Title pages are important, they are the first impression you make on your audience. Some suggestions on how you can make them better.
- Write an interesting title (like a newspaper heading that invites to read), followed by a small subtitle explaining what your presentation actually is (i.e., the 2nd quarter financial results)
- Include information for the people in the audience wondering who this person is on stage adjusting his/her microphone (your name, company, function, presentation occasion, date and place)
- Avoid heavy bold fonts, they use “fat” when used in big font sizes, instead use bigger regular fonts, they look more elegant. If necessary use a darker (or lighter) shading of the text color (preferably not black) to emphasize.
- Use a page-wide image, preferably in colors that are similar to the ones you use in your presentation (you could add a color overlay if you can’t find the right image). Make sure the image has enough empty space for text. If not, leave bars either above or under the image (movie on 4:3 screen look), or a rectangle to the left or right. I like images of people looking into the lens, but they are not suitable for all types of presentations.
- Align text left or right (not centered) somewhere along the “golden proportion” of the slide
Obviously, if you are bound by the prescribed PowerPoint template of your company there is not much room for chance.