How to Use PowerPoint Designer

Designing a visually appealing presentation from scratch can be time-consuming, especially if you lack design skills. Fortunately, there’s a handy tool at your disposal. The biggest advantage of the built-in feature called PowerPoint Designer is to transform your slides into stunning, professional-looking presentations, even if you’re not a design expert. In this guide, we’ll explore what PowerPoint Designer is and how to use it to elevate your presentation game.

What Is PowerPoint Designer & its Function?

PowerPoint Designer is your design-savvy assistant, capable of automatically generating attractive slides based on the text and images you add to your presentation. Its primary goal is to simplify the process of creating professionally designed slides without the need for extensive manual formatting. This feature operates by suggesting design ideas, aligning with the content on your slides, and helping you achieve a polished and cohesive look for your presentation.

The designer is exclusively available for Microsoft 365 subscribers. If you’re not a subscriber, you won’t find the Designer button in your application.

How to Activate PowerPoint Designer

Enabling Designer is a straightforward process that grants you quick access to its powerful design suggestions. You can manually turn it on or configure your settings for automatic design idea recommendations.

Manual Activation:

1. Launch PowerPoint and open your presentation.
2. Click on the “Design” tab located in the PowerPoint ribbon.
3. The “Designer” button should be visible in the “Design” tab. Click on it to activate PowerPoint Designer.

Upon activation, the PowerPoint Designer panel will appear to the right of your presentation, ready to assist you in enhancing your slides.

Automatic Activation via Settings:

1. Open PowerPoint. Click on the “File” menu at the top left corner of the screen.

2. Select “Options” at the bottom of the menu to access PowerPoint’s settings.

3. In the “PowerPoint Options” window, go to the “General” tab.
4. Scroll down to find the option that reads “Automatically Show Me Design Ideas” and check the box next to it.

If PowerPoint Designer was previously turned off, you might need to press the “Designer” button to make the panel appear.

READ ALSO: How to Remove Duplicate Slides in PowerPoint

How to Design a Deck Using PowerPoint Designer

Once you’ve activated PowerPoint Designer, creating a title slide and consistent design scheme for your presentation becomes a breeze. Here’s how:

1. Launch PowerPoint and click on “Blank Presentation” to start a new presentation. Ensure that PowerPoint Designer is enabled by following the earlier steps.

2. Click within the “Click To Add Title” text box, and enter your presentation’s title.
3. After typing the title, click anywhere outside the text box, and PowerPoint Designer will generate design suggestions for your title slide.

4. Review the design ideas provided. If you’re not satisfied with any of the suggestions, scroll to the bottom of the pane and click “See More Design Ideas” to explore additional options.

5. Select a title page design that appeals to you, and the design scheme will be applied not only to your title slide but also to all subsequent slides, ensuring a consistent and professional look throughout your presentation.
6. To add a new slide that matches the design scheme, click on “Insert” in the PowerPoint ribbon and select “New Slide.”

7. Your newly added slide will automatically adopt the same design scheme, creating a coherent and visually appealing presentation.

You can further customize this design scheme by exploring various options available in the Designer panel. It is also possible to use PowerPoint Designer for all slides.

In case the design ideas are not showing or PowerPoint Designer is greyed out, restart your PowerPoint and get started again.

Conclusion

Incorporating Designer into your workflow can significantly enhance your ability to create engaging, professional presentations more efficiently. While it may not be perfect, it provides valuable design ideas, and you retain the flexibility to modify them to your preferences.