---
type: Production Concept
title: Presentation Deck
description: Commercial PPT and slide-deck design: decision path, narrative, slide claims, data charts, brand/master consistency, accessibility, and stable delivery.
tags: [presentation, ppt, powerpoint, slides, deck, commercial-communication]
---

# Purpose

Use this concept when designing or auditing a business presentation, PowerPoint deck, Google Slides deck, Keynote deck, investor/pitch deck, board deck, executive report, training deck, or slide template.

"Fortune 500-grade" is an operational analogy, not an official standard. Treat it as large-company commercial communication: business judgment, structured expression, visualized evidence, brand consistency, and stable delivery.

# Decision Path

A commercial deck should make the right audience understand the key judgment, trust the evidence, and take the intended action quickly.

Before slides, answer:

- Who is the audience?
- What do they currently believe?
- What should they believe after the deck?
- What evidence changes their judgment?
- What action, decision, approval, or next step should follow?

# Density Modes

- Live presentation: fewer words, larger type, strong rhythm, speaker notes carry detail.
- Read-alone/email deck: enough explanation, annotations, sources, and logical continuity to stand without narration.
- Executive/board deck: conclusion, options, risks, decision request, numbers, assumptions, and appendix.
- Sales/pitch deck: pain, value, proof, differentiation, objection handling, and clear CTA.
- Training deck: steps, examples, exercises, checks, and recap.
- Internal execution deck: owners, timeline, dependencies, decisions, and action list.

# Narrative Structures

Choose one spine:

- Pyramid: conclusion, reasons, data evidence.
- SCQA: situation, complication, question, answer.
- What-So What-Now What: observation, meaning, next action.
- 5W1H: who, what, when, where, why, how.
- AIDA: attention, interest, desire, action.

For executive decks, a common sequence is executive summary, context, core problem, analysis, options, recommendation, risks, decision request, appendix.

# Slide Claim Model

Each slide should have:

- Claim: conclusion or decision-relevant message.
- Evidence: data, case, comparison, diagram, image, or fact.
- Action: implication, decision request, next step, or reason the slide exists.

Prefer conclusion/action titles over topic titles. A title-only skim should tell the deck's story.

# Visual System

- Use one primary focal point per slide.
- Use CRAP plus hierarchy: contrast, repetition, alignment, proximity, and reading order.
- Keep recurring positions for title, footer, source, logo, page number, and section markers.
- Build around a grid: 2 columns for image/text, 3 columns for options, 4 columns for metric cards, 12 columns for dense business pages.
- Match type scale to mode: live slides larger and lighter; read-alone decks denser but still scannable.
- Keep fonts to the brand system or 2-3 deliverable-safe families, and confirm font rights for external decks.
- Use brand colors first; use emphasis color sparingly for the decision-critical number, risk, or action.

# Data And Evidence

- Select chart type from the business question: comparison, trend, composition, relationship, distribution, process, or funnel.
- Write chart titles as insight claims.
- Remove 3D, heavy shadows, gradients, and noisy gridlines.
- Direct-label key values when useful.
- Show unit, period, source, assumptions, and methodology when credibility depends on them.
- Avoid misleading axes, excessive dual axes, crowded pie charts, and inconsistent cross-slide measurement basis.

# Master, Brand, And Delivery

- Use or create a slide master for cover, table of contents, section divider, standard content, data/chart, comparison, timeline, conclusion, and appendix layouts when the deck is reusable or business-critical.
- Preserve logo placement, brand colors, typography, footer, page number, confidentiality label, and chart palette.
- Deliver the right package: editable PPTX, PDF/frozen version, notes or script version, appendix, data source files, asset/license notes, and approval record when needed.
- Confirm or flag font embedding, font licensing, image/icon rights, confidential data, financial measurement basis, legal claims, and external-sharing permissions.

# Accessibility

- Give each slide a unique descriptive title.
- Set reading order for titles, content, charts, and notes.
- Add alt text for meaningful images, charts, shapes, and media; mark decoration as decorative.
- Use sufficient contrast; WCAG contrast is a useful reference for shared screens and exported PDFs.
- Do not rely on color alone for chart meaning, risk, or status.
- Avoid complex tables unless required; use headers and clear structure when tables remain.

# AI Boundary

AI can accelerate outline, title rewriting, slide structure, chart suggestions, copy tightening, and speaker notes. AI must not replace data verification, business judgment, financial measurement basis, legal review, confidentiality decisions, brand approval, or asset licensing checks.

# Done Check

The deck is commercial-grade when the decision path is explicit, the narrative chain is coherent, every core slide has claim/evidence/action, density matches the delivery mode, the visual system is consistent, charts are accurate and sourced, accessibility/export checks are addressed, and unresolved data/legal/brand/font risks are named.
