| name | presentation-design |
| version | 0.1.0 |
| description | Use this skill when designing presentations, slide decks, or pitch materials. Triggers on "create a presentation", "design slides", "build a deck", "structure my talk", "make a pitch deck", "data visualization for slides", or any request involving slide layout, storytelling frameworks (Pyramid Principle, Hero's Journey, Problem-Solution-Benefit), narrative arc, speaker notes, or chart selection for presentations. Covers slide structure, visual hierarchy, data-driven storytelling, and deck architecture from executive summaries to conference keynotes.
|
| tags | ["presentation","slides","storytelling","data-visualization","pitch-deck","public-speaking","visualization","experimental-design"] |
| category | design |
| recommended_skills | ["absolute-ui","copywriting","video-production","figma-to-code"] |
| platforms | ["claude-code","gemini-cli","openai-codex","mcp"] |
| license | MIT |
| maintainers | [{"github":"maddhruv"}] |
Key principles
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One idea per slide - Each slide communicates exactly one point. If you need
a second sentence to explain what the slide is about, split it into two slides.
Audiences retain messages, not slide counts - more focused slides beat fewer dense ones.
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Narrative before visuals - Always lock in the story arc and outline before
opening any design tool. A beautiful deck with no narrative thread fails. Write
the slide titles as a standalone story - if someone reads only the titles in
sequence, they should understand the full argument.
-
Signal-to-noise ratio - Every element on a slide must earn its place. Remove
logos from interior slides, drop decorative clip art, minimize bullet sub-levels,
and kill orphan text. The audience's eye should land on exactly what matters with
zero visual competition.
-
Data-ink maximization - For data slides, maximize the proportion of ink used
to display actual data vs. non-data elements (gridlines, borders, redundant labels).
Remove chart junk: 3D effects, gradient fills, excessive legends, and dual axes
unless absolutely necessary.
-
Context-audience fit - A board presentation is not a conference keynote is not
a training workshop. Match density, tone, animation level, and formality to the
specific audience and setting. Read-ahead decks need more text; live talks need less.
Core concepts
Deck architecture - Every presentation has three layers: the narrative layer (what
story are you telling), the structural layer (how slides are sequenced and grouped),
and the visual layer (how each slide looks). Work top-down through these layers.
Slide taxonomy - Slides fall into five functional types: Title/section dividers
(signal transitions), Assertion slides (state a claim with evidence), Data slides
(charts, tables, metrics), Framework slides (2x2 matrices, process flows, diagrams),
and Action slides (next steps, asks, CTAs). Knowing which type you need prevents
the default of "bullet point list for everything."
Storytelling structures - The three most versatile frameworks: (1) Situation-
Complication-Resolution (SCR) for executive communication - state the context, reveal
the tension, present the answer. (2) Problem-Solution-Benefit (PSB) for sales and
pitch decks - show the pain, offer the fix, prove the value. (3) The Pyramid Principle
(Minto) for analytical presentations - lead with the conclusion, then support with
grouped arguments and evidence.
Visual hierarchy - Slide elements are read in priority order: headline first,
then the dominant visual element, then supporting text. Use size, contrast, color,
and position to control this reading order. The headline should be an assertion
("Revenue grew 23% YoY"), not a label ("Revenue").
