How to Create Engaging Slides… When You Aren’t a Designer

You’ve just finished outlining your online course content. You know your material inside and out. But now you’re staring at a blank PowerPoint slide, wondering how to make your expertise look as professional as it sounds.

Sound familiar?

Here’s what usually happens next: You either spend hours wrestling with design software (and still end up with slides that look amateur), or you convince yourself that “simple text slides are fine” while knowing your students deserve better.

But what if you could create slides that actually enhance your teaching without hiring a designer or becoming one yourself?

In this post, we’ll show you exactly how to design engaging slides for your online course videos – even if your current design skills stop at choosing fonts in Microsoft Word. Whether you’re creating your first course or updating an existing one, these practical strategies will help you build slides that support your teaching and keep your students engaged.

Why Your Slides Matter More Than You Think

Before we dive into the how-to, let’s address the elephant in the room: In online courses, your slides aren’t just visual aids – they’re often the primary way students interact with your content. Unlike a live presentation where you can read the room and adjust, your course slides need to work harder to maintain attention and clarify concepts.

The good news? You don’t need to be a designer to create slides that work. You just need to understand a few key principles and know which shortcuts actually make a difference.

The Real Purpose of Your Slides (It’s Not What You Think)

Here’s a truth that might feel counterintuitive: Your slides aren’t supposed to contain everything you’re teaching. They’re visual anchors that support your voice, not replace it.

Think about the last online course you took. Did you remember the slides with walls of text? Or the ones with a clear visual that reinforced what the instructor was saying?

The Biggest Mistake Course Creators Make

We see it all the time: Course creators treat their slides like scripts, cramming every point, sub-point, and detail onto each slide. The result? Students split their attention between reading and listening, absorbing neither effectively.

Your slides should complement your teaching, not compete with it.

What Your Slides Should Actually Do

Think of your slides as:

• Visual signposts that help students know where they are in your lesson
• Memory triggers that make key concepts stick
• Focus tools that highlight what matters most
• Engagement boosters that break up the monotony of just listening

When you shift your thinking this way, slide creation becomes much simpler. You’re not trying to document everything, you’re creating visual support for your teaching.

⭐The One Rule That Changes Everything⭐

If you remember nothing else from this post, remember this:

One idea per slide.

That’s it. One concept. One point. One visual.

When you’re tempted to add “just one more bullet point,” create a new slide instead. Your students will thank you, and your courses will be more engaging as a result.

Step 1: Start with Structure, Not Design

Before you open PowerPoint, Canva, or any design tool, grab a piece of paper. Yes, really.

The secret to creating engaging slides isn’t starting with design, it’s starting with a clear structure. When you nail your content flow first, the design practically takes care of itself.

Map Your Presentation Flow First

Here’s a simple exercise that will save you hours of frustration:

1. Write your main teaching points on sticky notes (one per note)
2. Arrange them in logical order on a wall or table
3. Group related concepts together
4. Identify where visuals would help clarify a concept

This low-tech approach helps you see your entire module at a glance. You’ll spot gaps, eliminate redundancy, and create a natural flow, all before touching a design tool.

The Module Structure That Works

For each module in your course, consider this proven structure:

• Title slide – What they’ll learn
• Overview slide – The roadmap for this lesson
• Content slides – Your teaching points (remember: one idea each)
• Example/case study slides – Show, don’t just tell
• Summary slide – Key takeaways
• Action slide – What to do next

This isn’t a rigid formula.. you should adapt it to your teaching style. But having a consistent structure helps students know what to expect and makes your course feel professional. Below, you will find an example slide structure we have used in our programs.

Step 2: Creating Your Slide Outline

Once you have your flow mapped, create a simple outline.

For each slide, write:

• The main point (one sentence)
• Supporting visual needed (if any)
• Speaker notes (what you’ll actually say)

This outline becomes your roadmap. Now when you open your design tool, you’re not staring at a blank canvas—you know exactly what needs to go on each slide.

Step 3: Design Shortcuts That Actually Work

Now that you have your structure, let’s talk design. But here’s the thing: you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Instead, you’ll use smart shortcuts that save time while still looking professional.

Templates Done Right

Yes, templates can look generic. But only if you use them wrong.

Here’s how to make templates work for you:

Where to Find Quality Templates

• Canva – Search for “course presentation” or “educational slides”
• Slidesgo – Free templates and infographics to use with Google Slides, Canva, or Powerpoint
• Envato Elements – Professional templates if you’re ready to invest
• Your course platform – Many platforms offer starter templates

How to Customize Without Breaking the Design

The key to using templates well? Restraint. 

Here’s what to change in the template:

• Colors (match your brand)
• Fonts (stay consistent with your course materials)
• Logo placement

Here’s what to leave alone:

• The underlying grid system
• Spacing between elements
• Overall layout proportions

The Power of White Space

If there’s one design principle that instantly makes slides look professional, it’s this: embrace white space.

White space isn’t wasted space. Instead, it’s breathing room for your content. It helps students focus on what matters without feeling overwhelmed.

Quick rule: If you can fit more content on a slide, you probably shouldn’t.

Typography Made Simple

You don’t need to be a typography expert. 

Just follow these three rules:

1. Two fonts maximum – One for headers, one for body text
2. Size matters – Headers at 44pt minimum, body text at 24pt minimum
3. Contrast is key – Dark text on light backgrounds (or vice versa)

Safe font combinations that always work:

• Montserrat (headers) + Open Sans (body)
• Playfair Display (headers) + Lato (body)
• Bebas Neue (headers) + Roboto (body)

Stick to these, and your slides will look cohesive and professional every time.

In the example below, you’ll see how much of a difference it makes to stick to these best practices. On the left, we have a text heavy slide, using colors that are difficult to read. On the right, we have a clear, easy to understand slide that prioritizes the important information.

Step 4: Visual Elements Without the Overwhelm

Let’s tackle the part that trips up most non-designers: adding visuals. The good news? You need far fewer visual elements than you think.

Use Images Strategically, Not Everywhere

Here’s a radical idea: You don’t need an image on every slide. In fact, strategic use of images is far more powerful than decorating every slide.

When to Use Images:

• To demonstrate a concept that’s hard to explain with words
• To show before/after examples
• To break up sections and give visual relief
• To create emotional connection with your content

Where to Find Quality Images:

• Unsplash or Pexels – Free, high-quality stock photos
• Your own screenshots – Perfect for showing processes or examples of your tools and worksheets
• Simple phone photos – Often more authentic than stock images

The One-Image Rule

When you do use an image, make it the star. One powerful image beats three mediocre ones every time. Full-screen images with text overlay often look more professional than trying to balance multiple elements.

Icons and Simple Graphics

Icons are your secret weapon for making slides visual without cluttering them.

Free Icon Resources:

• The Noun Project – Millions of icons in consistent styles
• Flaticon – Downloadable sets in matching styles
• Font Awesome – Many sets of icons available to integrate into your website or popular apps like Figma

Pro tip: Choose one icon style and stick with it throughout your entire course. Mixing styles screams “amateur.”

Color Choices That Work

Forget color theory. Here’s all you need to know…

The 3-Color Rule:

1. Primary color – Your main brand color
2. Secondary color – A complementary color for emphasis
3. Neutral color – Usually dark gray, black, or white for text

That’s it. Three colors maximum.

High Contrast is Non-Negotiable

Your students might be watching on phones, tablets, or dimly lit rooms.

Make sure you:

• Use dark text on light backgrounds (or vice versa)
• Avoid medium gray on light gray
• Test your slides by squinting—if you can’t read it easily, fix it

Step 5: Tools That Do the Heavy Lifting

Let’s talk tools. The right software can make the difference between spending hours on design and getting your slides done in an afternoon.

Canva for Non-Designers

If you only use one tool from this list, make it Canva. Here’s why it’s perfect for course creators…

Canva Pro Tips for Course Creators:

• Create a “Brand Kit” with your fonts and colors. This way, you can apply them to any template instantly
• Use the “Magic Resize” feature to repurpose slides for social media
• Save slide layouts you love as templates for future modules
• Upload your own fonts to match your brand exactly

Cost: Free version works fine, Pro version ($12.99/month) is worth it if you’d like access to premium photos or you’re creating multiple courses.

Google Slides for Collaboration

Don’t underestimate Google Slides. It’s free, works everywhere, and has some hidden strengths:

PowerPoint’s Hidden Features

The catch: You need a recent version to access the best features.

Quick Tool Comparison

• For beginners: Canva
• For teams: Google Slides
• For advanced features: PowerPoint Or Keynote (our team finds Keynote much easier than PPT)
• For speed: Canva templates + your brand kit

Remember: The best tool is the one you’ll actually use. Don’t get caught up in finding the “perfect” software. Just pick one and start creating.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

After helping hundreds of course creators with their slides, we’ve seen every mistake in the book. Here are the ones that hurt your credibility most, and how to fix them.

Death by Bullet Points

The mistake:

Slides that look like this:

• Point one with lots of text explaining the concept in detail
• Point two with even more text that goes on and on
• Point three with sub-points that have their own sub-points
• Point four because why stop now

Your students’ eyes glaze over before you finish reading the first point.

The fix: Maximum three bullet points per slide. If you need more, create multiple slides. Better yet, turn those bullets into visual elements with icons.

Animation Overload

Just because PowerPoint has 47 different transition effects doesn’t mean you should use them.

Flying text, spinning images, and dramatic transitions don’t make you look professional. Instead, they make you look like you discovered PowerPoint in 1998.

The fix: Delete all the animations or pick one simple transition (fade or push) and use it consistently. Save animations for when they actually help explain a concept, like revealing steps in a process.

Inconsistent Formatting

Nothing screams “amateur hour” louder than:

• Different fonts on every slide
• Random color changes
• Varying image styles
• Inconsistent spacing

The fix: Create your first five slides, then save them as templates. Use these templates for everything that follows. Consistency beats creativity when it comes to course slides.

Reading From Your Slides

If you’re reading your slides word-for-word, why do students need you? They can read faster than you can speak.

The fix: Use your slides as prompts, not scripts. Include just enough text to remind you what to discuss, then speak naturally about each point. Your personality and insights are what students pay for, not your ability to read aloud.

Poor Image Quality

Blurry, pixelated, or obviously stretched images instantly undermine your credibility. If your content looks cheap, students assume your expertise is too.

The fix: Only use high-resolution images (minimum 1920×1080 for full-screen). When in doubt, skip the image. A clean text slide beats a fuzzy image every time.

Your Pre-Course Launch Slide Checklist

Ready to make sure your course slides are launch-ready? We’ve created a comprehensive Pre-Course Launch Slide Checklist that covers everything you need to review before hitting record.

This detailed checklist includes:

• Technical specifications to ensure your slides display perfectly on any device
• Design consistency checks to maintain a professional appearance throughout
• Content flow validation to keep your students engaged
• The crucial “phone test” that most course creators miss
• Practice run guidelines to ensure smooth delivery
• Final quality assurance steps before you go live

Don’t let a preventable slide issue derail your course launch (ask us how we know). This checklist has saved our clients from countless re-recording sessions and helped them launch with confidence.

Get instant access to the same checklist our team uses when creating courses for clients:

Remember: Your slides don’t need to be perfect. They need to be clear, consistent, and supportive of your teaching. This checklist ensures they are.

Putting It All Together

Creating engaging slides for your online course doesn’t require design talent—it requires a clear process and the discipline to keep things simple.

Let’s recap what will make the biggest difference:

1. Structure before design – Plan your content flow first
2. One idea per slide – When in doubt, create another slide
3. Embrace constraints – Three colors, two fonts, consistent layouts
4. Use tools wisely – Pick one and master it
5. Focus on clarity – Your slides support your teaching, they don’t replace it

Your Next Steps

Ready to create slides that enhance your teaching instead of distracting from it?

Here’s exactly what to do:

1. Choose your tool (we recommend starting with Canva or Keynote)
2. Set up your brand kit with colors and fonts
3. Create your first module using the structure we outlined
4. Run through the checklist before recording
5. Start teaching – remember, done is better than perfect

The Truth About “Perfect” Slides

Here’s what we’ve learned after years of creating courses: Students don’t remember perfect slides. They remember clear teaching that helped them get results.

Your expertise is what matters most. These design principles simply help you share that expertise more effectively.

So stop worrying about becoming a designer. Focus on being the excellent teacher you already are, and use these strategies to let your content shine.