Workload: creating custom PowerPoint layouts

Do you like PowerPoint? Do you hate having to keep moving bits about because your chosen template doesn’t quite work for you? Well here is my guide on editing and creating your own custom layouts to save time and de-stress your lesson production work flow.

I’ve created a range of layouts to help my lesson production. A range of slides for the LO/Title so I can see where a new lesson starts. Layouts for questions to ask the class, or a prompt to give Activity instructions. A host of visual clues that will tell your class that the lesson is progressing.

A note before we begin

All the screen grabs in this blog are taken from PowerPoint within Office365. Whilst some buttons might be in different places, the method will still work with older versions of PowerPoint as the names and options are still the same.

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How to make custom layouts

First of all, chose a Design you like the look of from the Design menu. My favourites are called Integral and Facet (yes, do please laugh at me for having a favourite layout). Once you have made your choice, you will need to open the Slide Master View (or just Slide Master in old versions of PowerPoint).

This option is not usually a button on the main menu bar, so you find it using the Search bar. Click on the option or hit Enter to open up the menu.

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Fonts and Master details

Once open, you get to see behind the curtain at how the Design works. The first item you may wish to change is the Font or other elements (like background art) used throughout the design. These are settings that are replicated onto all slides you design so be careful. These are edited on the Master Slide, which is the first one you see. You can add in other Master Slides using the Add option in the menu bar if you want different sets. Here, think about how to make your text as easily read as it can. Fonts like Century Gothic are great for dyslexic students and sizes under 24pt will be difficult for students to read beyond the front row.

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Making a custom layout

Once the Master details are settled, you can now start making new layouts or editing existing ones. All of the layouts in the theme will be on the left-hand side of the screen, just like slides are in a presentation. You can delete, copy and add new layouts to this list. You can also rename layouts and re-order the list too. For instance, I have all my Title/LO slides first as I always use these first when making lessons.

One item you will use lots of are Placeholders. These are containers for text, pictures, media … and can be set to a default size you wish.

If you find you need to keep altering a layout (such as removing the Title bar so you can show more text) then delete and resize elements as needed. Or you can add new Placeholders using the Insert button.

For instance, I added a Picture holder over the design in my Title/LO slide to create a large landscape photo layout that had space for a single question.

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How to save

Once you are completed you will need to save the altered Design. You will need to do this as a Custom Design so it is available every time you use PowerPoint. It also means you can share you snazzy new design with colleagues is they ask for it.

Oddly, there is not an obvious button marked Save Design. There was in old versions of PowerPoint, but in this new version it is tucked away on the Themes menu. Click on Themes and then on Save Current Theme. If you press Ctrl+S or click on the normal Save button it will save a PowerPoint file, and not your altered layouts.

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I hope you have found this guide helpful. If you would like a copy of my custom PowerPoint design please get in touch using the Contacts form.