Once you've outlined your course content, it's time to start designing your course slides. Here will be a few course slide design tips to get started with.
I got started as a designer - that's how I began working online, and it's also how I found my way into course creation. In fact, before I knew anything about structuring a course, I was already designing course materials. I helped course creators with slides, workbooks, sales pages, and more.
Today, I’m excited to share my experience and insights to help you create effective and visually appealing course slides, even if you have no design experience. If you’re feeling overwhelmed just thinking about designing your own course, don’t worry - I’ve got you covered!
Listen to this as a podcast episode instead:
Where to Get Course Slide Templates
Starting with a template is perfectly fine—there’s no need to reinvent the wheel.
There are plenty of excellent free and paid templates available on platforms like:
Canva – A wide range of templates with different styles.
Creative Market – Paid templates that are often more creative and unique.
However, not all templates are created equal, and choosing the right one for your course is crucial. Here’s what you need to consider:
Match the Template to Your Content Needs
Ask yourself:
Will you need a lot of images?
Do you prefer text-based slides?
Do you need charts, graphs, or data visualizations?
Choosing a template that aligns with your content will save you time and effort.
Consider the Overall Design Aesthetic
It's easy to get excited about a beautiful template, but if it doesn’t match your brand’s aesthetic, you may end up changing everything—fonts, colors, layout—which defeats the purpose of using a template in the first place.
Look for a template that’s already close to your brand style so you won’t have to overhaul it completely.
How to Brand Your Course Slide Templates
Once you've chosen a template, the next step is branding. Your slides should reflect your business identity, so make sure to:
Use your brand’s colors and fonts consistently.
Avoid overcomplicating the design—simple is better.
Ensure readability by keeping text legible and not overcrowding slides.
If you haven’t established a brand identity yet, take the time to define it before diving into course slide design.
Choosing the Right Slide Layouts
You don’t need dozens of different slide layouts. In fact, most of my courses rely on just 5 to 10 core slides, including:
Title Slide – For lesson titles and section breaks.
Headline + Text Slide – A simple layout for presenting key ideas.
Bullet Point Slide – Great for structured content.
Image + Text Slide – Perfect for adding visuals to reinforce learning.
Quote or Emphasis Slide – To highlight key takeaways.
Having a small set of reusable slides keeps your course visually cohesive and makes content creation much easier.
Simple Course Slide Design Tips
If your slides feel boring, here are a few easy tweaks to enhance them:
Add a background element – A subtle shape behind text can create depth.
Use a colored border – This can frame your content and make it pop.
Highlight key words – Use bold or color accents to draw attention.
Experiment with layout variations – Shift elements slightly for a more dynamic look.
Creating Your First Course Slides
When starting, I recommend designing slides for just one lesson first (preferably from the middle of your course, since intros tend to be structured differently). This allows you to:
Test different layouts before finalizing your template.
Identify which slide types you actually need.
Streamline your design process for the rest of the course.
Fonts and Colors: Keep It Simple
Choosing Fonts
Stick to a maximum of three fonts:
One for headlines
One for body text
(Optional) One accent font for special highlights
Ensure your chosen fonts offer bold and italic variations for better text emphasis.
Choosing Colors
Your slide colors should be based on your brand palette. If you’re struggling with color choices, try using:
A primary color for headlines.
A secondary color for accents.
A neutral color (like black, gray, or white) for body text.
Designing course slides doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By starting with a well-chosen template, aligning it with your brand, and keeping your layouts simple, you can create professional-looking slides without any design experience.
If you want more visual samples, personalized feedback, and step-by-step guidance on course creation, join us inside the Savvy Offer Hub.
Ready to level up your course slides? Let’s make your content look as great as it sounds!
TAKE YOUR NEXT STEPS
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