---
name: presentation-template-guide
description: "Creates brand-aligned presentation template guidelines with slide layouts, color usage, font hierarchies, and do's and don'ts. Use when standardizing team presentations."
allowed-tools: Read Write Glob
metadata:
  author: matthewhitcham
  version: "1.0"
---

# Presentation Template Guide

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:
- Create guidelines for brand-consistent slide decks
- Design a master template system for company presentations
- Standardize pitch decks, sales decks, or internal presentations
- Brief a designer on presentation template creation

**DO NOT** use this skill for writing presentation content, creating actual slide decks, or designing individual slides. This is for template guidelines and standards.

---

## Core Principle

EVERY SLIDE SHOULD COMMUNICATE ONE IDEA IN 5 SECONDS — IF A VIEWER CANNOT GRASP THE POINT IMMEDIATELY, THE SLIDE HAS TOO MUCH ON IT.

---

## Phase 1: Brief

### Required Inputs

| Input | What to Ask | Default |
|-------|------------|---------|
| **Presentation types** | "What types of presentations does your team create? (pitch, sales, internal, training)" | Sales and internal |
| **Platform** | "Google Slides, PowerPoint, Keynote, or Canva?" | Google Slides |
| **Brand guidelines** | "Do you have brand colors, fonts, and logo?" | Must be provided |
| **Current pain points** | "What is inconsistent or frustrating about current presentations?" | Inconsistent styling |
| **Audience** | "Who views these presentations? (clients, investors, internal team)" | Mixed audiences |
| **Content types** | "What content appears most? (text, charts, images, comparisons, timelines)" | Mix of all |

**GATE: Confirm brief before proceeding.**

---

## Phase 2: Design

### Master Slide System

Define these core slide layouts:

1. **Title slide** — brand name, presentation title, date, presenter
2. **Section divider** — bold section title, minimal design
3. **Single point** — one key message with supporting visual
4. **Two-column** — comparison, before/after, or text + image
5. **Data / chart** — single chart with headline takeaway
6. **Bullet list** — 3-5 points maximum, not a wall of text
7. **Quote / testimonial** — featured quote with attribution
8. **Image full-bleed** — full-screen image with overlaid text
9. **Closing / CTA** — next steps, contact info, call to action

### Design Standards

- **Aspect ratio:** 16:9 (widescreen)
- **Margins:** Minimum 0.5-inch safe zone on all sides
- **Font sizes:** Title 36-44pt, subtitle 24-28pt, body 18-22pt, footnotes 12pt minimum
- **Maximum bullets per slide:** 5
- **Maximum words per slide:** 40 (for text-heavy slides)

**GATE: Present the slide system and standards for approval.**

---

## Phase 3: Build

### Deliverables

**1. Template Guidelines Document**
- Every master slide layout described with specifications
- Color usage rules per element (backgrounds, text, accents)
- Typography hierarchy with exact sizes and weights
- Image treatment guidelines (filters, overlays, crop ratios)

**2. Slide-by-Slide Specifications**
- Layout grid for each master slide
- Placeholder sizes and positions
- Color and font specifications per element

**3. Do's and Don'ts Guide**
With visual examples:
- DO: Use one chart per slide with a headline stating the takeaway
- DON'T: Put two charts on one slide with no interpretation
- DO: Use brand colors consistently
- DON'T: Use rainbow colors for chart data series
- DO: Leave white space
- DON'T: Fill every inch of the slide

**4. Template Handoff Checklist**
- [ ] All master slides created in the platform
- [ ] Fonts embedded or verified as available
- [ ] Color theme configured in the platform's color picker
- [ ] Sample deck created using the template
- [ ] Usage guide distributed to the team

---

## Phase 4: Polish

### Team Adoption

- Share a sample deck that demonstrates every master slide in use
- Hold a 15-minute walkthrough for the team
- Pin the template link in the team communication channel

### Review Cadence

Update the template quarterly or when brand guidelines change. Remove unused layouts and add new ones based on team feedback.

---

## Example 1: Sales Deck Template (10 slides)

Title → Problem → Solution → Features (3 slides) → Social proof → Pricing → FAQ → CTA. Clean dark background, white text, brand accent on key numbers.

## Example 2: Internal Update Template (5 slides)

Title → Key metrics → Highlights → Challenges → Next steps. Light background, minimal design, heavy on charts and data visualization.

---

## Anti-Patterns

- **Wall of text slides** — if you are reading from the slide, you are the world's most expensive teleprompter. Slides support speaking, not replace it.
- **Inconsistent fonts and colors** — one rogue slide with the wrong font undermines the entire deck's professionalism.
- **Logo on every slide** — the first and last slide are sufficient. Logos on every slide add clutter without adding brand recognition.
- **Overly complex charts** — if a chart needs 30 seconds of explanation, simplify it or split into multiple slides.
- **Template tyranny** — the template should make creation faster, not harder. If people bypass it because it is rigid, add flexibility.

---

## Recovery

- **Team ignores the template:** Ask why. Common reasons: too rigid, too hard to find, or does not cover their use cases. Adjust and simplify.
- **Brand guidelines are incomplete:** Define minimum standards (one font pair, 3 colors, logo placement) and build from there.
- **Multiple platforms in use:** Create guidelines that translate across platforms rather than platform-specific templates.
- **Presentations need custom layouts:** Allow a "custom" slide zone with brand color and font rules but flexible layout. Not every slide fits a template.
