How to Design a Pitch Deck
Three and a half minutes. That's the time needed to convince VCs to take a meeting with you. After this time, they lose interest in whatever you are pitching. Investors spend 11% less time reviewing decks year-over-year (YoY), making creating a successful pitch deck more difficult. Furthermore, 90% of startups fail, but those with a compelling pitch deck have a significantly higher chance of securing funding.
That is why your pitch deck design should be captivating and compelling, filled not only with facts but a compelling story that resonates with investors. Let's dive deep into the art and science of creating a modern pitch deck design.
What is Pitch Deck?
A pitch deck, also known as a startup or investor pitch deck, is a brief presentation that provides investors with an overview of your business plan, products, services, and growth traction.
Every business idea or company needs financing to reach its full potential, and more often than not, that money comes from investors. So, entrepreneurs need to find a way to communicate their ideas to potential investors to get them on board and invest in the business. In other words, they need a pitch deck.
As strange as it may sound, the core purpose of a pitch deck is not to secure funding but to pique the interest of potential investors. You will want to present your idea in a way that intrigues investors to set up a meeting.
What is Pitch Deck Design?
If an investor pitch deck design were just about putting together a set of slides, then every business would secure funding. Unfortunately, it is much more than that. It's about crafting a narrative and presenting it in a visually compelling manner.
A well-designed pitch deck helps to clearly convey the essence of your startup, from its vision to its finances, in a concise and engaging way. Think of it as combining the best graphic design pitch deck, storytelling, and business strategy to produce a visually pleasing and captivating pitch deck for investors. This is where concepts like modern pitch deck design and creative pitch deck design come into play. The aesthetics, flow, and clarity of a pitch deck can significantly impact an investor's perception.
What is a pitch deck presentation?
While a pitch deck is the material in the slides, a pitch deck presentation is the act of showcasing it. It can also be called a startup pitch deck and involves not just running through the slides but also elaborating, storytelling, and answering queries. To ensure that the pitch deck presentation is successful, it needs to be brief but informative and have simple, visually appealing slides.
How to design a better pitch deck?
To design a better pitch deck, focus on legibility, simplicity, and obviousness. Also, ensure each slide has a singular message and uses visuals effectively. It will further help to incorporate pitch deck design ideas that resonate with your audience and align with your brand. Remember, investors often look at multiple decks, so a professional pitch deck design can make yours stand out and leave a lasting impression. Now, let's check out the core things to focus on when creating a pitch deck:
Legibility
First, let's talk about the legibility of your pitch deck design. The potential investors won't be able to understand anything from your deck if they can't read it. Don’t just assume that everyone in the audience has eyesight as good as yours. Most often, when presenting your own pitch deck, there are usually lots of people in the audience, and some of them will not have the best eyesight. Also, not all of them can sit in the front row. That's why you need to ensure that the information on your pitch deck is readable and visible to all.
Here is how you can do that:
Font Choices: Opt for clear, readable fonts. Avoid fancy or overly stylized fonts that may look good but compromise readability. Fonts like Arial, Helvetica, and Calibri are universally recognized for their legibility.
Font Size: Ensure text is large enough to be read from a distance, especially in a large room. Typically, headers should be at least 36pt, while body text should not be smaller than 24pt.
Contrast: Use colors that stand out against their background. Dark text on a light background or vice versa ensures the text pops and is easy to read.
Spacing: Ensure there's enough space between lines and around text. Crowded slides can be overwhelming and hard to decipher.
Simplicity
Simplicity, context, and design are key to retaining the audience's attention and ensuring they grasp your message because simple ideas can be easily understood. When they understand your message, it sticks with them. Don’t let your pitch deck presentation be among the thousands that are forgotten as soon as you step off the stage. Here are some key tips to make sure your slides are simple:
One Idea per Slide: Each slide should convey a singular message. Avoid the temptation to cram multiple ideas or points into one slide. This often generates lots of text and makes the slide complex.
Use of Visuals: Visuals can often convey an idea more succinctly than words. Have you ever heard of the phrase "A picture is worth a thousand words?" Well, that is the case here. Use charts, graphs, and images to break up text and illustrate points.
Minimalistic Design: Avoid clutter. Don't overcomplicate slides with unnecessary decorations or visuals. It will distract the audience from the core message, and they will quickly get bored. So, it is important to let the content be the star.
Consistent Layout: Stick to a consistent layout and design across slides. It not only looks professional but also helps the audience follow along without getting distracted.
Obviousness
Your pitch deck presentation should be one that the investors just need to glance at and understand the core message. So, your audience should not have to decipher the message; it should be immediately clear. Use these tips for improved obviousness:
- Clear Headers: Use clear and descriptive headers. This sets the tone for the slide and lets the audience know what to expect.
- Logical Flow: Ensure your slides follow a logical sequence, guiding the audience through your narrative seamlessly.
- Highlight Key Points: Use design elements like bolding, color, or boxes to emphasize crucial information or numbers.
- Direct Language: Avoid jargon or overly complex language. State things plainly and directly.
What to include in a pitch deck?
A pitch deck should cover the following:
- Introduction: Who you are.
- Problem: What issue are you addressing?
- Solution: How does your product/service solve this?
- Business Model: How will you make money?
- Market Analysis: Size and opportunity of your market.
- Marketing and Sales: How will you acquire customers?
- Financials: Key numbers and projections.
- Team: Who's behind the venture?
- Ask: What are you asking from investors?
Incorporating pitch deck graphic design elements can enhance the presentation of these sections. Note that not every slide or idea provided above must be included in your pitch deck presentation. You should be able to choose which one works best for you, depending on your niche. Well, we will elaborate more as you read on.
Best Pitch deck design examples
Some of the best pitch decks are those that have secured significant investment. Examples include Airbnb's initial deck and Dropbox's seed round presentation. These pitch decks didn't just present facts but told a story, showcasing "best pitch deck design" principles in action. Now, let’s see some pitch deck designs that stood out and were able to gain funding:
Metastaq pitch deck
Metastaq is a B2B blockchain platform that helps brands engage with their community, monetize loyal customers more effectively, and reward high-value actions with exclusive experience.
For their pitch deck, Lazarev designed a tidy and minimalistic, yet interactive presentation. Each slide was focused on passing across their business idea to investors in a clear, eloquent, and concise way.
It began by identifying the problem, which is the challenge that most brands have when trying to get into the Metaverse and NFT due to lack of knowledge. So, they presented themselves as a gateway into the NFT world that provides their customers with all the knowledge needed to succeed.
The pitch deck presentation delivered the ideas succinctly and straight to the point without including much text. The text content included was just the right size and had maximum contrast so it is highly readable.
Airbnb Pitch deck
Airbnb's pitch deck is one of the most famous pitch deck design examples in the startup world due to its simplicity, clarity, and effectiveness in conveying the company's vision and value proposition.
The design elements of Airbnb's pitch deck were straightforward, with a clean layout, large fonts, and a mix of visuals and text. The deck was concise, each slide had a clear focus, and the flow from one slide to the next was logical and compelling. It served as a strong foundation for the story they told verbally during their pitch. This combination of clarity, storytelling, and effective design made Airbnb's pitch deck a standout example.
Uber Pitch Deck
Uber's pitch deck, used during its early funding rounds, is another celebrated pitch deck design example in the startup ecosystem.
Uber's pitch deck introduced the company as the "Next Generation Car Service." It began by identifying problems with traditional taxis and car services, such as inconsistent experiences and high costs. Uber was presented as a solution offering on-demand rides with transparent pricing. The deck showcased the user journey through product screenshots and highlighted their innovative technology, including GPS and automated dispatch.
They emphasized the vast market potential and detailed their revenue model, which involved a cut from fares and dynamic pricing. Uber's strategy for city rollouts and its phased expansion approach were discussed, along with a brief introduction of the founding team. The design of the deck was straightforward, combining visuals, text, and data to communicate their transformative vision.
Guy Kawasaki pitch deck
Guy Kawasaki is a renowned entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and author. He is particularly well-known for his 10/20/30 rule of PowerPoint, a guideline for pitch deck creation. While Kawasaki himself doesn't have a startup pitch deck like Uber or Airbnb, his rule for crafting pitch decks is widely recognized and followed in the startup ecosystem.
Guy Kawasaki's pitch deck guideline, the 10/20/30 rule, advises startups to use a maximum of 10 slides, present in 20 minutes, and utilize a minimum 30-point font size. This approach is designed to maintain clarity, brevity, and effectiveness in pitch presentations.
Buffer pitch deck
Buffer, the social media management tool, has been transparent about its startup journey, including sharing its pitch deck used to secure seed funding.
Buffer's pitch deck was praised for its clarity, transparency, and emphasis on traction. The design was clean, with a mix of visuals, charts, and concise text. The deck effectively communicated the problem they were solving, the solution they offered, and the potential for growth and scale.
Facebook Pitch Deck
In its early stages, Facebook (originally known as "Thefacebook") used a pitch deck to secure its initial investments - $500k in angel funding. While the design and style of the deck reflect its era (mid-2000s), the content provides a fascinating glimpse into the company's early vision.
Facebook's early pitch deck was notably straightforward, emphasizing the platform's rapid growth and adoption across colleges. The deck effectively communicated the core idea, the potential for scale, and the vision of connecting people through social networks. Given Facebook's trajectory, it's evident that the pitch, combined with the product's potential, resonated with early investors.
How to Craft an Investor-Winning Pitch Deck
Remember that investors want to invest in ideas or startups with growth potential. So, the whole idea of your pitch deck is to show them that your idea has that potential. However, the presentation should be done in a way to evoke an emotional response from the audience. It should take them through a journey where they put themselves in the shoes of your potential customers, understand their pain points, and see the value of the product or service you are providing.
Problem: What issue are you addressing?
Creating tension and anticipation that evokes emotional responses from the audience is crucial to any compelling narrative. So, the problem statement should bring forth that anticipation.
When describing the problem your product or service will solve, you need to be personal, specific, and focus on the main pain points. Use statistics or data to highlight the scale of the problem. Also, make sure to include the consequences of not solving that problem. This creates empathy for users and the need for an urgent solution in the mind of your audience. If there are existing solutions, briefly touch upon their limitations. This sets the stage for your solution.
Solution: How does your product/service solve this?
The solution to the problem presented previously should follow immediately. You don't want to keep the investors waiting for a big reveal. To ensure that your narrative is seamless, this slide of your pitch deck presentation design should provide solutions to the main pain points raised in the previous slide. Use visuals or demos to show how your product or service addresses the problem. Seeing is believing. To top it off, highlight what makes your solution unique or better than existing solutions.
It can be tricky for some entrepreneurs to create a concise solution slide for their pitch deck because they want to describe every aspect of the product. The most important thing is to focus on what is most exciting about the product, which will captivate the audience. If possible, showcase early feedback or testimonials to validate that your solution works.
Market Analysis: Size and opportunity of your market.
Now, this is the part where you show your audience how the product or service is going to help. Your potential investors want to know if lots of people face the problem you are solving. That is what will demonstrate a strong potential for revenue growth.
It is in this slide that you define the market size. So, you should give an estimate of the maximum revenue opportunity for your product. Now, narrow down the total addressable market to the portion that you can realistically serve. Also, define your short-term target, a realistic subset of the segmented addressable market. Lastly, highlight any trends that signal the growth of your market.
Ensure that the investors understand your strategy by describing the customer segments you are targeting. Typically, B2B companies segment by employee headcount, location, or technology used, while B2C enterprises focus more on individual traits like income, age, or life stage.
Market Analysis: Size and opportunity of your market.
Now, it's time to introduce your rivals and what makes you unique. If you are solving a problem that no one is trying to tackle, then several questions can be raised here. Either you have found the cure to eternal life, or nobody cares about the problem. So, yes every business has competitors and it is a good idea to bring it up in your pitch deck. Show your competitors in your pitch deck presentation and what you are doing that beats them. Use a table, diagram, or chart to showcase your competitors and what makes you unique. This shows investors that there is a problem that needs solving and that your solution does it best.
Financials / Traction: Key numbers and projections.
One of the greatest ways to convince investors that you are the real deal is to demonstrate a record of success. This slide should show what you have already accomplished and your potential accomplishments.
So, If your startup has been operating for a while, provide a snapshot of your financial performance to date. Offer a forecast for the next 1-5 years. This should include expected revenue, expenses, and profits. Finally, clearly state any assumptions you've made in your projections. This provides context and shows investors you've done your homework.
Team: Who's behind the venture?
The driving force behind every business is its founding and employees that make the magic happen. Your potential investors will want to be confident that they are putting their trust and funds in the hands of competent people who can bring the idea to life. That is one of the reasons why already-established entrepreneurs are much more successful in fundraising than novices. However, if you are a novice entrepreneur without an impressive list of accolades, there are still some interesting things to showcase in your pitch deck to pique investors' interest:
- Time commitment of the founders
- Your core team industry experience
- The core team business and managerial background
- Your core team's technical skills
Fundraise: How the investment will help achieve your goal
At this point, it is time to let the investors know their role in building your product or service. Here, it would help if you elaborated on how much funding the project needs and its impact on the value of the business. Let the investors know how you will use the funds in the context of your planned milestones.
At the tail end, there is no one universal way to design a pitch deck template that is sure to get you meetings. However, there are important narratives that can help to sell your business's unique story to investors.
Remember that most VCs are not fond of pitch decks due to their repetitive nature and the growing number of startups seeking funding. The easiest way to break through is by showing creativity and panache, making your pitch deck memorable and outstanding.
Venture capital commitments are among the most humane investment decisions, where investors need to tap into their gut feelings and emotions even more than financial analysis. They put their belief in a particular company and team with a vision to grow rapidly. So, you can earn this type of conviction from investors by telling a great story in a compelling way in your pitch deck.
Outstanding Pitch Deck Design Ideas
Crafting a pitch deck design that stands out is not as difficult as it seems, but entrepreneurs hardly get it right. To be on the winning side, you need to mix storytelling, data presentation, and captivating design. Even though the content of the pitch deck is crucial, your design can significantly amplify the message. Here are some tips to follow:
Use high-quality visuals - Honestly, generic stock photos will kill your design. Opt for high-quality images that resonate with your content. The best option is to use original photos or graphics that pertain directly to your product or service.
Consistent branding - match your branding colors, fonts, and overall aesthetics to your pitch deck. This way, investors will be able to make a connection when watching your presentation and feel closer to the product. It helps to create consistency and reinforces recall.
Infographics and Data visualization - Transform complex data into digestible visuals. Infographics, charts, and graphs should be your best friend when your intention is to convey information more efficiently and engagingly than blocks of text.
Minimalistic slides - WIth pitch deck design, less equals more. Avoid clutter by sticking to one main idea per slide. Use whitespace effectively to draw attention to key elements.
Highlight key takeaways - For crucial slides or points, use design elements like borders, shaded boxes, or distinct colors to make them stand out.
How much does it cost to design a pitch deck?
The cost to design a pitch deck depends heavily on your pitch deck needs. Here are some of the factors that may determine the cost:
Professionalism Level:
DIY: For those who want to explore their hidden design talents, then you consider designing your pitch deck presentation. If you're using tools like PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Canva and designing, the cost can be minimal or even free, aside from your time.
Design Agency: Professional agencies specializing in pitch deck design can charge anywhere from $2,000 to $15,000+ for a complete deck, depending on the complexity, number of slides, and agency reputation.
Complexity and Customization:
Template-Based: Using a premade pitch deck design template with minor tweaks will be less expensive. There are lots of pitch deck design agencies that offer pre-made pitch deck design templates. It makes the process faster and less expensive.
Fully Customized: A pitch deck tailored to your brand with custom graphics, illustrations, and animations will cost more.
Market Research or Content Creation: Some agencies offer content creation or market research as part of their services, which can add to the price.
Geography:
Costs can vary based on the region or country. For example, designers in North America or Western Europe might charge higher rates than those in other parts of the world.
General Estimates:
- Low Range: $100 - $500 (mostly DIY or using basic freelancers)
- Mid Range: $500 - $5,000 (experienced freelancers or basic agency services)
- High Range: $5,000 - $15,000+ (top-tier agencies with comprehensive services)
It's essential to balance cost with quality. A well-designed pitch deck can significantly impact potential investors' impressions, so it might be worth investing in a professional design if your budget allows. Always check portfolios and reviews before hiring and clarify all costs upfront to avoid surprises.
In need of a Pitch Deck Design Agency?
Lazarev Agency is not just another design firm; we're your strategic partner in crafting stories that resonate with investors. With a blend of creativity, strategy, and market insights, we transform your vision into a compelling pitch deck that leaves an indelible mark on your audience.
We offer tailored design solutions based on a deep understanding of a business's vision. Our services extend beyond design to include market research and content creation. With a proven track record, we prioritize collaboration, speed, and affordability. Clients praise our ability to turn raw ideas into compelling stories that resonate with investors.
Contact Lazarev Agency today and take the first step towards making a lasting impression.
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