Try This, Not That: Beautiful.ai Bullet Slide

A bullet slide has a bad reputation. When someone doesn’t know where to take their slide, a bulleted list is a familiar, comfortable, safe option. We get it— it’s easy to organize your thoughts on a bullet slide with little design or creativity lift. It’s the low-hanging fruit of presentation slides. However the low-effort doesn’t go unnoticed. Because of its notoriously simple and boring design, it can also be the least effective slide.   

We’re here to flip the script. 

A bullet presentation slide doesn’t have to be boring, and it can actually be quite impactful when done right. 

A bullet presentation slide

A simple bullet list can work wonders for the text in your presentation. No one likes to read long, solid blocks of text, especially in a presentation that should support what you’re saying in a speech. Add a bullet slide into your presentation when you need to organize content into a list form, to show that certain items belong together, or to summarize key information in your presentation.

You might use a Beautiful.ai bullet slide template to organize your content, add context to your presentation design, or break up large blocks of text in a more digestible way. If you can’t use a graphic to add visual interest to a slide, a bullet template changes up the look of your presentation and holds your audience’s attention. Plus, they’re incredibly simple to create.

Design tips to keep in mind for a bullet slide

Generally speaking, when someone reaches for a bullet slide as they're building a deck, they’re doing it with the intention of filling it with text. It’s the obvious way to get as much information as possible on a slide, which is a blessing and a curse. Sure, bulleted slides organize your thoughts into bite-size chunks, but more often than not it ends up being organized chaos. The more text you add, the harder it is to follow. And with a sea of text, your audience will drown in information overload.  

When designed properly, a bulleted slide can be a strong addition to your deck. Here are the do’s and don’ts of a bullet slide to keep in mind for your next presentation. 

DO'S

When designing a bullet slide, these 4 tips will help you drive the most impact.

1. Do use a color or gradient background

The beauty of a bulleted slide is in its simplicity, but simple doesn’t have to equate to boring. Understated design decisions, like an intentional background color, can grab the attention of your audience and direct their focus to the bulleted list. For more visual appeal, you might add a gradient background to add some dimension to the slide. 

2. Do include images and icons

When you think of a bullet slide, you probably think text-heavy— and you’re not wrong. But adding icons, images, or videos where applicable can help soften the blocks of texts and engage your audience. Try adding a tray with an image to complement the text on the screen. 

3. Do experiment with different bullet variations

In Beautiful.ai you can toggle between different variations of a slide to see what style looks best with your content. For a bullet slide, you can switch between bullets, numbers, stars, or checks and x’s. Depending on your content, you might use these different variations for a pros and cons list, the steps of a process, or to summarize separate ideas under one topic. 

4. Do try the "icons with text" slide for bigger impact

A close relative of the bullet list is our icons with text Smart Slide. While it still allows you to list out information, you can do so with a supporting image or icon for more visual impact. With our icon slide template, you can pair images to text, helping your audience process information easier.

DON'TS

These are common pitfalls of a bullet slide that you should try to avoid.

1. Don’t fill the slide with text just because you can

Less is more, and that rings true with a bulleted list. Don’t, under any circumstances, stuff your bullet slide with so much text that your audience can’t retain the information. It can be tempting to stuff a slide that favors blocks of text, but challenge yourself to consolidate your thoughts to the most meaningful points. 

2. Don’t be afraid to use color

Contrary to popular belief, a bulleted list doesn’t have to be black and white. Experiment with text color, and font weight, to call out the most important bullet on the slide. For example, you can use an accent color for the key takeaway, and bold the text, so it pops on the slide. 

3. Don’t use bullets to share your entire train of thought

You might have a lot to say, but that doesn’t mean you need to jot it all down on a bulleted list. Keep each bullet point short and sweet, and leave any additional context for the presentation. Your audience should be able to look at the slide and pull the main takeaways within 5-10 seconds.