Most presentations are a snooze-fest: same font size, same layout, slide after slide of never-ending text. If you want people to stay engaged, your slides need contrast, rhythm, and personality. Here’s how to keep your audience hooked with simple design tricks.

1. Play with Font Size Like a Pro

Not all text should be treated equally. The main point? Make it big. The details? Keep them small. If everything is the same size, nothing stands out.

Instead of:
A slide where everything is the same size and blends together.

Try this:
Your key takeaway—massive and bold.
Supporting text—smaller, lighter, and less distracting.

2. Icons Are Your Best Friend

Walls of text? Nope. People process visuals faster than words, so let icons do some of the heavy lifting.

Quick tip:
Pair an icon with a short, clear phrase instead of a full sentence.
Use simple, clean icons to break up information.
Stick to one style—mixing random icons looks messy.

3. Contrast, Contrast, Contrast

Ever seen a slide where everything just… blends together? No contrast = no attention. Create visual interest by changing up:

Font weight (light vs. bold)
Background color (light vs. dark slides)
Text placement (centered vs. left-aligned)

4. Use Illustrations, But Keep It Cool

Illustrations can add personality, but less is more. Stick to a consistent style, and don’t overload slides with unnecessary graphics.

Good idea: A simple, clean illustration that reinforces your point.
Bad idea: A stock cartoon character pointing at words you could just read instead.

5. Keep Every Slide a Little Different

Your slides should feel cohesive but not identical. If every slide looks the same, your audience checks out.
Some slides = Full-bleed images with a short phrase.
Some slides = Bold, oversized text with no images.
Some slides = Diagrams, charts, or icon-based layouts.

Mixing things up keeps the brain engaged.

6. Master White Space (a.k.a. Let Your Slides Breathe)

The best designs don’t try to cram everything into every inch of the slide. Whitespace is confidence.

Don’t be afraid of empty space – it makes slides look premium.

Give your key message room to stand out.

The Takeaway

Great slide design isn’t about making it pretty—it’s about making it effortless to absorb. Use contrast, icons, big fonts, and variation to keep people engaged from start to finish.

Need a presentation that actually keeps attention? Let’s make it happen.