sparingly in my Google Slides presentation?

A: Using too much text can make the presentation boring and hard to read. Using images and other visual aids can help to convey information more effectively.

Q: How do I select images that enhance the meaning of my Google Slides presentation?

A: Choose images that are relevant to the presentation’s content. Customize the images to fit the presentation’s theme and color scheme.

Q: What are some cool effects I can add to my Google Slides presentation?

A: Animations and transitions can add visual interest to the presentation. Other effects, such as drop shadows and reflections, can make elements stand out.

Q: How do I make my Google Slides presentation stand out?

A: Use a unique theme and customize the colors and fonts. Vary slide layouts and use images and other visual aids to convey information. Add cool effects, such as animations and transitions.

Q: How do I make my Google Slides presentation look professional?

A: Use a consistent theme and color scheme throughout the presentation. Use high-quality images and other visual aids. Keep text to a minimum and use images to convey information. Add cool effects, such as animations and transitions, to make the presentation stand out.

Q: Can I use premade templates for my Google Slides presentation?

A: Yes, premade templates can be a great starting point for designing a professional-looking presentation. Customize the template to fit the presentation’s content and theme.

Q: How do I ensure that my Google Slides presentation is visually appealing?

A: Use a consistent theme and color scheme throughout the presentation. Vary slide layouts and use images and other visual aids to convey information. Add cool effects, such as animations and transitions, to make the presentation stand out.