Suppose you are a sales manager. The CEO of the company has asked you to present a sales performance review next week. You start creating a presentation, giving attention to visuals and content. On the big day, you deliver your presentation like a pro. However, the CEO and other audience members in the conference room seem indifferent and unconvinced. They give you this feedback –
“Your presentation delivery was superb, but your slides were unpolished and a chaotic mess.”
Are you wondering what went wrong despite focusing too much on the content and visuals? Let us help you figure out the reason for this mess. The background of your slides!
The background is the canvas on which you display your data and information. The right background sets the mood and context of the presentation and creates visual stimuli for your overarching message. Most presenters overlook the backdrop design and color or use irrelevant backgrounds that diminish the overall beauty and impact of the presentation.
In this article, we have highlighted the importance of a well-thought-out background, points to keep in mind when choosing a background, and free background templates that you can use in your next presentations. Let’s dive into the details!
Importance of Backgrounds in Presentations
Choosing an apt background is important for maintaining the aesthetic balance, emphasizing the key points, and enhancing the visual appeal of your presentation.
- A well-chosen background gives your presentations a professional, polished, and credible appearance, creating an unforgettable first impression.
- The backdrop of your presentation shapes the audience’s perception of your message. A relevant and captivating background helps the audience retain and drive your message home. On the other hand, an unprofessional background distracts the audience from the main message.
- The right background contextualizes your content, making it more relatable and easy to interpret. This leads to enhanced audience engagement.
- A background aligned with your brand themes and colors reinforces your brand’s identity.
- The right background provides the perfect contrast to increase the readability and visibility of the text and visuals.
Points to Consider When Choosing a Background for Your Presentation
- Choose a simple yet effective background instead of a flashy one to make your content pop up.
- The background should have the right contrast that enhances the readability of the text and complements the visuals.
- Select a backdrop that best resonates with or reflects your brand identity.
- It must be relevant to the message you want to convey.
- It should not be pixelated and must look good on different screen sizes.
The Best Free Presentation Backgrounds for Your Presentations
1. Aesthetic Background Presentation Theme
Enhance the visual allure of your presentations by using this background template, which features a contemporary design, minimalist appeal, cohesive look, and a pastel color theme. The beauty of this sophisticated backdrop lies in its versatility; it provides a perfect canvas for presenting your company profile, statistical data, specific project-related information, product launch plan, creative portfolio, and more. Besides corporate presentations, this deck is apt for educational lectures, webinars, seminars, workshops, and marketing pitches.
2. Animated Dark Background
Set an immersive and dramatic atmosphere for your presentation using this simplistic and elegant backdrop. The vibrant colors on the dark background create high contrast, increasing the visibility and readability of text and graphics. Animation effects add interactivity, dynamism, and a modern touch to your slides, instantly drawing the audience’s attention to the content. The dramatic visual style makes this deck ideal for brand storytelling, product demos, sales and marketing pitches, futuristic and tech-related presentations, public speaking engagements, training sessions, academic lectures, etc.
3. Vintage Style Background
Add timeless aesthetic, retro appeal, and a nostalgic charm to your slides by leveraging this vintage-style background template. Its classic design elements, earthy tones, and distinctive look will take your audience on a journey to the past and make your presentations unforgettable. This background will set the right mood for presentations on history and heritage, classic literature and books, culture and tradition, art and architecture, etc. In addition, you can use it for brand storytelling, showcasing historical sites, vintage-inspired fashion presentations, photography presentations, etc.
4. Fall Background
Engage your audience in an approachable and friendly manner with this warm toned background adorned with beautiful leaves. Reflecting the natural delight of autumn foliage, this template is the right pick to add a visual connection to presentations on environmental science, wellness and lifestyle, seasonal changes, promotion of seasonal products, autumn-themed events and festivals, garden planning, and more.
Using this deck, business professionals can bring a seasonal flair to their team-building, strategic planning, and business review presentations. Photographers can use this backdrop to complement their creative work and showcase their fall-themed photographs.
5. Animated Abstract Background
With a contemporary and sleek design, attractive animation, and versatile design elements, this backdrop is ideal for showcasing your information in a distinct and memorable way. The easy customization feature makes it versatile and suitable for presentations intended for varied occasions, such as strategy meetings, quarterly reviews, business pitches, innovation showcases, tech events, training sessions, educational seminars, keynote speeches, fundraising, panel discussions, etc. The abstract patterns will create a high-impact visual experience for the audience and enable them to grasp and process the key points quickly.
6. Animated Abstract Hexagonal Background
Combining the dynamism of animation and the charm of geometry, this background provides a cutting-edge and polished look to your presentations, which is sure to captivate the audience’s eye. This backdrop exudes sophistication and professionalism, adding a distinct visual appeal to your content. Professionals from different domains and spheres can use it in presentations for product demonstrations, training and development, internal communications, technology showcases, academic conferences, and startup pitches. The deck is also well-suited for research, finance, healthcare, sales, and marketing presentations.
7. 3D Background
Add movement, provide a sense of realism, and render an innovative and modern feel to your business and casual presentations with this template featuring three-dimensional patterns in blue and purple colors. The contemporary and cutting-edge look will make your ideas lively and give them a whole new dimension. This stellar background is apt for interactive storytelling, enhancing the impact of project proposals, communicating financial data effectively, and making the startup and sales pitch more persuasive. You can also use this 100% customizable deck for various other presentations.
8. Animated Modern Liquid Background
Complement your corporate, marketing, educational, and sales presentations and enhance their aesthetics and cohesive look with this stimulating green-colored background. The animation effects will let you break down complex information, making it easy for the audience to comprehend. Whether you want to showcase your commitment to sustainability and green practices, focus the audience’s attention on critical environmental issues, announce the launch of your eco-friendly product, or explain the concept of green marketing, this template will help you do it with ease. You can also use this background to spruce up your presentations intended for portfolio showcases, creative workshops, marketing pitches, and team meetings.
9. 3D Square Background
Keep your audience attentive and invested throughout the presentation by supporting your textual information with this remarkable background. Embellished with three-dimensional squares in different hues of blue and purple, this backdrop can be used in technical, business, marketing, and creative presentations to give them a futuristic and innovative look. This template is a game-changer for presenters who want to simplify communication and visualization of complex topics and leave an indelible mark on the audience’s minds.
10. Brush Pattern Background
This sky blue-colored backdrop featuring strokes of brush adds a dash of artistic and contemporary accent to your monotonous and lifeless presentations. The modern style renders depth and dimension to your abstract ideas and helps you showcase your design projects, art portfolios, branding strategies, marketing campaigns, and creative work in a visually enticing manner. This deck can also be used in presentations intended for arts and crafts classes to infuse an element of fun and make learning effortless.
11. Animated Metallic Background
This template exudes an elegant, cutting-edge, and contemporary appeal. The metallic background adds a touch of exclusivity and luxury to your corporate, financial, sales, marketing, and educational presentations. You can also use this backdrop in slides to showcase the premium product details, personal portfolios, sales performance reviews, the brand’s high-end positioning, and more. The animation effects create an interactive and immersive experience for the audience and display the complex information in a compelling and understandable manner.
Conclusion
The background of your presentation is an important aspect that must be prioritized while designing the slides. Whether you choose a textured, gradient, or solid backdrop or use any image as a backdrop, it must support your information and brand’s theme.
Remember the principle of ‘less is more’ when choosing the background. The pre-designed presentation background templates above can save you time, give your overall presentation an authentic and vibrant touch, and convey your message without overwhelming the audience. Get them now!