Double-edged swords, blind dates, and nuclear power stations are all comparable to a presentation in that they can either make you shine like a thousand suns in brilliance or sooner than your Wi-Fi in a storm, crash and burn.
And if you're like me, you don't merely hope to make it through your presentation in one piece, you hope to dominate it. You hope folks are leaning in, not tuning out.
And the kicker: Bad design can ruin even the strongest content. I’ve been guilty of (and seen my share of) these mistakes too. So let’s go through the top five largest “don’ts” in presentation design, so you don’t make these mistakes either.
These are the common presentation mistakes I see again and again, and trust me, they’re the fast track to “what makes a bad presentation.” But good news? They’re all fixable.
The slide presentation has become a regular feature of modern-day communication: over 50% of employees are producing slides weekly, up from once every other month in 2021, with telecommuting and hybrid teams relying on visual decks to ensure business-critical discussions, And you'd better make them memorable: audiences retain a minimum of 10% of verbally communicated content three days after exposure, but retention jumps to 60–65% where visual content is complemented with verbal communication.
Optimal number and duration of slides are crucial: most prefer 10‐15 minute presentations with around 10 slides, in harmonious balance between clarity, succinctness, and capturing people's attention without overwhelming, Too-crowded slides with 5‐9 individual points or more are likely to cause cognitive overload since people can store only a few elements in working memory at a time.
Simply put, today's audiences want presentations that are concise, photogenic, and well organized. Omit these basics, and you are injecting common presentation errors directly into your effectiveness.
Oh, fonts. Where creativity comes to either bloom or bust.
Certainly, that script typeface called "Pacifico" perhaps will look marvelous in your brunch invitation.
But when you strike that same cursive darling across 20 lines of body copy? Disaster.
What needs to flow becomes a roller coaster to read.
My approach to describing it: using a display type for body copy equates to coming to a company meeting in a sequined tuxedo. Everyone will see you, but hopefully not in a favorable manner.
Why It’s a Problem
Fix It
Keep in mind, they did not come to decipher a ransom note. They came to listen to your story.
You've crafted your writing to near perfection. Then comes the present. and BAM! There it rests: a lone pitiful word all to itself on the next line. Look at that, the orphan.
Or worse? An entire phrase leaps to the next slide window, abandoning its brothers and sisters. Yes, you now have a widow.
Why It's a Problem
Fix It
They need to look like they're been pressed and dry cleaned, not like they just fell out of bed.
And always, less is more. If your line resembles a paragraph from War and Peace, you've done too much.
The bottom line: visuals are good. Too many visuals = not good.
Dumping five different stock images onto one slide isn’t creative, it’s confusing. This mistake screams, “I didn’t know what to pick, so I used them all.”
And guess what? That's what you shouldn't under any circumstances do in a presentation if you hope to make your message stick.
Why It’s a Problem
Fix It
Let the slide support your voice, not fight with it. Every visual should have a purpose. If it doesn’t? Cut it.
Ever tried reading a slide that looks like a Where’s Waldo scene, only with added text? Not fun.
This is a rookie error: you select a gorgeous (but complicated) image, see that your text will not display, and then stick a black rectangle over it like a virtual band-aid.
Why It’s a Problem
Fix It
If your picture is too busy, you can either crop it in a creative way and blur it, or select a different picture. Your slide must not resemble a failed meme.
This one kills silently. No one will inform you about what’s wrong with you but they will sense it.
One employs orange headings. The next? Blue ones. One employs a modern typeface.
The next? A scroll from the middle ages.
This is what must be avoided throughout most presentations, visual inconsistency.
Why It’s a Problem
Fix It
Your slides should feel like siblings, not distant cousins.
A great deck works like a playlist. When the songs abruptly jump genre in mid-track, it’s disconcerting. But where there’s visual rhythm? Magic.
Struggling with cluttered layouts, mismatched fonts, or overwhelming images? Get your deck in shape with the help of experts at INK PPT. Present with clarity and confidence.
Designing a presentation isn’t about making it look nice; it’s about making your content clear, credible, and unforgettable. Here’s the reality: even the greatest ideas get lost in a sea of ill-matched fonts, busy slides, and distracting images. And in 2025, where attention spans are shorter than they’ve ever been, mistakes like that cost you more than style points; they cost you influence.
By now, you’ve seen how common presentation mistakes, like using the wrong fonts, tossing in too many images, or skipping on consistency, can unravel your narrative. The good news? They’re entirely avoidable. With a few mindful tweaks and a commitment to clean, purposeful design, your deck can become your greatest storytelling asset.
So before your big meeting, pitch, or keynote, breathe deeply and look at your slides with new eyes.
Ask: Is every element assisting or harming my message? Get the little things right, and the big victories will flow naturally.
Because a good presentation doesn’t just depict what you’re talking about, but elevates it.
And trust me, your readers will thank you for it.
Co-founder of INKPPT, I specialize in transforming complex ideas into refined, visually striking presentations. With a deep belief in the power of storytelling and design, I help brands communicate with clarity, purpose, and impact. Every slide is crafted to inform, inspire, and leave a lasting impression.
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