Standardize the look and format of your shows with the Google Slides theme builder
Illustration: Andy Wolber/TechRepublic
Google Slides not solely lets you choose and apply any of the built-in presentation themes, but additionally permits you to customise the look and format of your slides with the Theme Builder. Very similar to paragraph types in a Google Doc standardize textual content formatting (e.g., title, subtitle, heading 1, heading 2, regular textual content, and so forth.), a theme standardizes the association and default show of Google Slides.
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When utilized by many individuals for a lot of shows, a theme can assist give your shows a constant visible id. A theme reduces the necessity for individuals to manually choose the proper font, font measurement or emblem for use in every presentation. As a substitute, the theme handles all of that. Construct your theme as soon as, then use it everytime you want it to create shows in your most popular visible fashion. Here is get began with themes in Google Slides.
Methods to choose a theme in Google slides
As of early August 2021, it’s possible you’ll apply any of the 23 pre-built, Google-provided slide themes to your presentation in Slides on the internet, in addition to within the Slides cellular apps on Android, iPhone and iPad.
On the net, select Slide | Change Theme (or choose the Theme button from the icon menu) after which obtainable themes show on a aspect panel (Determine A). Click on on a theme to use it to your presentation slides.
Determine A
On the net, choose Slide | Change to entry pre-built themes in a aspect panel.
Within the Google Slides app on iPhone and iPad, faucet the three-horizontal-dot menu (higher proper) | Change Theme | From Google to show built-in themes (Determine B). Faucet the theme you need.
Determine B
You additionally might change themes within the Google Slides app on iPhone and iPad.
Within the Google Slides app on Android, whereas in slide edit mode, faucet the three-vertical-dot menu (higher proper) | Change Theme | From Google to show built-in themes (Determine C). Faucet the theme you need.Â
Determine C
The Android Google Slides app additionally provides entry to the usual set of themes.
To turn out to be accustomed to the entire choices, I recommend you make a duplicate of an current presentation you have got that has many (e.g., 20+) slides with totally different layouts. Apply one of many pre-built themes, then scroll via your slides to evaluate the modifications. In case you have time, repeat the method for every of the obtainable pre-built themes.
Methods to import a theme in Google Slides
Google Slides on the internet additionally permits you to import themes from different shows. In your browser, together with your presentation open, select Slide | Change Theme (or choose the Theme button from the icon menu) then choose Import Theme (decrease proper, on the backside of the Themes sidebar). Subsequent, choose the presentation that comprises the themes you need to import. The file is perhaps one other Google Slide presentation or a Microsoft PowerPoint file. As soon as chosen, the system shows the themes within the file obtainable for import (Determine D). Click on (or faucet) on the one you need, then Import Theme. Entry imported themes within the record as lined within the above “Choose a theme” part.
Determine D
On the net, entry the Change theme aspect panel, then choose Import Theme. This lets you choose one other presentation from which to import themes.
Methods to customise your theme in Google Slides
The Theme Builder inside Google Slides permits you to management the default association of textual content, photos, colours and fonts for varied slide sorts (e.g., Title slide, Title and content material, Title and physique, Important level, caption, and so forth.). To entry the theme builder whereas in your presentation, choose Slide | Edit Theme (or choose View | Theme Builder). The theme builder shows as proven in Determine E.
Modifications you make throughout the theme builder could also be utilized to each slide of that sort inside your presentation. A enterprise may customise colours (e.g., textual content, background) and add photos (e.g., emblem) or textual content—optionally, together with net hyperlinks—in accordance with the group’s visible id requirements or pointers.
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For instance, you may insert a emblem within the decrease left nook of your Title slide format. Moreover, you could possibly choose the picture, then add a hyperlink to your group’s net web page. (To use such a change, be certain to pick the Reapply To All button when completed modifying the theme within the builder.) When modifying slides, this emblem will show on each slide with the Title slide format. The hyperlink will work when chosen throughout a presentation, however the individual modifying the slide will not have the ability to make modifications whereas merely modifying the slide: As a substitute, they’d must enter Edit Theme mode. The picture (and associated hyperlink) show as uneditable parts of the web page outdoors of the Theme builder.
Importantly, the Theme Builder additionally permits you to set default fonts and font sizes. I strongly suggest you configure your theme to make use of few, giant and legible fonts. That phrase—few, giant and legible—summarizes three design decisions to bear in mind as you modify font settings in your Google Slides theme.
Determine E
Customise the default format and look of shows with the Google Slides Theme Builder. As soon as configured, apply the theme to all your shows to current a standardized look to viewers.
First, reduce the variety of totally different default fonts used. One font? Wonderful. Two fonts? One for headers, one for physique textual content. Additionally glorious. Three fonts? Workable (e.g., title, content material, callout). 4 or extra? Train excessive warning and pare down the variety of fonts, except you are a design skilled and have thought rigorously about your multi-font utilization.
Second, normally, you must make default fonts pretty giant. Bear in mind, should you current slides in a big room, you need to reduce visibility challenges for individuals behind the house. In need of truly testing your slides in a big house, I typically recommend that folks set up the Slides cellular app on a telephone. Maintain your telephone at arm’s size and evaluation your slides. Alter the font sizes bigger till all of the textual content is straightforward to learn for an individual with commonplace, corrected imaginative and prescient. Then make it a bit larger.Â
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Third, in case your group’s design division recommends particular fonts, use these within the method prescribed. In any other case, discover Lexend and Atkinson Hyperlegible fonts, which can be found in Google Workspace apps (Docs, Sheets, Slides). The Atkinson Hyperlegible font, named after the Braille Institute’s founder, was developed to be of use by individuals with low imaginative and prescient, whereas the Lexend font provides diverse character spacing widths meant to assist studying proficiency. To vary to both of those fonts, first add the font (e.g., with the overall methodology described in Methods to use the Lexend font in G Suite), then choose that font for title, content material or part textual content within the Theme Builder.
What’s your expertise?
How typically do you depend on customized themes in Google Slides? Have you ever—or somebody in your group—edited a theme to mirror your group’s colours, fonts or emblem utilization? How effectively have themes that you have imported labored? Let me know your expertise with Google Slides themes and the theme builder, both within the feedback under or on Twitter (@awolber).Â
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