What Does a Pitch Deck Designer Do?

Your knees are weak, your palms are sweaty… no, we’re not about to go into an Eminem verse. We’re talking about business presentations like meetings with clients or potential investors. Before approaching investors, founders must create an effective pitch deck. Perhaps you’re a pro at presentations, but did you know some experts can take your work to a new level of impact? Enter the pitch deck designer. 

Pitch deck designers (or presentation deck designers) are graphic designers with expertise in crafting stunning pitch decks for startups. This article will help you understand what pitch designers do, costs, and places to hire pitch deck designers. 

Pitch deck designers help you tell your story.

A creative pitch deck designer knows how to tell a compelling visual story. Formal presentations have a reputation for being stuffy and boring, but this need not be the case. As long as you can articulate the main points, a designer can put that data into a narrative format.

Depending on the slide, a pitch deck creator may include an illustration, a graph, columns of text, or whatever else makes sense given the content. The key is to immerse your audience in what interests them from the beginning to the end of the presentation. Both the big-picture vision and the practical details are artfully laid out. 

Investors, clients, vendors, suppliers, and partners will all view your presentation from a different angle. They have their own unique concerns, and so it may be appropriate to have a few different versions of your pitch deck ready to deploy. Some investors recommend having a long version and a short version for different contexts (e.g., emailing vs. presenting in person).

How should a slide deck be designed?

Designing a compelling pitch deck is crucial for impressing investors, stakeholders, or potential partners. Here are some key principles that should guide a pitch deck design:

• Keep it concise: A pitch deck should be concise and to the point. Limit the number of slides to ensure you cover the essential information without overwhelming your audience. Aim for around 10-15 slides, excluding the title and contact slides.
  
• Tell a compelling story: Structure your pitch deck like a narrative to engage your audience. Start with a captivating introduction that grabs attention, present the problem or opportunity, explain your solution, highlight the market potential, demonstrate your traction or progress, and conclude with a clear ask or call to action.
  
• Maintain consistency and alignment: Ensure your pitch deck maintains a consistent visual style and follows a grid or alignment system. Consistency in formatting, colors, and typography will make your pitch deck look professional and cohesive.
  
• Use supporting visuals sparingly: Include product images, mockups, or customer testimonials, to provide context and support your narrative. However, avoid overloading the slides with too many visuals or text, which can distract from the main message.
  
• Practice effective slide transitions: Use slide transitions sparingly and purposefully. Smooth transitions can help maintain the flow of your presentation and create a professional impression. Avoid excessive animations or transitions that may appear distracting or gimmicky.

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How much does a pitch deck design cost?

Pitch deck design costs vary and typically range anywhere from a couple hundred to a couple thousand dollars for more in-demand designers. Freelancers will normally charge you a flat fee or an hourly fee ranging from just $10/hr up to $200/hour.

Some fledgling startups spend thousands on a full pitch deck (not just the design). In this case, whoever you hire is looking into brand strategy, business planning, copywriting, and pitch deck design. The slide count can affect the price, with extended pitch decks costing more. But nowadays, time is money. Most startups opt for a shorter pitch deck; their audience probably appreciates the brevity. While yes, you want to share as much detail as possible to make a compelling case, it’s easy to go overboard and overwhelm your audience who hasn’t bought in yet.

At Penji, we offer unlimited graphic design for a flat monthly fee so you can get all the designs you need in one place—whether for social posts, event flyers, packaging, merch, presentations, or anything else. We’re not just a pitch deck design agency—we’re an everything-your-business-needs design agency.

Pitch deck designers create seamless graphics.

“Design is the silent ambassador of your brand.” – Paul Rand

A business-focused founder might assume that the last thing they need is a designer. After all, you’re not presenting your artistic skills to investors or potential clients. You’re presenting your business model, products, services, and overall plan. But when it comes to pitch deck services, it’s not about wacky illustrations or bold splashes of color. The point is not to detract from the topic. Instead, a masterful pitch deck designer showcases the critical points of your presentation in style. 

The presentation design may barely be noticed by the audience, yet it’s the very vehicle that delivers the information so clearly and persuasively. Ironically, the design elements the viewer doesn’t notice are sometimes the most effective of all, and that’s okay. Again, the design is not the show’s star but the communication vehicle.

See pitch deck design examples for inspiration.

How to go beyond standard practice with your pitch deck

Though your design doesn’t have to be dramatic, there’s nothing wrong with stepping outside the box. Veteran investors have likely seen hundreds of pitch decks in their lifetime. There’s no reason you have to do presentations the way they’ve always been done. Doing so runs you the risk of blending in and being forgotten. A skilled pitch deck designer can help you get outside your comfort zone, especially if your presentations aren’t landing how you want them to.

Think about unique ways you can showcase your product or service. How can you instill confidence in your scalability? How can you demonstrate your unique value from a different angle?

You can also get inspiration from the impressive pitch decks of famous brands that got funded. But this doesn’t necessarily mean you should second-guess your own decisions if they differ from what a famous founder did. Every situation is different, and what works for one company may not work for another. 

Find a pitch deck design service that does it all for you

If you’re looking for a pitch deck design service, you have many options to choose from, like:

1. Slidebean – offers a pitch deck builder & services
2. Unicorn Pitch – provides master slides, infographics, & more
3. Base Templates – offers custom templates for pitch decks & more
4. Pitchdeck.com – has designed over 10,00- pitch decks
5. Slidepeak – promises deadlines within 24 hours

A successful presentation design includes many elements:

• the problem and solution
• promising market data
• sound financial modeling & projections
• how do you have a leg up on the competition
• you/your team’s past accomplishments
• a clear, confident ask 
• contact information

Whether you plan to use PowerPoint, Google Slides, or another presentation tool, a pitch deck designer can do the grunt work. A designer not only gives you a crisp slide deck but a relaxed, confident demeanor when pitch day arrives.

At the end of the day, your presentation isn’t the only thing pulling the strings. Investors will notice how you engage, your experience, your professionalism, and any follow-up communications you have together. Patience will help you stay optimistic. When your request for funding reaches the right people at the right time, you’ll get the support you need.

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