Your Slide Design Toolkit
Welcome to the page!
Scroll through casually or click a tab below to jump to a section.
Before the Design Process
Need to install PowerPoint or watch previous workshop sessions? Here are the links!
Building Blocks Libraries
Slide templates, fonts, images, icons; these libraries have something for everyone.
Design Principals
See what the slide experts say! Browse through guides put together by designers.
Usage Rights and Licenses
Learn what you can use and how. What should students know about attribution?
Heads Up!
The links below lead to external resources that I've personally used. Some of these resources have paid memberships or purchases. I am not affiliated to these companies; I'm just sharing the tools that work for me. Use or buy at your own discretion! Remember to be a responsible digital citizen!
Slides Carnival
This library is run single-handedly by a talented slide designer. You'll find lots of free templates here to speed up your design process. The button below takes you to one of my favorite templates in the collection. Download that template or browse through other free options. Remember to give attribution by leaving in the credits page in your slide deck!
SlidesGo
By the amazing people at FreePik, SlidesGo is a collection of free presentation templates. Each package comes with a bundle of images and icons, and many templates come with multiple colour themes. SlidesGo is all-around a wonderful resource. The link below takes you to their tips page. Remember to give attribution by leaving in the credits page in your slide deck!
Unsplash
Generous photographers all over the world graciously share their work for free. No attribution needed! Although, if you are feeling generous yourself, support the creator by giving recognition. The library is packed with professional images in various domains and the accessible license makes it a popular resource for all sorts of projects!
Canva+Google fonts
Two great fonts are not necessarily great together. If you are using Canva to design your presentation, you are in luck. Here is their guide to great Google Font combinations with compatible templates. Even if you are using a different presentation platform, this is a great article to use as a guide. Just download into your computer and use with any app.
Creative Market
Here is a high-end library of professional templates. Each template is created by an independent designer and the quality will vary. Remember to check the description to see exactly what is included in a package before deciding to purchase. Getting surprises like missing pictures isn't too fun when you are tight on a project deadline.
Freepik
Let me introduce you to my long-kept secret and favorite asset library, Freepik! I've been a free member for years, and recently purchased a paid membership. Here you'll find stunning photographs, high-quality vector images, and impressive collections. Lots of resources are free to use with attribution. Most will come with PDS, AI, and EPS file extensions for creative users.
Pixels
Here is another great media library under an accessible license. With the collection of unsplash and pixels together, you're bound to find the right image or video for your next project. Once again, attribution is not required but appreciated if you'd like to support the artist. Check out their discover page for collections and inspirations.
The Noun Project
The people at The Noun Project are on a mission to unite the world with the visual language of icons. Their collection is under a creative commons licence that lets you download for free and use with attribution, or you can purchase to support the artist and use royalty free. The Noun Project even has a PowerPoint plug-in! Drag-and-drop away!
Envato Market
Here is another attractive paid library. I've purchased some high quality template packages from here. Remember that most licenses here only allow you to use the resource for one project or client. Even if you are not looking to spend money, this is a great place to get inspiration for your own presentation theme. Browse for ideas!
Freepik Templates
Yes, FreePik one more time. This link will specifically take you to a search for presentation templates. If you have Adobe Illustrator, this is a very resourceful place to get slide templates. You can download a fully customizable bundle and use on the presentation platform of your choice. Remember images and additional icons may not be included though.
Google Fonts
Did you know fonts have usage licenses too? Conveniently, Google's collection of fonts here are open source. Use them for free with no attribution needed. Many of them can be custom edited as well. The fonts are designed for digital use; think websites and presentations. Browse this popular library for your next project.
Flaticon
If you are looking for more variety with your icons (say, colourful, detailed, mini-vectors) then Flaticon's library has you covered. You'll have to register for a free account to download packages, and need to give attribution, but the icons here will satisfy your project needs, from websites and games to presentation slides and documents.
Another Heads Up!
I'm not a design expert, but I love learning from experts and enthusiasts! These are links to external articles and course that I've learned from. I am not affiliated with these creators. If you're purchasing access to a paid resource, do so responsibly!
Graphic Design Rules
This playlist on YouTube is a comprehensive collection of beginner-friendly lessons on graphic design principals, demonstrated through entertaining and aesthetic animations. This is a resource I like to return to often to refresh up on the basics. Having the visual demonstration on colour theory, and layout were really helpful.
Seth G + HighSpark
Based on the book Really Bad PowerPoint and How to Avoid It, this slide deck not only summarizes the concepts, but creatively visualizes them too! Its entertaining to swipe through while learning about effective slide design concepts. Check out The Role of Design Thinking as well by the same slide designers.
Out of all the courses I've taken for slide design on Skillshare (an online library of courses by independent creators), this course titled Presentation Design for Smart People was the most comprehensive. The resource is only available for members. If you unsubscribe before the 7-day free trial ends, you won't be charged.
Exaltus
The humble and simple website might be a little tricky to navigate, but the author has some nuggets of gold hiding in there. Two of these notable resources are the slide decks How to style a killer deck and How to make financial presentations more exciting. While you're there, checkout some of the fun whiteboard animations too!
Still Another Heads Up..?
No, these resources are not paid, but this is where the territory of legal stuff begins. If you're at this section, you're already demonstrating responsible behavior by being curious about licensing. Good luck with venturing through the tough bite.
Licenses are hard to keep up with. TLDRLegal (Too long; didn't read) allows you to lookup popular licenses converted to one-glance summaries.