# Presentation backgrounds that don’t fight your slides [Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/presentation-backgrounds) Most slide backgrounds are chosen for the title slide and then suffer through forty content slides. Design a small family instead: loud where it can be, quiet where people need to read. ## The short version - A good presentation background supports the content on each slide: expressive on title and section slides, quiet on slides people need to read. - Design backgrounds as a family of three, one each for title, section and content slides, all built from the same colours. - Standard slide sizes are 1920 by 1080 pixels for 16:9 and 1600 by 1200 pixels for 4:3. - Content slides need a large calm area with strong, even contrast where the text and charts sit. - Projectors wash out subtle colour and dark detail, so test a presentation background on the screen it will be shown on. A good **presentation background** sets the tone of the talk and then gets out of the way of the content. The practical approach is a small family of backgrounds built from the same colours: an expressive one for the title slide, a slightly calmer one for section breaks, and a quiet one with a large, even area for content slides. Make them at 1920 by 1080 for 16:9 decks or 1600 by 1200 for 4:3, and check them on the screen or projector you will present on. If you are building a whole deck system, [pitch deck design](https://gradiently.design/guide/pitch-deck-design) covers structure and slide types. This guide is about the backgrounds underneath. ## Presentation background sizes: 16:9 and 4:3 Most presentation tools now start new decks at 16:9, which matches most laptops, monitors and TVs. 4:3 is still useful for some older projectors and for decks that will be printed or read as documents. Pick the ratio first, because a background made for one never fits the other cleanly. - Slides 16:9, 1920×1080: 1920 × 1080 - Slides 4:3, 1600×1200: 1600 × 1200 The two standard slide shapes. Export backgrounds at these sizes or larger so they stay sharp on big screens. > **Check the room** If you don't know the screen, ask. A 16:9 deck on a 4:3 projector gets black bars at the top and bottom; a 4:3 deck on a wide screen gets them at the sides. Either works, but your background should be designed for the one you will actually get. ## Design a background family, not one background The title slide can afford drama because it carries a few words. A content slide with a chart, six bullet points or a screenshot needs a calm field with even contrast everywhere text might go. One background can't do both jobs well, so make three from the same palette. - Title: expressive: `radial-gradient(ellipse at 75% 25%, #7c5cff 0%, #3b2a8f 40%, #140f33 100%)` - Section: calmer: `linear-gradient(135deg, #2a1f6b 0%, #1a1545 60%, #120e2e 100%)` - Content: quiet: `linear-gradient(180deg, #171333 0%, #141030 100%)` One dark violet family in three strengths. The title has a strong light source; content slides are nearly flat, so charts and text read evenly. | Slide type | Background | Text area | | --- | --- | --- | | Title | The most expressive version: colour, light, texture | Short title, placed in the calmest region | | Section break | Same colours, less contrast, or a single bold field | One or two words, large | | Content | Nearly flat, or a gentle gradient at one edge | Most of the slide, with even contrast | | Data and screenshots | Flat or the quietest version | Everything; the chart is the content | | Closing | Can return to the title background | Contact, call to action or thank you | Where each background strength belongs. Repeating the title background at the end frames the talk. A widescreen title slide with a short headline on an expressive gradient background A title slide can use the full background: light, colour and space. A widescreen content slide with a short list on a calmer version of the same gradient A content slide in the same family: the background calms so the list reads first. ## How to keep text readable on slide backgrounds Slides are read from a distance, often in a lit room, on a screen that is dimmer or less contrasty than your laptop. Every contrast problem you see on your own screen gets worse there. Aim well above the minimum: the WCAG thresholds of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text are a floor, not a target. [Colour contrast](https://gradiently.design/guide/color-contrast-accessibility) explains how to check. ### Avoid - A busy gradient behind body text and charts - Mid-tone backgrounds where neither white nor black reads well - Text crossing the brightest part of a gradient - Dark, subtle detail that a projector turns to grey ### Do - A calm content background with even lightness - Clearly dark or clearly light grounds - Words placed in the calmest region - Bold, simple structure that survives any screen Keep a safe margin too. Leave roughly 5 percent of the width clear at every edge so nothing important is cut off if the screen crops or scales the slide. It also stops text crowding the edge of a gradient, where colour often changes fastest. ## Dark or light presentation backgrounds Dark backgrounds feel cinematic and focused in a dim room, and they make colour glow. Light backgrounds read better in bright rooms and on printed handouts, and they are easier on screen-sharing apps that compress video. If you will present in both kinds of room, build the family in both, sharing one accent colour. - Dark ground: #141030 - Light ground: #f4f1ea - Shared accent: #7c5cff - Text on dark: #f5f3ff - Text on light: #1c1733 A dark and a light deck from one palette. The accent stays the same, so charts and highlights look identical in both. > **Projectors change colour** Projectors can't show true black, so dark backgrounds turn charcoal grey and subtle dark detail disappears. Saturated colours often shift too. Rehearse on the real projector, or pick bolder, simpler backgrounds if you can't. ## Making a presentation background set 1. **Choose the ratio** 16:9 at 1920 by 1080 unless you know the room needs 4:3 at 1600 by 1200. 2. **Build the title background** Start from your brand colours or a gradient you like, with a clear light source and a calm area for the title. 3. **Derive the rest** Reduce contrast and texture for section slides; nearly flatten it for content slides. Keep the same hues throughout. 4. **Set it as the master** Place each background on a master or layout in your slide tool, so every new slide uses the right one automatically. 5. **Test at distance** Present to yourself from across the room, or on the actual screen. Fix anything you have to squint at. In Gradiently, a Mark renders live behind each slide at 16:9 or 4:3 and moves its calmest region behind your words, so the same background can stay expressive on a title slide and quiet behind a list. Copy to sizes lays a finished slide out again for other formats, such as a [LinkedIn post](https://gradiently.design/guide/linkedin-post-design) announcing the talk. ## FAQ ### What size should a presentation background be? 1920 by 1080 pixels for 16:9 slides, or 1600 by 1200 pixels for 4:3. Larger is fine as long as the ratio matches. ### Should presentation backgrounds be dark or light? Dark suits dim rooms and cinematic talks; light suits bright rooms, printed handouts and screen sharing. Build both from one palette if you present in different settings. ### How do I make text readable on a slide background? Use a quiet background on content slides, place text in the calmest region, and aim for contrast well above 4.5:1, since projectors and rooms reduce it. ### Can I use a gradient as a presentation background? Yes. Use the expressive version on title and section slides, and a much calmer version of the same gradient behind content, charts and screenshots.