1.4Themes & colors
The essentials in 30 seconds
- The theme is chosen at the beginning and applies to everything — never formatted slide by slide.
- Always use THEME colors in your objects: they will follow rebrandings.
- A sober theme + ONE accent color = the safest professional result.
Spun mini-case — Themes & colors
Amel applies the SME charter: colors, fonts and contrasts. She must keep a single accent color and check that the theme remains readable on the room's projector.
Continuation of the common theme: the Blida agri-food SME is preparing its market launch.
1. The theme is the visual law
A theme (Creation → Themes) imposes fonts + colors + effects on the entire presentation. Change theme revamps 50 slides with one click — provided you have used placeholders and theme colors, not manual formats.
2. Colors: a base, an accent
Professional palette: neutral background (white/very light gray or midnight blue), contrasting text (ratio ≥ 4.5:1), ONE accent color (key figures, icons, arrows). Personalize via Creation → Variants → Colors → Personalize: the accent becomes a choice of theme, reusable everywhere.
3. Fonts: two, readable, embedded
One for the titles, one for the text (or just one in two weights), sans serif on the screen (Calibri, Aptos, Montserrat, etc.). For external sending: File → Options → Embed fonts, otherwise the client's workstation will substitute.
🔎 Concrete example — Concrete example — Create your palette in 5 minutes
1. Creation → Themes: choose a simple base
2. Variants → Colors → Customize: set the accent (e.g. orange #D24726)
3. Apply emphasis: key numbers, icons, arrows — nothing else
4. Test: switch to Sorter, check the unit of the 10 slidesReading: in Sorter, the presentation is “block”.
Lesson: the rare accent = the accent that stands out.
Section vocabulary
- Theme
- Set of colors + fonts + effects + backgrounds (Creation tab). Applies to the WHOLE presentation.
Simple example: Amel mobilizes “Theme” in preparing for the launch.
What it is not: treat “Theme” as a detail unrelated to the message.
Reflex: Does this choice make the presentation clearer for the audience?
- Variant
- Variations of the active theme (alternative colors/backgrounds) offered on the right of the theme gallery.
Simple example: Amel mobilizes “Variant” in preparing for the launch.
What it is not: treat “Variant” as a detail unrelated to the message.
Reflex: Does this choice make the presentation clearer for the audience?
- Theme colors
- The central palette (Creation → Variants → Colors): all objects “follow” these colors — changing them changes everything.
Simple example: Amel mobilizes “Theme Colors” in preparing for the launch.
What it is not: Treat “Theme Colors” as a detail unrelated to the message.
Reflex: Does this choice make the presentation clearer for the audience?
- Theme fonts
- The title/body duo defined by the theme: change it once, all the slides follow.
Simple example: Amel mobilizes “Theme fonts” in preparation for the launch.
What it is not: Treat “Theme Fonts” as a detail unrelated to the message.
Reflex: Does this choice make the presentation clearer for the audience?
In practice — Dress up 10 slides in 30 seconds
- On a presentation of a few slides, test 3 themes from the Creation tab: everything changes with each click.
- Choose a simple one, then explore its variations (right).
- Design → Variants → Colors → Customize: Replace accent color 1 with your organization's color.
- Check the magic: Existing shapes, SmartArt, and graphics change to the new color — because they were using the theme colors.
Script ready to say — Themes & colors (25 s)
“Apply a theme, choose color/font variations and keep the presentation consistent. Concretely, I check this point before projecting: the theme is chosen at the beginning and applies to everything — never formatted slide by slide. »
Short wording, to be adapted to the audience and the context of the meeting.
Copy and paste template — “Themes & colors” checklist
CHECKLIST — Themes & colors
1. The theme is chosen at the beginning and applies to everything — never formatting slide by slide.
2. Always use THEME colors in your objects: they will follow rebrandings.
3. A sober theme + ONE accent color = the safest professional look.
4. In business, the theme comes from the charter: ask for the official .potx before creating.
EXPECTED RESULT: A coherent presentation in your colors, without having retouched a single slide.Express version
Apply only the essentials and the first key point, then check the rendering in projection.
Remote
Share the file and check fonts, contrasts and text size before the video conference.
As a team
Lock in the common model and document choices to keep colleagues consistent.
Printed version
Keep the message titles and the text outline; remove animations that are no longer needed.
✓ Best practices
- Theme colors, never manual formats.
- An accent, reserved for messages.
- Embed fonts before sending.
✗ Common pitfalls
- Rainbow: one color per slide.
- Light gray text on white (dead contrast).
- 5 different fonts in 10 slides.
Key takeaways
- The theme is chosen at the beginning and applies to everything — never formatted slide by slide.
- Always use THEME colors in your objects: they will follow rebrandings.
- A sober theme + ONE accent color = the safest professional result.
- In business, the theme comes from the charter: ask for the official .potx before creating.
48 hour challenge — apply tomorrow
Redo 10 slides in 30 seconds on the Amel launch presentation: On a presentation of a few slides, test 3 themes from the Creation tab: everything changes with each click. Time 20 minutes and note what has changed for the audience.
- I can explain and apply: The theme is chosen at the beginning and applies to everything — never formatted slide by slide.
- I can explain and apply: Always use THEME colors in your objects: they will follow the rebrandings.
- I can explain and apply: A sober theme + ONE accent color = the safest professional result.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply a theme to just ONE slide?
Right click on the theme → “Apply to selected slides”. To be reserved for exceptional cases: the mixture of themes is rarely happy.
Why don't my colors change with the theme?
These objects have been given a “standard” (fixed) color instead of a theme color. Reselect their colors in the “Theme Colors” row of the picker.
For all objects to follow the charter, they use…