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You are here: Home / Design / Design principles / How to add design flair with a “belly band”

How to add design flair with a “belly band”

April 28, 2011 by Ellen Finkelstein 4 Comments

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Sometimes, a simple design secret can dramatically improve your slides. A belly band is such a secret. Well, it really isn’t a secret to designers, because designers use them all the time (just look in any magazine), but non-designers don’t know about it.

A belly band is just a band of color that holds content together and sets it off from the rest of the slide. Often, it contains text. It might be a solid color or a gradient.

Here’s a simple slide.

Create a belly band in PowerPoint

Now see how it looks with a belly band.

Create a belly band in PowerPoint

Nicer, isn’t it? The belly band adds a professional touch.

Here’s how to create a belly band:

  1. Insert a rectangle. Size and place it as needed.
  2. Format the rectangle to remove the outline.
  3. Right-click and choose Send to Back or Order>Send to Back.

That’s all there is to it! If you want, use a gradient fill. Go to “Create multi-color gradients in PowerPoint” for instructions.

Thanks to Julie Terberg for teaching me this technique at the Presentation Summit conference, several years ago.

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Related posts:

  1. Create multi-color gradients in PowerPoint
  2. Getting a shiny Web 2.0 look in PowerPoint-Part I: Reflections
  3. Design a first slide that stands out and matches your brand
  4. Use transparency gradients

Filed Under: Design principles, Misc. PowerPoint Tips, Shapes & text boxes Tagged With: belly band, design secrets, slide design

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Slide makeover: Take your introductory slide from everyday to excellent | Remote PossibilitiesEllenAlan MichaelisDale G. Klein Recent comment authors
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Dale G. Klein
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Dale G. Klein

Hi Ellen,
Just tried your belly band tip; it worked and looks great too!
Thank you very much.

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11 years ago
Alan Michaelis
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Alan Michaelis

Years ago I read Presentations magazine cover to cover. It was an amazing publication for improving the design of my presentations. When they stoped the publication I didn’t know where to go to keep up-dated and continue to improve my skills. Recently I found your web site when I ordered an online book from you (101 Advanced PPTX). Your site is breathing new life into my designs. Thanks so much for taking the time to do this. I design presentations for litigation mediations and closing arguments during civil trials.

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10 years ago
Ellen
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Ellen

Alan,
Thanks for your kind comments–glad to help! I used to write for Presentations magazine and many people felt the loss, just as you did. I’m sure that your slides can be a powerful tool for the legal clients.

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10 years ago
trackback
Slide makeover: Take your introductory slide from everyday to excellent | Remote Possibilities

[…] issue, I like to use a tip inspired by Ellen Finkelstein (PowerPoint MVP), who uses so-called “belly bands”. So to make your photo look integrated into your slide design, as a 1st stage of the makeover, I […]

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8 years ago
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