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CHAPTER 10

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Governing with Templates

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When more than one person generates

presentations for an organization, a well-

built template system is a must.

Arming Your Workforce

Developing a set of guidelines not only ensures the

preservation of the visual attributes of your brand, it

streamlines the development process. Because so many

people in an organization express the brand in a presen-

tation every day, constraining their design decisions is

good. And in a pinch—say, the night before—when you

have to Frankenstein a deck together at the last minute,

at least the slides will look cohesive. (Whoops, you

didn’t just read that; never start the night before.)

Always remember, employees are

ambassadors of the brand. Their inter-

actions with the industry, clients, and

shareholders keep the brand perpetu-

ally visible. Arming them with the right

tools helps tell a cohesive visual story

and also streamlines their presentation

development process.

Templates increase employee productivity, constrain

exploration, and protect the investment you’ve made

in your brand. You want your clients to have the same

visceral reaction to your presentation that they have to

your products, services, and ad campaigns. Unfortunately,

it’s usually tough for the employees building the slides to

pull ...