Presentation Design
Visual design guidance for bold, minimal presentations optimized for live presenting.
Core Style
Theme: Dark-first, high contrast, minimal (light mode supported) Feel: Modern, confident, tech-forward
Typography Hierarchy
Impact comes from scale, not weight. Use light/regular weights (400-600) at massive sizes.
Text Contrast Hierarchy
Use 4 levels of contrast to create depth:
Section Colors
Each major section of a presentation gets its own accent color. This reinforces structure and helps the audience track where they are.
Section colors appear in: section labels, gradient backgrounds, progress bars, and accent elements.
Layout Patterns
Full Statement (most common)
Big Statement (maximum impact)
Split Layout
Section Divider (with gradient)
Code Slide
Data/Metrics
People/Photos Grid
Slide Type → Layout Mapping
Embedded Content
Slides can embed rich media alongside headlines:
- Code blocks — syntax-highlighted, dark surface background
- Terminal output — monospace with ANSI color support
- Tweet cards — styled quote cards with avatar and attribution
- Video previews — thumbnail with play button
- Article previews — link cards with title and description
Visual Elements
- Section labels: Top-left, uppercase, section color
- Progress bar: Bottom edge, section color, thin (3px)
- References: Bottom footer with clickable URLs
- Gradients: Aurora-style background effects using section color
- Icons: Simple line icons, white or accent color, used sparingly
Things to Avoid
- Dense paragraphs of text
- More than 4-5 bullet points
- Clip art or stock imagery
- Heavy font weights for headlines (use scale instead)
- Multiple competing focal points
- Animation for animation's sake

