Strategic Typography: Choosing the Stylistic Voice for Your PowerPoint Slides.
The second edition in a special five-segment Before the Deck series that will help you take control of your slide designs, today’s topic is TYPOGRAPHY!
One of the most powerful, yet often understated, tools in your design toolkit, typography might seem like a simple choice. But the font pair you select sets the tone for how your entire presentation is received and it requires a particular type of approach.
Beyond aesthetics, font choices in PowerPoint also carry significant technical implications. Unlike color palettes, fonts in PowerPoint aren't all universally compatible across all versions or computers. Understanding this will help you choose typography that not only supports your presentation story but when shared, doesn’t get swapped out with a font that doesn’t.
In this edition, we’ll explore how to make smart, creative typographical decisions before you begin designing. This will help you avoid hours of rework and effectively set your slides up to create cohesive designs that work in relationship with your font choices.
This way, when you dive into your slide design, you can focus on what truly matters: crafting an impactful message that feels authentic to you and resonates with your audience.
The Creative Power of Typography.
The unique layer of style that typography adds to your presentation is the subtle branding that, when done well, gives your presentation a distinct voice. Thoughtful font choices can convey authority, elegance, or playfulness—setting the tone before your audience reads a single word.
Early font decisions shape the foundation of your entire design process. By establishing a clear typographic style, you not only ensure consistency across all slides but also create a cohesive relationship between your graphics and text as you design.
PowerPoint Font Pairs.
Before you begin, it's important to understand that setting up your typography in PowerPoint involves selecting two key fonts:
Headings Font: This is used for titles and headings, designed to get noticed and set the tone.
Body Font: This font anchors the style of your presentation — like a pair of shoes brings a whole outfit together. It’s used for the majority of your text so it also needs to be readable and accessible.
Setting this ‘Font Pair’ up on the Slide Master is an important step. It establishes a consistent typographic theme and streamlines the design process. By defining fonts on the Master, you set a uniform standard for all your slides, ensuring every letter aligns with the overarching design intent.
Fortunately, PowerPoint's Slide Masters are designed for flexibility. If your brand undergoes an update or your presentation style needs a shift, adjusting your Font Pair is as simple as updating the Master Slide.
This centralized approach to typographic control allows for sweeping updates that are instantly reflected across your entire deck, saving time, preserving uniformity and allowing for easy testing of font styles. This is an absolute superstar feature of the software!
PowerPoint Font Functionality.
Start with Two Key Questions
Before choosing fonts, you need to ask two essential questions that will shape your typography decisions:
How will your presentation be used?
Who will use it?
The Creative Freedom of a Single-User Deck.
If you’re the sole designer and presenter, congratulations — you have complete freedom to use any font you like. Microsoft’s cloud fonts, commercial fonts, or even custom fonts are all on the table. This is where your creativity can shine, allowing you to choose fonts that reflect your personal or brand style.
Think of this as an opportunity to define your presentation’s personality. Want to make a bold statement? Opt for a striking serif, a robust slab serif, or a modern geometric sans-serif. Prefer something elegant and understated? A classic humanist font or a stylized script may be just what you need.
However, even when you’re the only user, functionality still matters. You’ll still want to test your fonts on different devices to ensure they display correctly — especially if you plan to share presentation as a PDF.
The Complexity of Shared Decks.
Typography can get a little tricky when you begin sharing your deck with others. If the recipient is using a pre-2019 version of PowerPoint or doesn’t have a commercial font installed, PowerPoint automatically substitutes — potentially altering the entire look and feel of your slides.
Three Font Types:
If others will be editing the deck, knowing what version of PowerPoint they are using is important. Office 365 users have access to Cloud Fonts (this means any MS font you choose will be automatically downloaded), but pre-2019 versions may require a more cautious approach.
If your presentation includes Specialty or Commercial Fonts, font fidelity may not be guaranteed when sharing your presentation (even when embedded), regardless of the version. You may want to consider swapping out the specialty font for a Microsoft font.
When you’re sharing outside your organization and don’t know what MS Office version the recipients are working with there is a safe option. One way to ensure font compatibility across different systems is by using Legacy Fonts. These fonts display consistently across all versions of PowerPoint, even when shared with someone using an older version.
While it may feel limiting, the trade-off is reliability—your fonts won’t be substituted, maintaining your slides as you designed them.
A link to a Legacy fonts list may be found in the Resources.
Compatibility Notes.
When sharing your decks internally within an organization you can usually be confident everyone is using the same version of MS Office. However, when sharing files externally, you may need to ask a few more questions. In either case, if you’re not certain asking an organization’s IT Specialist should quickly get you the answer you need.
As a designer, I’ll add that it’s increasingly rare to find organizations using a pre-2019 version of PowerPoint. This is more common among solo users, and if that’s you, upgrading to Microsoft 365 is absolutely worth the investment. The updates over the past decade have been outstanding, and they just keep getting better.
For a deep dive into what you should consider when choosing PowerPoint fonts, check out Julie Terberg’s ‘Choosing fonts for PowerPoint® templates’ white paper (a link can be found in the Resources). It’s a must-read for anyone navigating the complexities of font compatibility.
Setting & Style
How you plan on using your presentation is always worth thinking about.
The Role of Setting & Style
Just like with color, your typography should reflect both the presentation’s tone and the environment in which it will be delivered. Your presentation setting & style influence your font choices.
Setting.
Here are the setting scenarios that will help guide your decisions:
Live Presentations:
In large venues with varied lighting conditions, opt for fonts that are clear and bold. Test how your fonts look on a projector or large screen to ensure legibility, even from the back of the room.Virtual Presentations:
Fonts behave differently on screen. You might prefer lighter, more subtle fonts for online presentations, where your audience will be viewing on individual devices.Hybrid Settings:
Balancing live and virtual audiences requires fonts that work in both scenarios. Prioritize readability for the live setting, but be sure to test how fonts display for virtual viewers to ensure clarity across the board.
Style.
When you consider the style of your presentation we’re looking at three presentation archetypes: corporate, minimalist, or workshop/interactive. Alongside the setting, you’ll start to see how typography can transform into a storytelling tool.
Selected intentionally, your font choices add a layer of sophistication that enhances the presentation’s content, aligning with your brand and your audience’s expectations.
Typeface Categories.
Whether you want to convey boldness, elegance, or creativity, choosing a font that aligns with your message is key. Here are a few font categories to consider as you shape your presentation’s personality:
Humanist Sans-Serif: For a warm and approachable feel that enhances readability.
Slab Serif: Offers a robust and confident look, perfect for emphasizing key points.
Script or Calligraphic Fonts: Impart a creative touch, ideal for informal or artistic presentations.
Display Fonts: Bold and eye-catching, great for headlines that need to stand out.
Monospace: Conveys a technical or retro vibe, suitable for presentations involving code or data.
Handwritten Styles: Add a friendly tone that can make your presentation feel more engaging.
A link to a cloud fonts list may be found in the Resources below.
The Process of Choosing Your Font Pair.
Selecting your typography is a big decision and there is a lot to consider.
Here is a breakdown of the process:
Ask yourself two questions:
How will your presentation be used?
Who will use it?
Narrow down your Font Type:
Cloud font
Legacy font
Commercial font
Consider your Setting & Style:
Presentation Setting (your venue)
Presentation Style (your audience and messaging)
Narrow down your Typeface Category:
Humanist Sans-Serif
Slab Serif
Script or Calligraphic Fonts
Display Fonts
Monospace
Handwritten Styles
Select your fonts:
Heading
Body
The resources below can help you make your final decisions.
⊶ Finally, set the two fonts up on your Slide Master ⊷
PowerPoint is a powerful tool for both design and communication. By choosing your fonts with intention and creativity, you’ll set the stage for a presentation that not only looks great but resounds with your message!
Resources.
The first two resources below will help you explore PowerPoint font types and ensure your choices work across all platforms. The third resource is an deep dive into PowerPoint font functionality. The last link is simply a fun way to see a sampling of typography guidelines in action. Enjoy!
Thank you for joining me 🤍!