Chosing A PowerPoint Presentation Color Scheme

You want your upcoming event to be a success, and you need an amazing Powerpoint to back you up during your presentation.  Effective Powerpoints are simple and clear, with few bullets per slide and no garish effects.  But what about color?

Color greatly affects the moods of people and how they see your company’s brand, so you should consider color scheme when you create your Powerpoint.  Let’s look at some color theory basics and color schemes you can use for your presentation’s design.

Color Theory

The color wheel organizes colors to show the relationships between them.  These relationships comprise color theory.  The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue.  From the primary colors, you can create all of the other colors you see.  Green, orange, and purple are secondary colors and tertiary colors are more nuanced mixes like red-orange, yellow-green, blue-violet, etc.  White, black, and gray are neutral colors, which work well in backgrounds.  Keep these basics in mind as we move on to types of color schemes you can use.

Monochromatic Color Scheme

If you want a beginner-friendly color scheme, you should try monochromatic colors.  Pick a color to use as the main color for your presentation, then use varying shades of that color in other aspects of your design.  You can add pictures and neutrals for any extra elements you might need.

Complementary Color Scheme

For a presentation that stands out and still manages to look cohesive, you will want to use complementary colors.  These colors are opposite each other on the color wheel and include red and green, blue and orange, purple and yellow, etc.  This scheme looks bold and powerful, but it might be too strong for some brands.  If that’s the case, you can still utilize complementary colors to highlight certain features of your slides or call attention to something important.

Analogous Color Scheme

Colors that are right beside each other on the color wheel are called analogous colors.  Use groups of two or three analogous colors to create a unified presentation with a soft visual appeal.  You can also use varying shades of the same color for your groups, not just three completely different colors.  Use this color scheme if you want a muted, but friendly look for your Powerpoint.

You can mix and match the above designs and combine them how you desire.  Remember that color helps people remember your presentation’s content and is often the thing that sticks out most about a design.  Use the principles of color theory to make your Powerpoint memorable and effective, and don’t forget to do your part when presenting it.