Slide Master, Themes, and Accessible Templates

Why it matters

Accessible templates encode good structure, fonts, sizes, and color contrast across all slides. This prevents one-off fixes and ensures consistency throughout your presentation while building accessibility into the foundation of your design.

Using Slide Master for accessibility provides several key benefits:

• Consistency at scale: Apply accessibility improvements to all slides at once
• Prevention over remediation: Build accessibility in from the start rather than fixing issues later
• Brand compliance: Ensure organizational designs meet accessibility standards
• Efficiency: Save time by setting accessibility features once rather than on each slide
• Future-proofing: New slides automatically inherit accessible design choices

Understanding Slide Master

What is Slide Master?

Slide Master is PowerPoint's template system that controls the default appearance and layout of all slides in your presentation. Changes made to the Slide Master automatically apply to all slides that use those layouts.

Key components controlled by Slide Master

• Layout structure: Placeholder positions and types
• Typography: Font families, sizes, and formatting
• Color schemes: Theme colors and their relationships
• Background design: Images, patterns, and brand elements
• Default object formatting: Shapes, lines, and other elements

Accessibility advantages of Slide Master

Set up an accessible template (Windows)

Step 1: Access Slide Master

1. Go to View → Slide Master
2. The Slide Master tab will open, showing the master layout and individual slide layouts
3. Click on the top slide (the Slide Master) to make global changes
4. Click on individual layout slides to customize specific layouts

Step 2: Set accessible fonts

1. Choose legible fonts such as:
   • Aptos (Microsoft's new default, highly legible)
   • Calibri (clean, widely supported)
   • Arial (universally available)
   • Segoe UI (good for digital display)
2. Avoid decorative, script, or condensed fonts for body text
3. Select all placeholder text and apply your chosen font

Step 3: Set minimum font sizes

1. Body text: Minimum 18 pt (24 pt or larger is better)
2. Slide titles: 28 pt or larger
3. Captions and footnotes: Minimum 16 pt
4. Select text placeholders and adjust font sizes in the Home tab

Step 4: Define accessible theme colors

1. Go to Slide Master → Colors → Customize Colors
2. Test color combinations for sufficient contrast:
   • Normal text: 4.5:1 contrast ratio minimum
   • Large text (18pt+ or 14pt+ bold): 3:1 contrast ratio minimum
3. Use online contrast checkers to verify ratios
4. Save your custom color theme with a descriptive name

Step 5: Configure layout structure

1. Ensure placeholders exist for titles, content, and footers where needed
2. Position placeholders in logical reading order (left to right, top to bottom)
3. Avoid placing critical information in background images
4. If using footer elements, include placeholders for date, slide number, and other consistent information

Step 6: Handle background design

1. Avoid text over images: Keep background images decorative only
2. If background images are necessary, provide high-contrast overlays behind text
3. Test readability of text against all background elements
4. Consider providing a high-contrast alternative version

Step 7: Save as template

1. Return to normal view by clicking Close Master View
2. Go to File → Save As
3. Choose PowerPoint Template (*.potx) as the file type
4. Give your template a descriptive name (e.g., "Accessible Company Template 2024")
5. Save in a location where team members can access it

Font and size requirements

Recommended accessible fonts

Font size guidelines

Considerations for different presentation contexts

• Large rooms/projectors: Use larger sizes (body text 28pt+)
• Virtual presentations: Consider that viewers may have smaller screens
• Printed handouts: Ensure fonts remain legible when printed
• Mobile viewing: Larger fonts help with small screen accessibility

Color and contrast considerations

Understanding contrast ratios

Testing color combinations

1. Use online contrast checkers:
   • WebAIM Contrast Checker
   • Colour Contrast Analyser (desktop app)
   • Built-in PowerPoint accessibility checker
2. Test primary combinations:
   • Text color against slide background
   • Text color against shape fills
   • Border colors against backgrounds
3. Document approved combinations for consistent use

Common color pitfalls to avoid

Building a robust color theme

1. Start with high contrast base: Dark text on light background or light text on dark background
2. Test accent colors: Ensure all theme colors work for text when needed
3. Include variety: Provide options for different content types
4. Document the theme: Create a style guide showing approved combinations

Background and layout best practices

Background image guidelines

When background images are necessary

1. Use high-contrast overlays:
   • Semi-transparent dark overlay for light text
   • Semi-transparent light overlay for dark text
   • Solid color bars behind text areas
2. Position carefully:
   • Keep busy image areas away from text zones
   • Use simple, low-contrast background images
   • Test readability in different lighting conditions
3. Provide alternatives:
   • Create a high-contrast version of the template
   • Include text-only slide layouts
   • Offer plain background options

Layout accessibility features

• Logical placeholder positioning: Follow standard reading patterns (left-to-right, top-to-bottom)
• Adequate white space: Don't overcrowd content areas
• Consistent positioning: Keep title and content areas in the same relative positions across layouts
• Footer considerations: Include placeholders for date, slide number, and minimal footer content

Template management and sharing

Organizing accessible templates

• Naming convention: Use descriptive names that include "Accessible" or "A11y"
• Version control: Include dates or version numbers in template names
• Documentation: Create a guide explaining the accessibility features
• Testing notes: Document which contrast combinations have been verified

Sharing and adoption strategies

For teams:

• Store templates in shared network locations
• Provide training on how to use accessible features
• Create quick reference guides for common tasks
• Establish review processes for presentations

For organizations:

• Make accessible templates the default option
• Include accessibility requirements in brand guidelines
• Provide centralized template repository
• Regular updates to maintain current accessibility standards

Maintenance and updates

1. Regular review schedule: Update templates annually or when standards change
2. User feedback: Collect input from people who use assistive technologies
3. Technology updates: Test templates with new versions of PowerPoint and assistive technologies
4. Compliance monitoring: Ensure templates continue to meet current accessibility standards

Quick checklist