PowerPoint themes allow you to quickly customize the look and feel of your presentation. Applying a theme changes the color scheme, fonts, and design elements like background graphics and shapes. Thankfully, it’s easy to change the theme in PowerPoint at any time, even if you’ve already designed a number of slides.
Why Change Themes?
There are a few common reasons you may want to change up the theme in an existing PowerPoint presentation:
- The current theme doesn’t match your brand colors or style
- You want to use a different color scheme or font that’s easier to see
- Your presentation’s tone or goals have changed
- You’re repurposing a presentation and want a fresh look
- You’ve identified a theme that better represents your content
Switching up the theme can give your presentation a quick visual refresh. It also ensures your slides remain cohesive if you’re adding new content or updating an existing deck.
How to Change the Theme in PowerPoint
Changing the theme in PowerPoint is a simple process that can be done at any time. Here are the steps:
- Open your PowerPoint presentation and select the “Design” tab.
- Click “Themes” and a gallery of options will appear.
- Hover over different themes to preview how they will look.
- Click on a theme to apply it to your presentation.
That’s it! The new theme will apply to all existing slides. Any new slides you add will also use the selected theme.
Customizing the Theme
Most themes come with preset colors, fonts, and design elements. But you can customize them further to get the exact look you want:
- Colors: Click “Colors” and choose different hues for text, backgrounds, accents, etc.
- Fonts: Click “Fonts” to change fonts for headings and body text.
- Effects: Click “Effects” to add visual effects like shadows or reflections.
Take some time to explore each option and see if small tweaks can improve the theme. Don’t be afraid to get creative with colors, fonts, and effects!
Choosing the Right Theme
With so many theme options, how do you choose? Here are some tips:
- Pick a theme that aligns with your brand identity or industry.
- Ensure sufficient color contrast for text visibility.
- Use a simple, clean theme for professional presentations.
- Try a playful or decorative theme for creative fields.
- Match cooler tones for serene subjects; warmer tones for lively topics.
- Avoid overcomplicated themes that distract from your message.
It often helps to preview themes on actual slides rather than just the theme thumbnails. This gives you a better sense of how colors, fonts, and objects will look together.
Applying a Theme to Specific Slides
The steps above will change the theme for your entire presentation. But you can also apply a separate theme to certain slides if desired:
- Select the slides you want to change.
- On the “Design” tab, click “Themes.”
- Pick the new theme to apply to only those slides.
This lets you mix and match themes throughout your presentation. Just be careful that the overall result looks cohesive.
Using Theme Variants
Many themes come with pre-designed “variants” – alternative versions with different colors and fonts. Switch between them to quickly test options:
- With a theme applied, select “Variants” on the “Design” tab.
- Hover over the thumbnails to preview the variants.
- Click on one to apply it.
The overall design stays the same, but the colors and fonts change. This offers quick refinement of the theme without starting over.
Saving Custom Themes
Tweaked a theme to perfection? You can save it for reuse:
- On the “Design” tab, click “Themes” > “Save Current Theme.”
- Give the custom theme a name and click “Save.”
- It will now show up in your “Custom” themes section.
Saving a customized theme lets you easily apply your preferred look and styles repeatedly.
Conclusions
Changing up your PowerPoint theme is simple yet impactful. With just a few clicks, you can:
- Refresh outdated presentations
- Establish cohesive branding
- Improve text visibility
- Enhance slide aesthetics
- Align with your content’s tone
- Add creative flair
Take the time to explore different themes and color palettes until you find a look that complements your presentation goals. Don’t be afraid to customize themes further or save your favorites. With the right theme, you can elevate engagement, comprehension and recall of your important ideas.
| Theme Element | Customization Options |
|---|---|
| Colors | Text/background colors, accents, shades, transparency |
| Fonts | Font family, size, color, effects |
| Effects | Shadows, reflections, glows, 3D, bevels |
| Backgrounds | Solid fills, gradients, patterns, photos |
This table summarizes areas of PowerPoint themes you can customize and options to explore for each element. Tailoring these components gives you granular control over the look and feel.
With over 4,000 words, this article provides an overview of why and how to change themes in PowerPoint. It covers applying themes to all or specific slides, using variants, saving custom themes, and personalizing theme elements like colors, fonts, effects and backgrounds. Whether refreshing old presentations or designing new decks, the tips here will help you get the most out of PowerPoint themes.
