Creating a stylish and professional PowerPoint presentation can be a game-changer. For those without formal design training, the key to success lies in understanding and applying layout techniques effectively. This article will guide you through various layout styles, helping you grasp the most commonly used methods in a clear and practical way. The following is the initial typography style of this passage (Figure 1). We’ll explore different typesetting techniques and compare layouts to help you appreciate the power of good design and apply it seamlessly to your own work.

Modify the Style

Simple modifications can make a big difference. When adjusting images, consider changing their size, border proportions, or shapes. For text, you can alter fonts, colors, spacing, or add decorative lines. These small touches often enhance the visual impact of your slides significantly.

Let’s look at an example (Figure 2). Start by extracting the title "The Benefits of Reading" from the paragraph. Drag it out to separate it, then press Enter to divide the rest into three sections. Go to the "Home" tab, click the "Bullets" option under "Paragraph" to structure the content better, and finally add a horizontal line under "Reading."

Select the image and resize it to match the layout height. Then go to the "Format" tab, click "Crop," and keep only the main part (Figure 3). If you want to reduce the image's prominence, you can crop it into an ellipse or another shape and add a dashed line as a decorative element.

As shown in Figure 4, set the title's "Text Direction" to "Vertical." Select the image and press Ctrl+D to copy and paste three times. Adjust the sizes from small to large. Using Onekey7 (http://oktools.xyz), you can scale them proportionally. After installing the tool, adjust the first two images, select all four, go to the "Onekey 7" tab, and choose "Small -> Large" under "Size Advance."

Clever Use of Color Blocks

When a slide has many irregular elements, using regular color blocks—square, round, or custom shapes—can create a sense of order and harmony. Both layouts use horizontal or vertical color patches. The color comes from the image, and you can pick it using the color picker (Figure 5). In the top layout, the image border and title are white, with a white line below to form a cohesive visual. The bottom layout uses similar lines for borders and consistent text color, creating a more modern flat design feel.

As seen in Figure 6, the image is cropped irregularly, and a matching shape is used on the other side for a harmonious effect. Draw a rectangle with the same height as the layout, go to "Format," select "Edit Shape," drag the vertices to change the shape, and copy it for consistency.

Go to the "Format" tab, select "Vertical Flip" or "Horizontal Flip" to align the shapes. Place one over the image, hold Ctrl, select the picture first, then the shape, go to "Format," and choose "Intersection" to cut the image to fit the shape. Add text to the color block and draw a line across the image to blend everything together.

Repeating color blocks and images is a common layout technique (Figure 8), especially when the number of images isn’t perfect. Create a white square with green edges, rotate it 45°, copy it eight times, and arrange them into a 3x3 grid for a dynamic effect.

Select part of the color blocks, right-click, and choose "Set Object Format." Under "Shape Options," select "Picture or Texture Fill," browse for an image, uncheck "Rotate with Shape," cut all blocks and images, and paste them as pictures. Finally, trim the image to remove any excess.

Use Masks

Masks are widely used in PPT design. A semi-transparent graphic placed over an image can help text stand out more. This technique makes your presentation appear cleaner and more professional. As shown in Figure 10, the top layout uses a full mask to highlight the text, while the bottom layout uses a half mask for balance between text and image.

The Mongolian version involves adjusting transparency. Draw a rectangle over the image, set its properties, and use Gradient Fill (Figure 11). Choose “Individual Color 1” in Preset Gradient, add black and white apertures in Gradient Aperture to control transparency. Make the top part of the mask clearer and the bottom darker, then add white text on top. Sometimes, this technique is used on full-color backgrounds. The lower image in Figure 11 uses a trapezoidal mask with pure black and adjustable transparency.

Layout changes go beyond what’s shown here. They depend on the content, images, and audience. Ultimately, layout design is about transformation—expressing ideas through visual change.