Presentation
1920 × 1080. Six columns.
All presentation slides — Keynote, PowerPoint, Google Slides — use a 16:9 canvas at 1920×1080px. An 80px safe zone keeps content clear of edges; inside that, a six-column grid organises type and graphics into consistent, repeatable positions.
| Canvas | 1920 × 1080px |
| Ratio | 16:9 |
| Safe zone | 80px all edges |
| Columns | 6 |
| Gutter | 24px |
| Col width | ~277px |
- —Keep all content within the 80px safe zone — nothing critical at the edges.
- —Align type and graphic elements to column edges, not to the slide centre.
- —One Terracotta accent element per slide — place it at the left column edge or as a rule beneath the eyebrow.
- —Leave at least one full column as breathing room — slides with content spanning all six columns feel overloaded.
Typography
Hierarchy in five roles.
Slide type is sized for a room, not a screen. All sizes are given at the 1920×1080 canvas — scale proportionally if your tool uses a smaller working size. Newsreader carries the weight of a statement; Figtree handles everything operational.
| Role | Font · size | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Headline | Newsreader · 72px | Regular |
| Subhead | Newsreader · 48px | Regular |
| Body | Figtree · 28px | Regular |
| Eyebrow | Figtree · 18px | Medium · caps · +0.1em |
| Caption | Figtree · 16px | Regular · 55% opacity |
| Role | Slate ground | Paper ground |
|---|---|---|
| Headline | Paper · 90% | Slate · 90% |
| Subhead | Paper · 75% | Slate · 75% |
| Body | Paper · 60% | Slate · 65% |
| Eyebrow | Terracotta | Terracotta |
| Caption | Paper · 45% | Slate · 45% |
Colours
Two grounds. One accent.
Slate and Paper are the only slide backgrounds. Paper ground is the default — it suits content-heavy slides and works well in bright rooms. Slate ground is used for title slides, section breaks, and key statements where the room needs a visual anchor. Terracotta appears once per slide as an accent only: an eyebrow rule, a horizontal divider, or a highlight bar. Never as body text, never as a background.
- —Paper ground for the majority of slides — content, data, and extended reading
- —Slate ground for title slides, section breaks, and key statements
- —Terracotta as a single rule, bar, or eyebrow element per slide
- —Fog tones for supporting text and captions at 45–65% opacity
- —Terracotta as a slide background — it overwhelms and reads as a warning colour
- —More than two ground colours across a single deck
- —Body text in Terracotta — emphasis belongs on structure, not words
- —White as a background — use Paper, not pure white
Content
Less is the structure.
YMF presentations speak to practitioners — people who already know the territory. Slides are visual anchors for a spoken talk, not documents to be read independently. Every word on screen should be there because removing it would lose something; if it wouldn't be missed, cut it.
- One idea per slideIf you need a second sentence to support the first, that's a second slide.
- Headlines: 5–8 wordsDeclarative statements over questions. Statements make claims — questions leave the room doing your work for you.
- Body: max 3 pointsOne line each. If a bullet wraps, it's prose. Move it to the speaker notes.
- No full paragraphsSlides that require reading slow the room. If the content needs that density, it belongs in a leave-behind document.
- Direct and warmSpeak to peers, not an audience. Assume intelligence. Skip the throat-clearing — start with the thing that matters.
- Active voice"We built" not "A framework was developed". Active voice signals conviction; passive voice signals distance.
- One ask per deckEach presentation should want one thing from the room — a decision, a commitment, a shifted perspective. Name it, then build toward it.
- Finish on actionThe last slide should give the room something to do or think. Not a Thank You slide. Not a logo page.
| Context | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Conference session | 20–30 slides | 1 slide per minute of talk time. Build in title, section breaks, and a closing action slide. |
| Workshop / training | 30–50 slides | More visual prompts, fewer statements. Slides support activities rather than deliver content. |
| Stakeholder briefing | 8–12 slides | Problem → evidence → recommendation → ask. One ask, clearly stated. |
| Internal update | 5–8 slides | What changed, what it means, what you need. No context-setting slides the room already knows. |