Design Themes and Templates
Delhi Police Exam - Computer Knowledge
1. Introduction
In PowerPoint, Design Themes and Templates help you make presentations look professional, consistent, and attractive without manual formatting. They control the look and feel of your slides — including colors, fonts, and backgrounds.
Theme
A set of design elements (colors, fonts, and effects) applied to all slides
Template
A pre-designed presentation that already includes themes, layouts, and content placeholders
2. What is a Design Theme?
A Design Theme defines the overall appearance of your slides — ensuring uniformity across the presentation.
| Feature | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Gives consistent colors, fonts, and effects | Corporate or educational look |
| Location | Found under Design Tab | Themes group |
| Includes | Font style, color palette, effects, background | Unified visual design |
| Can Modify | Colors, Fonts, Background Styles | Custom design options |
💡 Tip: Always use a single theme throughout your presentation for a professional look.
3. Applying a Theme in PowerPoint
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Go to Design Tab → Themes Group |
| 2 | Hover over a theme to preview |
| 3 | Click to apply the theme to all slides |
| 4 | Optional: Click Variants to change color or font style |
⚡ Shortcut: You can also right-click on the theme and choose Apply to Selected Slides to apply it only to specific slides.
4. What is a PowerPoint Template?
A Template is a ready-made presentation file that already contains design themes, layouts, and placeholders. It saves time and ensures a consistent design across all slides.
Simple Definition: A PowerPoint template is a pre-designed file that provides structure and design for creating new presentations.
5. Types of PowerPoint Templates
| Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in Templates | Provided by Microsoft | Business, Education, Portfolio templates |
| Custom Templates | Created by users | Company-specific templates |
| Online Templates | Downloaded from Microsoft or websites | Resume, Chart-based templates |
| Blank Template | Starts with no design | For complete customization |
💡 Tip: Templates use the file extension ".potx" (PowerPoint Template).
6. Creating and Saving a Template
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Open a presentation and design slides as desired |
| 2 | Go to File → Save As |
| 3 | Choose Save as type → PowerPoint Template (*.potx) |
| 4 | Save in the default Templates folder |
💡 Tip: Once saved, you can use it anytime by selecting File → New → Custom Templates.
7. Difference Between Theme and Template
| Basis | Theme | Template |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Set of design styles (colors, fonts, effects) | Pre-designed presentation file |
| Purpose | Controls visual appearance | Provides complete structure |
| Includes | Colors, fonts, background | Layouts, text, and theme |
| File Extension | — | .potx |
| Where Used | Within an existing presentation | To create a new presentation |
| Example | Office, Ion, Integral | Business Plan, Education Report |
8. Real-Life Analogy
Think of Themes and Templates like clothing and outfits
Theme
The style (color, pattern, font)
like choosing matching colors for all clothes
Template
The complete outfit
ready to wear with all accessories
So, a theme sets the look, while a template gives you a ready-made presentation to start with.
9. Common Delhi Police / SSC Exam Facts
Theme Tab Location: Design Tab → Themes Group
Template Extension: .potx
Theme Includes: Colors, Fonts, Effects, Background
Template Includes: Layouts, Content Boxes, Theme
Variants → Used to change color and style of an applied theme
To create custom theme: Design Tab → Variants → Customize Colors/Fonts
File → Save As → PowerPoint Template (.potx) → Saves your design as template
Professional Tip: Use consistent themes for brand identity
10. Quick Recap
| Concept | Summary |
|---|---|
| Theme | Controls color, font, and design style |
| Template | Pre-designed presentation file |
| Apply Theme | Design Tab → Choose Theme |
| Create Template | File → Save As → .potx |
| Variants | Modify theme color/font |
| Example | Theme: Ion, Template: Business Plan |
| Tip | Use consistent theme for all slides |
You've completed Design Themes & Templates Concepts!
Courage Tip: Practice applying different themes and creating custom templates to understand their practical applications. Remember the key differences between themes (design styles) and templates (complete presentation files), as this distinction is important for competitive exams.
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