Google Slides is a popular tool for creating presentations. It’s widely accessible and has an intuitive interface, meaning it’s very easy to learn and use for the first time. If you’re using Google Slides to create an important presentation, you may be considering employing a presentation design agency to help bring your content to life. There are lots of different people out there claiming to be presentation experts, so it can be hard to know what type of agency you should be looking for. Is employing an agency really worth the effort when Slides is so easy to use? And how much value can an agency really add?
Well, there are a few things to consider when you’re deciding if employing a presentation design company is right for you:
If you’re using Google Slides, it’s likely because it’s quite easy to pick up. Slides has an intuitive interface that’s complemented by a range of simple features, making it accessible for both presentation novices and veterans alike. So why on earth would you need to employ the services of a presentation design agency? It all depends on the impact you want your presentation to have. If you mainly use Google Slides to deliver day-to-day information to teams within your organisation, employing an agency could be a waste of time and money. But, if you’re delivering a high value presentation – selling to prospective clients, for example, or convincing internal stakeholders of your bright ideas – you need to deliver a persuasive, high quality pitch. When the stakes are high, it’s worth turning to the experts.
The reason Google Slides is so easy to use is because it has quite a limited set of features, and lacks some of the more advanced features that can help take your presentation to the next level. A presentation design agency can be really helpful in pushing Google Slides’ functionality to its limits – so you can get the most out of it.
Most presentation design agencies can help you with your slide design, though not all of them specialise in using Google Slides. PowerPoint and Keynote have long been the industry standard presentation creation software, and many agencies have spent years working in these programs. Google Slides is still a newcomer – relatively speaking – so make sure you find an agency with specific Google Slides expertise, so you can be sure they know the software inside out. They might have produced great guides to Google Slides for example!
Choosing the right agency isn’t just about their design services. Some presentation agencies can only help with slide design. Others help you tell your story more persuasively, this is a significant part of creating an effective presentation. If you want help with more than just design, make sure you find an agency with broader capabilities, too.
There are lots of different ways your presentation can make a positive and lasting impact on your audience. Some of these are obvious, like the look and feel of your deck. Others less so, like the narrative flow of your presentation, and the message you’re trying to communicate. A presentation design agency with expertise in Google Slides can help you achieve your presentation goals, despite software limitations, and do much more besides.
Here are just some of the ways a presentation design agency with Google Slides expertise can help you get the most out of Slides:
One of the ways in which Slides is particularly limited is in its animation options. Slides does have some basic animations (such as fade, zoom, fly in, appear and disappear) but it’s impossible to create the kind of complex sequences you can in other presentation software. Microsoft PowerPoint, for example, has a wider range of animations, and you can tweak and edit them to create a number of tailored effects. If you’re trying to impress and delight your audience with memorable visual content, you may find that relying on Slides’ in-built animation functionality leaves them underwhelmed.
But this isn’t a total cause for despair. Some presentation design agencies are animation experts, and have a few tricks up their sleeves to help you get the most out of the tools available. One great thing about Google Slides is that it supports the use of animated GIFs. Presentation design agencies with experience in Slides will be able to build and incorporate bespoke animated GIFs that reflect your brand look and feel, to bring much needed dynamism to your slides.
Google Slides is made to build presentations, not design custom illustrations and graphics. If you’re in need of a logo, diagram, or illustrated scene, a presentation design consultancy with access to the most up-to-date design software will help bring the professional touch you’re looking for, whilst ensuring design consistency across all visuals so they sit comfortably within your brand.
Whether you’ve been working in different presentation software, such as PowerPoint, and want to make the transition to Google Slides, or are just starting out with a new template for your brand, a good presentation design agency can help make the move more seamless. They can build you a custom template and set of brand guidelines specifically for use in Google Slides, equipped with a toolkit for any assets, icons, or imagery you may need. Simply exporting your PowerPoint template to Google Slides may seem like an easy option, but this method is prone to glitches. Slides’ template master is not set up in the same way as in PowerPoint, so editing becomes a lot trickier if you use this method.
A great presentation isn’t measured just by appearance. Having a well crafted narrative is equally important to capturing and maintaining your audience’s attention, with them leaving remembering your key message. Not all presentation agencies offer messaging services – some are focused simply on design. However, the right agency should be able to clearly understand your message, and help you relay it in a way that speaks to your audience.
Even if your slides look great and your message is hitting the mark, your deck could still be ineffective if it’s presented poorly. Presentation skills training equips your speakers with the skills and confidence they need to deliver your message well. Not all presentation companies offer this, and not all presentation skills coaches work for presentation design agencies. Often, finding an agency that does both is the best option. This way, your presenters learn to effectively deliver your new slides in the way they were designed to be presented.
Some agencies may offer training specifically for Google Slides, so that your teams can become more self sufficient in putting together and editing content. This may be useful for internal presentations that need to look professional, but don’t require the impressive visuals that your external-facing content does.
Now you know how a presentation design agency can improve your Google Slides presentations. When choosing an agency, it’s crucial to consider your specific needs and which agency can meet them. Different agencies offer different areas of specialization and expertise – and not all specialise in Google Slides – so make sure you do your research before making a decision!
At BrightCarbon, we have a number of Google Slides experts on hand who can help you create stunning visuals, write persuasive messaging, provide Google Slides training, and much more.
Leave a commentWe really struggled not being able to add customisable maps to Google Slides, so we made our own. And if, like us, you're looking for a way to add editable maps to Google Slides, we’ve made our map available for you to download and use as well!
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Tell me more!A big and sincere thanks for all of your superb help and effort in preparing such fantastic material and for all your excellent coaching tips. Look forward to working with you again soon.
Greg Tufnall Siemens
