Home / Blog / Pitch deck design

Pitch Deck Design Guide & Customizable Templates

Learn how to design an irresistible pitch deck and get to work with modern creative pitch deck design templates built on principles that make you stand out.

Author Dominika Krukowska

5 minute read

pitch deck design

helped business
professionals at:

Nice Meta RTL Spot Xerox Pepsi

Short answer

How to design a pitch deck that stands out?

  1. Design with storytelling in mind

  2. Embrace "show, don't tell" with visuals

  3. Make slides interactive to engage viewers

  4. Incorporate multimedia for a dynamic feel

  5. Start with a striking visual hook on the title slide

  6. Prioritize consistency in branding and design

Browse pitch deck templates
Try our AI pitch deck creator

What makes good pitch deck design?

A good pitch deck design makes your message clear, engaging, and easy to absorb. Investors should be able to grasp key points at a glance, so clean layouts, whitespace, and well-placed visuals are a must.

Consistent branding builds trust, readable typography keeps focus, and smart data visualization turns complex numbers into instant insights.

Agency vs. In-house pitch deck or design

Hiring an agency for your pitch deck gives you access to expert designers, but it comes at a cost—literally. Agencies can be expensive, and the process isn’t always quick.

In-house design, on the other hand, keeps things consistent, budget-friendly, easy to update when needed, and in the hands of a team that knows your brand inside and out.

With a pitch deck design tool like Storydoc, you get the best of both worlds.

The AI design assistant helps perfect your layout, while the walled garden editor lets your team update content without messing up the design or straying off-brand. No need to wait weeks (or pay thousands) to get a winning pitch deck.

How much should a pitch deck cost?

If you go the agency route, expect to pay anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000 for a custom pitch deck design—great if you’ve got the budget, but not exactly startup-friendly.

Templates, on the other hand, are a much more affordable option, ranging from free to a few hundred dollars. With modern tools, you shouldn’t be paying more than that for a professional, high-converting pitch deck design.

How long does it take to design a pitch deck?

Agencies can create a pitch deck in 1-4 weeks, depending on project complexity and taking into consideration multiple feedback loops.

With interactive pitch deck templates, you can cut that down from days to just 2–5 hours. The right structure is already in place, so all you have to do is plug in your content and tweak a few details.

Pitch deck design templates that stand out

A lot of entrepreneurs play it safe, following “best practices” to avoid risk—but that often just means doing what everyone else is doing.

When it comes to pitch decks, that usually means throwing money at agencies, hoping for something that makes a splash… only to end up with another cookie-cutter deck that blends into the crowd.

But here’s the thing: pitch decks are about the story, not just the design. The templates below do both.

They’re built for interactive storytelling, grabbing attention with multimedia and letting investors absorb your pitch in bite-sized, engaging sections.

So don’t waste time or money on decks that won’t stand out.

Grab one and start pitching.

No templates found

How to design a fundable pitch deck

Designing a pitch deck that actually gets investors to sit up and pay attention isn’t just about making it look good—it’s about making your story crystal clear.

Investors don’t have time to decode cluttered slides or sit through walls of text, so your design needs to guide them effortlessly from one key point to the next.

Drawing insights from Pitch Perfect: Raising Capital for Your Startup by Haje Jan Kamps and analyzing thousands of real-world decks, here are some pitch deck design principles I’ve seen work:

1) Stick to simple colors

Your color scheme shouldn’t be a distraction.

Pick a few clean, complementary shades that make your content easy to read and keep your audience's focus right where you want it. No neon-on-neon disasters, please.


Here's a great example of a clean presentation:

Make yours with AI
Open in new window

2) Use high-quality images

Investors aren’t here for lifeless stock photos of people in suits high-fiving. Real product shots, screenshots, or behind-the-scenes team photos add credibility and make your pitch feel more human.

3) Keep fonts and font sizes consistent

Think of fonts as the voice of your slides. Imagine if someone kept changing their tone mid-sentence—confusing, right?

Stick to 1 or 2 fonts that fit your brand and keep sizing consistent so everything flows smoothly.


Here's an example of a cohesive presentation:

Make yours with AI
Open in new window

4) Put no more than 30 words on a slide

Investors are busy. If they have to read a novel, they’re moving on. Aim for 30 words max per slide and let your visuals do some of the talking.

But if you need to include more details, interactive tools give you options—tuck extra text under “Read more,” segment it into tabs, or use a narrator slide where content only appears as you scroll.

This way, you can get away with having way more text without overwhelming your slide (or your audience).

5) Show, don’t just tell

If you’re pitching a product, let investors see it. A well-placed screenshot or product photo does way more than another bullet point ever could.

6) Make sure your text pops off the background

Ever tried reading grey text on a slightly less grey background? Not fun. High contrast = easy reading and keeps investors focused on what matters.


Here's an example of a presentation with good contrast:

Make yours with AI
Open in new window

7) Limit images of people, focus on your product

Carmen Simon’s research shows that human images can make a pitch feel more personal, but they can also pull focus away from what really matters.

People naturally focus on faces, which is great—unless they’re supposed to be focusing on your pitch. Use human images sparingly and only when they add to the story.

8) Stick to one idea per slide

When designing pitch decks, each slide should have one clear takeaway. If you’re squeezing in multiple ideas, break them up. Simpler slides = a smoother, more engaging pitch.

9) Avoid distractions

Excessive animations, crammed slides, and over-the-top jokes? They might seem fun, but they can actually hurt your pitch. Keep things clean, clear, and straight to the point.

Want to know exactly what to put on each slide? Check out our guide on how to create a winning pitch deck investors love.


10) Make every slide scannable

Investors don’t read pitch decks—they scan them. Make sure key takeaways stand out with bolded text, clear headings, and well-placed visuals.

If someone can’t grasp the main point of a slide in 5 seconds or less, it needs refining.


11) Keep slide transitions smooth and logical

A great pitch deck feels like a natural conversation. Each slide should flow effortlessly into the next, reinforcing your narrative without making investors feel like they’re jumping between disconnected ideas.

Pitch deck design mistakes to avoid

Designing pitch decks is exciting, but there are plenty of ways to get it wrong. A cluttered layout, unreadable text, or poor design choices can turn off investors before they even get to your big idea.


5 common pitch deck design mistakes and how to avoid them:

1) Misusing screenshots

We’ve all seen it—a screenshot that’s too small, blurry, or just randomly dropped onto a slide.

If you’re using screenshots, make sure they’re clear, relevant, and actually add value to your pitch.

An interactive pitch deck creator lets you embed live demos or expandable images so investors can explore without cluttering your slides.

2) Overloading slides with too much information

It’s tempting to cram in everything, but too much text or too many images can overwhelm your audience. Keep it concise. Let each slide breathe and focus on one key takeaway at a time.

If you need to include extra details, consider embedding supporting documents or multimedia instead of forcing everything onto one slide.


Basically, you don’t want your pitch deck design to end up looking like this:

Browse interactive pitch deck templates
Text-heavy PDF

3) Prioritizing design over content

A beautiful deck is great, but investors aren’t backing you because of fancy visuals—they’re investing in your idea, traction, and team.

Design should support your story, not overshadow it.

If your deck looks too flashy or overproduced, investors might wonder what you’re overcompensating for.

4) Adding too many distractions

While creative design is encouraged, excessive animations, flashy transitions, or irrelevant visuals can pull attention away from what actually matters.

If something doesn’t add to your pitch, ditch it. The best decks keep investors focused on the message, not the special effects.

5) Ignoring mobile-friendly design

A third of all pitch decks are opened on mobile, yet many decks still aren’t optimized for smaller screens.

There’s nothing more frustrating than an investor having to pinch and zoom to read your slides.

Interactive pitch deck tools automatically adjust layouts for mobile, ensuring your deck looks sharp and is easy to navigate—no matter what device it’s viewed on.


Here’s what a static deck looks like on mobile:

Browse interactive pitch deck templates
PDF document on mobile

Use pitch deck design services to save time

Even if you know all the right pitch deck design principles, actually putting together a deck that looks great and stands out takes time—and there’s no guarantee it’ll hit the mark.

You could use a template to speed things up, or you could let our team of experts handle it for you.

We offer 1-hour sessions where our designers will review your slides and give expert feedback on what’s working and what needs improving.

Need something fully custom? We can build a tailor-made pitch deck that fits your branding and tells your story in the best possible way.

Already have a deck (whether made on your own or using Storydoc)? We’ll give it an expert makeover to make sure it’s investor-ready.

Want to see how it transforms your pitching process? Book a demo and find out.

Dominika Krukowska

Hi, I'm Dominika, Content Specialist at Storydoc. As a creative professional with experience in fashion, I'm here to show you how to amplify your brand message through the power of storytelling and eye-catching visuals.

Table of contents
How to design a pitch deck? What makes good pitch deck design? Should I let an agency design my pitch deck or design in-house? How much should a pitch deck cost? How long does it take to design a pitch deck? Pitch deck design templates that stand out How to design a fundable pitch deck Pitch deck design mistakes to avoid Use pitch deck design services
More on this topic
Grab a pitch deck template
Engaging decks. Made easy

Create your best pitch deck to date.

Stop losing opportunities to ineffective presentations.
Your new amazing deck is one click away!

Create free Book a demo