How to make PPT layout look good: the complete process from principle to operation for novices

Key points of this article

Set a set of rules (font, font size, color matching, alignment) first and then start. It saves time and is more consistent than adjusting page by page based on your feelings.
Each page only talks about one key point, and the three-level font sizes of the title, main text, and notes are widened so that readers can distinguish the priority at a glance.
The left and top edges of the text box and picture should be aligned, and the title position should remain unchanged between pages.
The color matching is controlled to one main color plus one auxiliary color. The contrast between the text color and the background should be clear enough.
After finishing, check page by page and read it from the beginning. It is much better to correct the problems before the screening than to find them on the stage.

When many people make PPT, they are used to pasting the entire text into the page, then randomly changing a few colors and adding a few pictures. As a result, the page looks full but fails to capture the key points. The problem is often not the content, but the layout. This article is written for novices who have just started making PPT. They want to know how to make ppt layout look good, but don’t want to just read a bunch of abstract principles.

After reading this article, you will know what rules to set before starting, how to arrange the content of a page neatly step by step, and how to check after finishing. The steps in the second part can be completed in OmniDoc's UniPPT slide editor, and the desktop client can be downloaded at download.omnidoc.top.

How to make ppt layout look good? One sentence conclusion

First answer in one sentence: How to make ppt typesetting look good? The key is to unify the font, font size, color matching and alignment first, and then make each page obey this set of rules, rather than adjusting each page individually. The table below gives recommended practices based on your situation.

your situation	Recommended practices	reason
The content is a report with a lot of text	Break it into headings and key points, keeping only one sentence for each item.	Readers can grasp the key points at a glance in the audience
The content is mainly data and charts	The chart is centered and enlarged, the numbers are in eye-catching colors, and the legend is placed below	Data is the protagonist, decoration takes a back seat
Need to see from a distance on screen	The text size should not be smaller than the visually comfortable size, and the title should be larger and bolder	Audiences in the back row can’t see the small print clearly
To circulate to colleagues or clients	Leave more white space on the page, have a clear title for each page, and keep colors restrained	Even when you are not present, you have to rely on the page itself to make it clear.
The company or school has a template	Just use the fonts and colors of the template and only change the content.	Unify with the overall style and save time on redesign

Before you start: Confirm these points first

Take a few minutes to determine the following things clearly before starting, and the subsequent layout will be much smoother.

Confirm purpose and audience. On-site explanations, online meetings, and group circulation have different requirements for font size and information density. On-site explanations need to be in large words and with fewer words, and circulated documents can use more explanatory text.
Confirm page count and structure. First list the titles of each page to see if the structure is clear. When the structure is unclear, layout will only make the messy content look more messy.
Confirm if there is a unified template or brand color. If the organization has a prescribed font or color, write it down first; it is more important than your personal aesthetic.
Prepare the format of the material. Try to use clear original images, and organize the text into key points first to avoid changing the content while typesetting.
Confirm whether the font is universal. Special fonts may not be displayed on other people’s computers. For official documents, it is recommended to choose common system fonts.

Steps to arrange a slide using UniPPT in OmniDoc

The following steps are performed within a UniPPT slideshow in the OmniDoc desktop client. Only do one thing at each step, and then move on to the next step after you finish it.

Open UniPPT slideshow in desktop client. Create a new slide, or import existing content, first make sure the number of pages and titles are consistent with the structure you listed.
Determine the layout framework first. Determine the approximate location of the title area, text area and footer for each page. Keep the entire set of slides in the same position so that the content will not jump when turning pages.
Set font and font size levels. Use large bold fonts for titles, followed by text, and small notes and sources. Just use two fonts for the entire set, there is no need to change fonts on each page.
Uniform color matching. Choose a main color for titles and highlights, then choose a secondary color for charts or labels, and use black, white, and gray for the rest. The contrast between text and background should be obvious, with light text on a dark background and dark text on a light background.
Check alignment and spacing. Look at the left and top edges of text boxes, pictures, and charts one by one to align elements in the same column. The spacing between similar elements should be consistent, and some should not be too close or too loose.
Simplify the text. Break long sentences of more than two lines into key points and delete modifiers that are irrelevant to the point. The amount of text on one page should be enough that the audience can read it in a few seconds.
Adjust the focus page by page. Keep only one core message per page, highlight it with bold, color, or enlargement, and relegate other content to a secondary position.
Save and read through from the beginning. After saving the file, use the show or full-screen mode to read from the first page to the last page. Pay attention to the rhythm when turning pages and whether the style of the front and rear pages is consistent.

Check each item after completion

After finishing the arrangement, don’t rush to deliver, follow the table and read it item by item.

Check items	What do you think?	What if there's a problem?
Font and font size	See if the title, text and comments are unified.	When the font size of the same level is inconsistent, it will be changed to the same value.
Alignment	See if the edges of the text and picture in the same column are aligned	Align one by one with manual fine-tuning and delete extra blank text boxes if necessary
Color matching	See if there are more than three colors and whether the text is clear on the background.	Delete the excess color and replace it with a dark or light background when the contrast is insufficient.
Text quantity	See if you can read each page in a few seconds.	Take long pieces apart, or move minor content to comments
Page to page consistency	Does the title position and style jump when turning the page?	Go back to the second step and reapply it according to the unified layout framework.
Figures and charts	Whether the figures are accurate and whether the drawings and notes and units are complete.	Check the original data item by item; the contents of the data should be checked manually

It should be noted that if the text is imported through machine translation or OCR recognition, the content may be incorrect. Be sure to check important numbers and proper nouns word for word before publishing.

# "Core comparison: typesetting or writing content first?

Many beginners struggle with whether they should finish writing before typesetting, or write and type at the same time. There are trade-offs between the two approaches, and their application and considerations are listed in the table below.

Practice	An appropriate situation	What you should pay attention to.
Finish the content before typesetting	The content has not been finalized and needs to be revised repeatedly.	It is efficient to apply rules only once in typesetting, but later changes may disrupt the layout already arranged.
Write while typesetting	The structure is clear and there are not many pages.	The style of the page is uniform from the beginning; but it is easy to spend too much time on the details
List the structure first, and then advance step by step.	With a large number of pages, it is necessary to have a clear structure and uniform style.	First list the whole structure with the main points, define the frame according to steps 1 to 3, then fill in the content, and finally refine it.

# frequently asked questions (FAQ)

1. How does ppt typesetting look good? is there any way to take effect quickly?

Yes. What works quickly is to unify the font, reduce the color category, make all the headings consistent, and then delete unnecessary text on the page. When these items are done, the page will usually be obviously neat.

2. How many PPT fonts are appropriate?

You can use one text and one title, with no more than two fonts in the full set. Too many fonts can make the page look messy and easy to replace on other people's computers.

3. How to choose the color so that it doesn't look messy?

Choose a primary color plus a secondary color, and use black, white and gray for the rest. Chart colors also try to use these two colors to avoid using one set for each chart.

4. There are too many words to put down, what should I do?

First ask yourself what is the core message of this page and keep only the content that supports it. Detailed instructions can be put into notes or attachments, not crammed into a page.

5. Arrange the version of PPT, what if the format changes after someone else opens it?

Missing fonts is a common cause. Try to use the common fonts in the system for formal delivery, read through before sending it, make sure that each page shows up normally, and then hand it over.

# Summary

How ppt typesetting looks good, the core is to set the rules, then execute them page by page, and check uniformity before delivery. According to the order of this article, even beginners can make well-structured and focused slides.

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