PowerPoint Makeovers | Cheers!
Recently a friend asked me to help him update his company pitch deck.
He was launching Kapena, a Tequila brand based in Hawaii, and he knew his current deck needed a makeover before he could present it to potential investors. I love a good makeover. The deck had all the right components to work with: it was simple, not text heavy, and he had professional photos of the product. This is a designer's dream!It was full of potential, and I was eager to redesign it. The mission was to take a non-descript deck and give it the wow factor. I made some simple changes that took it to the next level.
Here's what I did:
Template
The first thing I always do when I'm working on a PowerPoint presentation is address master slides. This is where you determine colors, fonts, layout, size, etc. In Kapena’s case I matched the colors to his label, website, and photos.I matched the fonts he uses with PowerPoint friendly fonts (Book Antiqua) and embedded a fun font (Cheddar Jack) to reflect the laid-back Hawaiian vibe.I changed the deck size to ensure an accurate view on modern devices. (From 4:3 to 16:9)
Photography
Next I used full-bleed images for backgrounds to reflect Hawaii’s bright colors. Also, displaying logos in white over a simple background allows any logo’s branding to match the look and feel of the deck.Unfortunately, my friend didn’t have any photos of the Li Hing (Hawaiian plums) other than the dried ones shown on the left below. I substituted ripe plums because they're more appetizing.
Just say no to bullets in PowerPoint!
Unless you are displaying a ton of data/text on a slide, there is no reason anyone should be using bullets in their PowerPoints. Instead, create emphasis with spacing, bolding, and playing with fonts.
Let the presenter do the pitch ... not the deck
Finally, I wanted it to be as simple as possible so that the deck would be serve as a beautiful backdrop to his pitch, rather than the focus.And that’s it! By using these tools, I successfully transformed his deck into a professional selling tool that allowed potential investors to focus on the tequila.
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