PowerPoint Icons for Engaging Presentations

Whether it’s on your smartphone, on web pages, or in business brochures, icons (little pictograms: arrows, signs, etc.) are everywhere now.

You can use PowerPoint icons to great effect in presentations, too! They’re a really useful way to catch your audience’s eye, and, skilfully used, they can add to the effectiveness of your slides, complementing your text and highlighting your ideas.

What Are PowerPoint Icons?

A PowerPoint icon (or pictogram) is a graphic symbol that conveys meaning by representing a physical object in a simplified manner. Pictograms are commonly encountered in our daily lives—on road signs, maps, and public notices—allowing for an instant understanding of information. They rely on simplicity to deliver their message effectively.

For example, at traffic lights, a red standing figure is instantly understood as “don’t cross,” while the green walking figure means “cross.” This illustrates how icons work without words and remain easily comprehensible.

Advantages of Using PowerPoint Icons

Most presentations are often cluttered with excessive text, bullet points, and dense information. However, visual content is significantly easier to process and remember. Graphics and images can also communicate your narrative, emotions, and brand more effectively than text alone.

PowerPoint icons have surged in popularity for several reasons:

• Variety and Structure: Icons create visual variety, organize your slides, and serve as visual anchors, contributing to a more polished and professional look.
• Visual Navigation Aids: Icons can guide your audience through the presentation by representing sections or topics visually, enhancing overall coherence.
• Versatility: You can incorporate animation effects into icons, making your presentation more dynamic. Animation features like fade-in, rotation, or zoom can add depth to your icons and reveal information progressively.

Additional Benefits of Icons:

• Access to a wide selection of free, royalty-free icons in PowerPoint.
• Scalability as they are vector graphics, maintaining resolution.
• Customizable colors.
• Enhanced readability.

Replacing Bullet Points with Icons

Icons are particularly effective in list presentations. Traditional bullet points can become visually monotonous and fail to add value.

The best way to get rid of bullet points is to replace them with icons.

Opt for PowerPoint icons in your lists instead! They not only brighten your slides but can also support your ideas.

Finding Icons in PowerPoint

PowerPoint provides users with a great selection of free icons. To access these, go to the Insert tab and click on Icons. A pop-up window will display a selection of over 500 icons, categorized for easy browsing, or you can use the search field to find specific icons.

How to Insert Icons in PowerPoint

Once you find the desired icon, simply click on it; a check mark will indicate your selection. To add it to your slide, click Insert. If you want to insert multiple icons, select as many as you need before clicking Insert—PowerPoint conveniently counts your selections.

Customizing PowerPoint Icons

By default, Microsoft PowerPoint features black icons, but you can easily change their color, resize them, and modify individual segments.

To edit an icon, click on it to open the Graphics Format tab. To change the icon’s color, click on Graphics Fill and select your preferred color from the pop-up window or choose a custom color under More Fill Colors.

Editing Individual Icon Segments

You can customize specific components of icons with these steps:

1. Access the Graphics Format tab and click on Convert to Shape.
2. If prompted, confirm that the icon will be broken down into its individual parts.
3. Use the key combination Ctrl + Shift + H to ungroup the elements.
4. Edit the individual components as needed.
5. To save your personalized icon for future use, right-click it and select Save as graphic. Save it as an .emf or .wmf file for compatibility across PowerPoint versions.

Considerations for Using Icons in Presentations

When incorporating icons, ensure they align with your audience and presentation theme. It’s crucial to choose relevant icons and use them sparingly to avoid overwhelming your slides. Icons should enhance your message rather than detract from it.

Maintain consistency by harmonizing the size and color of icons to create a cohesive and professional appearance throughout your presentation. This consistency reinforces the visual identity of your content and contributes to a strong brand perception.

Effective Uses of PowerPoint Icons from PresentationLoad

PresentationLoad offers a diverse range of professionally designed PowerPoint icons that can be customized for various subjects. Here are four effective ways to use them:

Business Icons

Business icons represent various products, operations, or aspects of the business world, allowing you to communicate visually and memorably. They provide a modern look that enhances your presentations.

Agenda Icons

Every presentation benefits from an agenda that outlines the content for the audience. Instead of using traditional bullet points, consider replacing them with Agenda Icons for a more creative and engaging approach.

Flat Design Icons

Flat Design is a minimalist style that aligns well with the visual nature of icons. PresentationLoad’s Flat Design icon collection offers depth and contrast, making your content more impactful.

Isometric Icons

Isometric design takes a step beyond flat design, providing a three-dimensional representation that adds detail and visual interest to your icons. This makes them great for accentuating your points in a compelling way.

Conclusion

Using PowerPoint icons intelligently allows for visually engaging presentations. They simplify content, enhance memorability, and create a positive impression on your audience. For more ideas and to explore a variety of PowerPoint icon collections, check out our store today!