Overview
PowerPoint isn’t just for presentations—it’s a surprisingly powerful design tool for creating infographics, social media graphics, diagrams, and visual assets. This course teaches graphic designers to leverage PowerPoint’s vector capabilities, precise alignment tools, and efficient workflows to create professional visual content quickly.
You’ll learn to manipulate shapes with precision, work with advanced color and typography controls, create scalable vector graphics, design infographics and data visualizations, and build reusable design systems. Whether you’re creating branded templates, marketing materials, or quick mockups, you’ll discover how PowerPoint can complement your design toolkit with speed and flexibility.
Format: 2 Days | VILT
Who Should Attend
- Graphic designers creating visual content and branded materials
- Marketing designers producing infographics and social assets
- Visual communicators developing diagrams and illustrations
- Brand managers building design systems and templates
- Designers who’ve completed PowerPoint Essential Skills or have regular PowerPoint experience
What You’ll Learn
- Apply design principles: hierarchy, contrast, balance, and white space
- Master precise object manipulation with alignment, distribution, and grouping
- Create complex vector shapes using merge, subtract, and intersect
- Work with advanced color controls including gradients and transparency
- Apply professional typography and font pairing techniques
- Design infographics and data visualizations that communicate clearly
- Build branded design systems with style guides and component libraries
- Export graphics for print, web, and social media
Course Outline
Module 1: Design Principles in PowerPoint
- Visual hierarchy and guiding the viewer’s eye
- Contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity (CRAP principles)
- Using white space effectively in slide layouts
- Grid systems and the rule of thirds
- Balance: symmetrical, asymmetrical, and radial
- Color theory: complementary, analogous, and triadic schemes
- Designing for accessibility and readability
Module 2: Precision Object Control
- Using rulers, guides, and gridlines for precise placement
- Smart guides and dynamic alignment feedback
- Selection Pane for managing complex layered designs
- Align and distribute tools for perfect spacing
- Grouping, ungrouping, and regrouping objects
- Rotation, flipping, and exact sizing with measurements
- Arranging objects: bring forward, send backward, and layering
- Using the Format Painter strategically for design consistency
Module 3: Advanced Shape Design and Editing
- Editing points and paths on shapes
- Converting shapes to freeform for custom editing
- Merge Shapes: union, combine, fragment, intersect, subtract
- Creating custom icons and illustrations from basic shapes
- Working with curves and Bézier handles
- Building modular design elements and components
- Creating isometric designs and technical diagrams
Module 4: Professional Color Management
- Understanding RGB vs. CMYK in PowerPoint
- Creating custom color palettes and theme colors
- Using eyedropper tool to sample colors from images
- Working with gradients: linear, radial, rectangular, and path
- Transparency and opacity for layered effects
- Color accessibility and contrast ratios
- Managing brand colors across presentations
Module 5: Typography and Text as Design Element
- Font pairing principles and creating typographic hierarchy
- Character spacing (kerning) and line spacing (leading)
- Converting text to shapes for custom manipulation
- Text effects: fills, outlines, shadows, and reflections
- Using text boxes vs. shape text strategically
- Creating typographic treatments and lockups
- WordArt: when to use it and how to avoid the 90s look
- Vertical text and creative text layouts
Module 6: Images and Photo Manipulation
- Advanced background removal and refinement
- Artistic effects and filters for stylized images
- Corrections: brightness, contrast, sharpness, and saturation
- Color recoloring and duotone effects
- Cropping to shapes and aspect ratios
- Using Picture Format to create consistent image treatments
- Working with SVG files and icons
- Creating image masks and clipping effects
Module 7: Infographics and Data Visualization
- Designing effective infographics: planning and hierarchy
- Creating icon-based data representations
- Customizing charts beyond default styles
- Building progress bars and data indicators
- Timeline designs and process diagrams
- Comparison layouts and before/after presentations
- Using SmartArt as a starting point for custom designs
- Creating reusable infographic components
Module 8: Design Systems and Asset Export
- Building component libraries in PowerPoint
- Creating style guides and brand templates
- Designing master slide systems for branded content
- Exporting slides as high-resolution images (PNG, JPEG)
- Saving individual objects as graphics
- Creating social media graphics at proper dimensions
- Exporting vector graphics as SVG for web use
- Print preparation: resolution, bleed, and file formats
- Optimizing file size without sacrificing quality
Prerequisites & Technical Requirements
- Completion of PowerPoint Essential Skills or minimum 1 month PowerPoint experience
- Understanding of basic design concepts helpful but not required
- Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 or later (Office 365 recommended for full features)
- Familiarity with basic graphic design terminology
Customization Options
This course can be tailored to your specific design needs and output requirements. We can focus on particular asset types—infographics, social media graphics, presentation templates, or marketing materials—and work with your brand guidelines to create real-world deliverables. If your team specializes in certain industries or design styles, we can adjust examples and exercises to match your creative direction.