On brand or not on brand? That's the question!

As I wrapped up the last training session of 2024 with one of our clients, an important question came up again: Should your slides always stay on brand?

Here’s my advice for tackling that decision:

If you work at a company:

1. Presenting to management or executive-level audiences: Always stay on brand.
2. Presenting to an external audience: Stay on brand.
3. Presenting to colleagues: You might go off-brand—but only if it truly serves the purpose of your presentation. And that’s a big might.

If you work for yourself:

1. Presenting as yourself: Design your slides based on your audience and the theme of your talk.
2. Presenting as yourself but representing your company that already has an established brand guidelines: Stay on brand.

Of course, there may be unique scenarios not covered here.

If you’re unsure how to approach your slides in a particular context, feel free to reach out.