Cover Page
- Use for: opening + tone setting
- Content: big title, subtitle/presenter, date/occasion, strong background/motif
Table of Contents
- Use for: navigation + expectation setting (3–5 sections)
- Content: section list (optional icons / page numbers)
Section Divider
- Use for: clear transitions between major parts
- Content: section number + title (+ optional 1–2 line intro)
Content Page (pick a subtype)
- Text: bullets/quotes/short paragraphs (still add icons/shapes)
- Mixed media: two-column / half-bleed image + text overlay
- Data visualization: chart + 1–3 key takeaways + source
- Comparison: side-by-side columns/cards (A vs B, pros/cons)
- Timeline / process: steps with arrows, journey, phases
- Image showcase: hero image, gallery, or visual-first layout
Summary / Closing Page
- Use for: wrap-up + action
- Content: key takeaways, CTA/next steps, contact/QR, thank-you

Layout options:

Two-column (text left, illustration on right)
Icon + text rows (icon in colored circle, bold header, description below)
2x2 or 2x3 grid (image on one side, grid of content blocks on other)
Half-bleed image (full left or right side) with content overlay

Data display:

Large stat callouts (big numbers 60-72pt with small labels below)
Comparison columns (before/after, pros/cons, side-by-side options)
Timeline or process flow (numbered steps, arrows)

Visual polish:

Icons in small colored circles next to section headers
Italic accent text for key stats or taglines

Typography

Choose an interesting font pairing — don't default to Arial. Pick a header font with personality and pair it with a clean body font.

Header Font	Body Font
Georgia	Calibri
Arial Black	Arial
Calibri	Calibri Light
Cambria	Calibri
Trebuchet MS	Calibri
Impact	Arial
Palatino	Garamond
Consolas	Calibri

Element	Size
Slide title	36-44pt bold
Section header	20-24pt bold
Body text	14-16pt
Captions	10-12pt muted

Spacing

0.5" minimum margins
0.3-0.5" between content blocks
Leave breathing room—don't fill every inch

Avoid (Common Mistakes)

Don't repeat the same layout — vary columns, cards, and callouts across slides
Don't center body text — left-align paragraphs and lists; center only titles
Don't skimp on size contrast — titles need 36pt+ to stand out from 14-16pt body
Don't default to blue — pick colors that reflect the specific topic
Don't mix spacing randomly — choose 0.3" or 0.5" gaps and use consistently
Don't style one slide and leave the rest plain — commit fully or keep it simple throughout
Don't create text-only slides — add images, icons, charts, or visual elements; avoid plain title + bullets
Don't forget text box padding — when aligning lines or shapes with text edges, set margin: 0 on the text box or offset the shape to account for padding
Don't use low-contrast elements — icons AND text need strong contrast against the background; avoid light text on light backgrounds or dark text on dark backgrounds
NEVER use accent lines under titles — these are a hallmark of AI-generated slides; use whitespace or background color instead

Compiling Slides

After all slide JS files are generated in slides/, create slides/compile.js to compile them into a single PPTX:

// slides/compile.js
const pptxgen = require('pptxgenjs');
const pres = new pptxgen();
pres.layout = 'LAYOUT_16x9';

const theme = {
  primary: "22223b",    // dark color for backgrounds/text
  secondary: "4a4e69",  // secondary accent
  accent: "9a8c98",     // highlight color
  light: "c9ada7",      // light accent
  bg: "f2e9e4"          // background color
};

for (let i = 1; i <= 12; i++) {  // adjust count as needed
  const num = String(i).padStart(2, '0');
  const slideModule = require(`./slide-${num}.js`);
  slideModule.createSlide(pres, theme);
}

pres.writeFile({ fileName: './output/presentation.pptx' });

Run with: cd slides && node compile.js

QA (Required)

Assume there are problems. Your job is to find them.

Your first render is almost never correct. Approach QA as a bug hunt, not a confirmation step. If you found zero issues on first inspection, you weren't looking hard enough.

Content QA

python -m markitdown output.pptx

Check for missing content, typos, wrong order.

When using templates, check for leftover placeholder text:

python -m markitdown output.pptx | grep -iE "xxxx|lorem|ipsum|this.*(page|slide).*layout"

If grep returns results, fix them before declaring success.

Verification Loop

Generate slides → Extract text with python -m markitdown output.pptx → Review content
List issues found (if none found, look again more critically)
Fix issues
Re-verify affected slides — one fix often creates another problem
Repeat until a full pass reveals no new issues

Do not declare success until you've completed at least one fix-and-verify cycle.

Dependencies

pip install "markitdown[pptx]" - text extraction
npm install -g pptxgenjs - creating from scratch

ppt-orchestra-skill

Slide Page Types (Standard)