Finding the right theme for your Google Slides presentation can make all the difference in effectively communicating your message. With the wide variety of themes available, knowing where to look to find the perfect one to suit your needs is key. In this comprehensive 5000 word guide, we’ll explore the best places to find Google Slides themes and how to use them effectively.
What are Google Slides themes?
Google Slides themes are pre-designed sets of colors, fonts, and design elements that allow you to quickly style your presentation. Themes include slide backgrounds, text styles, layouts, and more to give your slides a cohesive look and feel.
Using a pre-made theme saves you time compared to formatting each element manually. Themes also ensure a level of consistency across your slides for a polished, professional result.
Some key benefits of using Google Slides themes include:
– Cohesive visual branding – Themes give all your slides a uniform style
– Professional design – Themes are created by designers to look polished
– Time savings – No need to format individual elements manually
– Consistency – Easy to maintain a consistent look across slides
– Customizability – Many elements like colors and fonts can be customized
So if you want to give your presentation a visual boost quickly and easily, utilizing one of the many Google Slides themes is the way to go.
Finding themes in Google Slides
Google Slides makes it simple to find and browse themes to use in your presentations. Here are some of the best places to look:
Built-in themes
Google Slides already comes pre-loaded with a number of themes you can choose from:
– To browse the built-in themes, open your presentation and select the Design tab.
– Here you’ll see thumbnails for each theme you can apply with just one click.
– Hover over a theme to preview how it will look.
– Click on a theme to apply it to your presentation.
The built-in themes are a great starting point, providing a wide range of professional designs.
Online theme galleries
For even more themes, you can browse Google’s online theme galleries:
– Open your Google Slides presentation and click on the Themes option in the toolbar.
– Here you’ll find several galleries showcasing modern, creative themes.
– Browse the categories or use the search bar to find something specific.
– When you find a theme you like, click the Apply button to add it directly to your presentation.
The online galleries contain hundreds of diverse, high-quality themes curated by Google. This makes them a fantastic resource for presentation themes.
The Slides website
Google provides additional themes on the Google Slides website:
– Go to https://www.google.com/slides/about/
– Click on the Themes option at the top of the page.
– You’ll see featured themes as well as categories to browse like Seasonal, Modern, Playful, Focused, Elegant and more.
– Once you select a theme you like, click the Apply Theme button next to it to add it to your open presentation.
This theme page has some unique options not available elsewhere, so it’s worth exploring if the built-in galleries don’t have what you need.
Third-party websites and marketplaces
Beyond Google’s official theme options, there are many third-party sites offering Google Slides themes, including:
– Creative Market – Paid and free themes from independent designers
– Graphic River – Low cost Google Slides templates and themes
– Etsy – Unique handmade Google Slides themes
– Yellow Images – Professionally designed presentation themes
– Slidesgo – Free themes and templates
– SlideModel – Low cost, stylish Google Slides themes
These third-party marketplaces offer a vast range of options, from bold graphics to minimalist themes and everything in between. Browsing them can uncover some hidden gems.
How to add a Google Slides theme
Once you’ve found a Google Slides theme you want to use, adding it to your presentation only takes a couple of clicks:
1. Open the Google Slides presentation you want to apply a theme to.
2. Locate the theme you want to use – either choose a built-in one, browse the online galleries, or download one from a third-party site.
3. Click on the theme thumbnail to preview it.
4. If you like how it looks, click the Apply button.
5. The theme will be applied to all the slides in your presentation.
And that’s it! The theme’s colors, fonts, backgrounds, and design elements are now applied. It’s a fast and easy way to get a cohesive look for your slides.
Customizing Google Slides themes
While themes pre-define the look of your presentation, you still have flexibility to adapt the theme to your needs:
Color schemes
Most themes come with multiple built-in color scheme options. To change the color scheme:
– Click on the Design tab.
– Find the “Change theme colors” option.
– You’ll see thumbnails for color variations – click on one to preview and apply it.
This allows you to quickly change the palette while keeping other elements consistent.
Fonts
Don’t like the fonts in a theme? No problem! You can easily replace them:
– Select the text you want to change.
– Click the Fonts menu to view and select new fonts.
– Choose fonts that complement the theme’s design.
Switching fonts allows you to put your personal stamp on a theme.
Backgrounds
You can modify background colors and images in a theme:
– Click on Backgrounds > Solid Fills to change the background color.
– Or, click Backgrounds > Photos to select a new background image.
– You can even customize backgrounds on individual slides as needed.
Don’t be afraid to tweak the backgrounds to better suit your content!
Theme elements
Some themes include graphical elements like icons, shapes, and illustrations. You can remove these if desired:
– Right click on the element you want to delete.
– Choose the “Delete” option.
– The element will be removed while other theme formatting remains.
Delete any overly stylistic elements that distract from your main content.
Slide layouts
The predefined layouts in a theme help maintain consistency. But you can add new custom layouts as needed:
– Select the slide you want to create a new layout from.
– Click “File > Save as Layout…”
– Name your layout.
– Click Save.
– You can now apply your custom layout to new slides.
Creating layouts gives you more flexibility when building your slides.
Finding the perfect Google Slides theme
With all the theme options available, how do you choose the right one? Here are some tips:
– **Match your brand** – If presenting for a company, pick a theme aligned with their brand colors and style.
– **Consider your industry** – Some themes are better suited to corporate topics, while others work for creative fields.
– **Review multiple options** – Don’t settle on the first theme that looks decent – explore different ones for comparison.
– **Use theme preview** – The preview image lets you see how a theme looks with real content before applying it.
– **Check accessibility** – Ensure colors have enough contrast for text to be readable.
– **Review entire theme** – Once applied, flip through all your slides to ensure the theme is cohesive.
– **Customize if needed** – Don’t hesitate to tweak the theme colors, fonts, and design to get the look you want.
Taking the time to carefully select and customize your Google Slides theme will make your presentation look polished, professional and compelling.
Using themes consistently
Once you’ve chosen the perfect theme, you’ll want to apply it consistently for a cohesive look. Here are some tips:
– **Use master slides** – Title slides, branding slides, and content layouts based on the theme should be saved as master slides.
– **Add theme to slide template** – If creating a reusable presentation template, apply the theme to the template file for easy consistency.
– **Set as default theme** – In Google Slides, you can set your theme as the default for new presentations.
– **Create a theme folder** – Save theme files, brand assets, and guidelines in a central folder for your team.
– **Follow brand guidelines** – Create a brand style guide for presentations including proper use of theme elements.
– **Check for consistency** – Do a final review of the presentation to ensure the theme has been used consistently everywhere.
Standardizing on a theme and sticking to it throughout your presentation gives the deck a professional, credible aesthetic.
Common Google Slides theme mistakes
It’s easy to mess up when working with Google Slides themes. Be aware of these common mistakes:
– Only using default themes. The built-in themes are just a starting point – explore all the options!
– Not previewing themes. Don’t apply themes blindly – preview first to ensure it works for your content.
– Using too many different themes. Jumping between themes can look disjointed. Pick one and use it consistently.
– Not considering branding. Make sure the theme aligns with your brand colors and style.
– Overusing theme graphics. Icons and other elements can become visually overwhelming if not used sparingly.
– Disabling the theme. Don’t revert back to default formatting – work within the theme for consistency.
– Forgetting accessibility. Check color contrast and font size to keep text readable.
– Not considering audience. A playful theme may not work for a serious business presentation.
– Cluttering the theme. Overloading slides with disparate graphics dilutes the theme’s intended look.
– Inconsistent use of theme. Flipping between themes or randomly formatted slides ruins the uniformity.
Avoid these missteps, and your theme will boost your slides rather than detract from them!
Conclusion
Themes are an invaluable tool for quickly styling Google Slides presentations. Finding the perfect theme for your needs is now fast and simple with the built-in options in Google Slides along with the online galleries and third-party websites available. With just a few clicks, you can apply designer-crafted fonts, colors, layouts and graphics for professional looking slides. Take advantage of the customization options to tweak the theme to your brand and content needs. Follow best practices with your selected theme like creating master slides and setting it as the default. With this comprehensive guide, you are ready to make the most of Google Slides themes to create consistently branded, visually appealing presentations your audiences will love.
