Design.md — Card-Based Presentation Slide Design (PowerPoint .pptx)Legacy format

Every slide consists entirely of Explanation Cards.

• There must be no floating text elements on the slide canvas background—all content must reside inside a card.

• The only two exceptions allowed outside of cards are the Slide Title and the Page Number.

• Core Principle: "The card is the unit of thought—one card, one point."

• Slide Dimensions: 16:9 Widescreen (13.33" × 7.5")

• Slide Margins: 0.5" on all sides

• Top Title Area Height: ~0.9" (Title 36–40pt bold, left-aligned)

• Card Zone: From below the Title area down to the bottom margin

• Gutter (Spacing between cards): 0.3" fixed throughout the entire deck

• Slide Canvas Background: Solid white (#FFFFFF) or a dark theme color (choose one and maintain consistency throughout the deck)

Every card follows the exact same top-to-bottom layout hierarchy:

1. Icon inside a colored circle (diameter ~0.45") at the top-left corner of the card.

2. Card Title — 18–20pt bold, 1 line (maximum 2 lines).

3. Explanatory Body Content — 13–14pt, left-aligned, 2–5 lines.

4. (Optional) Hero Number / Tag — Large stat number (28–36pt) or a small tag (10pt).

### Card Styling

• Card Background: A subtle tint or slightly contrasting color compared to the canvas background (e.g., light grey #F4F5F7 on a white background).

• Corner Radius: 8–12pt (use a single consistent value across the entire deck).

• Shadow: Faint drop shadow (either use it across the entire deck or do not use it at all—never mix styles).

• Internal Padding: 0.2–0.25" on all sides.

• Prohibited: Side color bands (edge stripes) or accent underlines below headers—rely entirely on background tint, icons, and shadows instead.

The number of cards per slide is flexible and adjusts based on the content using this standard grid guide:

| Card Count | Layout Style | Approximate Card Dimensions |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| 1 Card | Full-width area (Hero Card) | ~12.3" × 5.6" |

| 2 Cards| 2 side-by-side columns | ~6.0" × 5.6" |

| 3 Cards| 3 columns OR 1 large card left + 2 stacked right | ~4.0" × 5.6" |

| 4 Cards| 2×2 grid layout | ~6.0" × 2.65" |

| 5 Cards| 2 top + 3 bottom (or vice versa) mixed rows | Mixed by row |

| 6 Cards| 3×2 grid layout | ~4.0" × 2.65" |

| 7+ Cards| Break into a new slide—never exceed 6 cards per slide | — |

### Grid Rules:

• Cards in the same row must always have equal height and align perfectly to the same grid line.

• The most crucial card can expand to span 2 grid columns (Featured Card), limited to a maximum of 1 per slide.

• If content runs long, reduce the card count instead of shrinking the font size below 12pt.

• Never use the exact same layout for more than 2 consecutive slides—vary the card count and grid patterns to maintain visual engagement.

Maintain structural consistency but vary the inner configuration to keep the deck dynamic:

• Concept Card: Icon + Title + Description (Default style).

• Stat Card: Large hero number (28–36pt) + small label beneath the number.

• Step Card: Sequential number inside a circle instead of an icon (used for processes or timelines).

• Compare Card: Paired side-by-side cards (Before/After, Pros/Cons) using slightly contrasting background tints.

• Quote/Highlight Card: Emphasized text in italics, limited to a maximum of 1 per slide.

Review every slide against these checks before final delivery:

• [ ] All text items are enclosed within a card. No floating text outside cards (except slide titles and page numbers).

• [ ] No text overflows or is cut off at the card edges.

• [ ] Cards in the same row are equal in height, with a consistent 0.3" gutter.

• [ ] Margin from the slide edge is ≥ 0.5" on all sides.

• [ ] Corner radius, shadows, and internal padding are completely uniform across all cards.

• [ ] Maximum of 6 cards per slide.

• [ ] Icons and text provide crisp contrast against the card background.

• [ ] Visually inspect rendered previews (text overflow is the most common bug).

```text

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐

│ Slide Title 36pt Bold │

│ │

│ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ │

│ │ ◉ Icon │ │ ◉ Icon │ │ ◉ Icon │ │

│ │ Title │ │ Title │ │ Title │ │

│ │ Desc │ │ Desc │ │ Desc │ │

│ │ 2–4 Lines│ │ 2–4 Lines│ │ 2–4 Lines│ │

│ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ │

│ p.3 │

└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘

```