June 28, 2024 | SlideUpLift

The 10 Best PowerPoint Color Palettes You Should Use [+1 Template]

Presentations have evolved over the years, and have now reached a stage where every element that is used can help make an impact or completely disassociate from the audience. To ensure that your presentations are on the former half of the spectrum, make sure that you are using the right PowerPoint color palette in their appropriate scenarios. 

Colors are often some of the most overlooked factors of a presentation, with most presenters looking to go with “something that looks nice.” However, colors play a more important role than you may have imagined and deeply impact how your audience will react to your presentation. 

The 10 Best PowerPoint Color Palettes

Every presentation needs you to use colors according to the type of presentation it will be. For example, if you are going to pitch a project to investors, you need your colors to be full of energy. Still, in retrospect, if you are presenting in front of a room full of professionals on a topic they know about, you need colors that ooze professionalism and are cool colors!

To help you find a color palette that fits your energy needs, we have created a list of the ten best PowerPoint color palettes with their hex codes!

1. Energizing Presentation Color Palette   

Color Code: #4D74FF · #FF5128 · #050007 · #EFFFF

One presentation color palette that you should keep handy when creating any slideshow that requires you to portray energy is the orange, blue, black, and white combo! The orange color helps promote energy and create an upbeat feel to the presentation, while the blue helps keep your audience engaged during a long presentation. 

The ice-white and pitch-black color combo also helps keep your text readable and crisp. This scheme is best for when you want to have a pitch meeting.

2. Reliable Color Palette For Presentations

Color Code: #343752 · #90ACC7 · #FAD12B

Blue is one of the most commonly used colors in businesses as it screams out ‘trustworthy and calming, yet it’s so monotone. But, when combined with yellow and a companion darker blue color, you end up creating a reliable PowerPoint color palette that you will keep on going back to when you need a color scheme to fall back on. This color scheme can be used for purposes like branding and marketing.

3. Confident PowerPoint Color Palette

Color Code: #F8275B · #FF574A · #FF737D · #3D2F68

To boost confidence within your audience while presenting, you must use this color scheme that contains the color red! 

When using red in presentations, one thing to keep in mind is that red is a very aggressive color when alone; that’s why you should pair it with softer colors, like a softer tone of orange, pink, and Fuschia.

4. Fun Corporate Presentation Color Scheme

Color Code: #3B4D54 · #B9BAB5 · #FE8D3F

All of us can agree that corporate presentations can be a bore, especially when with all the boring gray and dark colors. To create a corporate slideshow that is also fun at the same time, you should add bright colors, like orange, to your gray-tone colored presentation. 

The bright color helps add a pop to your presentation and keep it serious, enabling you to keep your audience engaged and attentive!

5. High-End Color Palette For Presentations

Color Code: #5D1D2E · #951233 · #C15937 · #997929

One of the best themes to use for your presentation has to be the vintage color schemes! This 1930s color scheme uses colors such as dark brick red, copper, olive green, and wine red to give your presentation an elegant mood that makes your slideshow look expensive. This color scheme is best suited for luxury goods presentations!

6. Modern Palette For Presentations

Color Code: #5EA8A7 · #277884 · #FE4447

When talking about good color palettes for presentations, the modern color palette is among the first to come to mind. The palette uses bright colors like red over muted colors like dark and light cyan. 

The bright color adds a pop to your slides, which helps keep the audience refreshed throughout the presentation. This color scheme is best used to create a presentation that balances business and energy with modernity.

7. Calming Presentation Color Scheme

Color Code: #C5DE82 · #7C3A5F · #FD8C6E · #98ACB5

When creating a calming presentation, one thing to keep in mind is to use colors that help soothe your audience. You can use colors that are found in nature, like spring green, blue-gray, terracotta, and mulberry purple, to help create that soothing effect, as shown below! 

This color scheme is best suited for health and mental well-being presentations; it can be used by hospitals and companies present in the health sector.

8. Professional Presentations Color Palette

Color Code: #6B90B2 · #1B558E · #CCD64D

Make your presentation look professional while keeping it refreshing and fresh using this professional color scheme. This palette combines dark and desaturated blue with a lemon-like yellow.

The yellow adds a fresh look to your slides, while the blue colors help keep your presentation looking professional. These colors suit slides requiring you to break important news or build trust with your audience.

While talking about professional slides, if you find it difficult to create visually appealing slides, check out our professional PowerPoint templates that are 100% customizable, enabling you to edit the template according to your requirements.

9. Creative PowerPoint Color Schemes

Color Code: #02AA9D · #3187DE · #FE951C · #FF88AC

Add a bit of creativity to your presentations with the help of bright colors that help catch your attention and invoke the feeling of experimentation. It creates a fun and creative color palette when combined with tropical colors. 

Bright colors, like orange and pink, help bring a warm tone to your presentation, while tropical colors, like viridian green and blue, help keep your presentation creative! This color scheme is best suited for brainstorming sessions.

10. Warm Presentation Color Palette

Color Code: #A49393 · #EED6D3 · #E8B4B8

Last but not least, we have the warm color scheme on our list of the best presentation color schemes! Best suited for cosmetics and fashion sector presentations, this palette uses warm neutral colors, like different light and dark tones of red. Using neutral colors allows your slides to be versatile and can be paired up with almost anything, and warm neutral colors help keep your presentation looking sophisticated and warm.

These were some of the best color schemes that you should use for your next presentation. It’s finally time to say goodbye to plain slideshows and wow your audience with the perfect color palette. If you are trying to experiment with the color palettes, check our blog on the one color never to use in presentations to ensure you are doing everything correctly when creating your own scheme. 


Take a loot at our presentation design services if you need help designing your presentation. Our team of design experts helps create and tailor slides according to your needs, enabling you to focus on things that matter, like the content and speech delivery. Here are some more examples of well-designed PowerPoint slides.

SlideUpLift’s Collection Of Professional PowerPoint Templates

FAQ's

  1. What is the best color scheme for PowerPoint?

    The best color scheme for PowerPoints ensures readability, maintains a professional look, and complements the content of your presentation. A balanced color scheme combines neutral backgrounds (like white or light gray) with contrasting text and accent colors. Blue and green tones are often favored for their professional and calming effects, while red can be used sparingly for emphasis. 

  2. What is the 60-30-10 color rule in PowerPoint?

    The 60-30-10 color rule is a classic design principle that helps create visually appealing and well-balanced presentations. It dictates that you should use:

    1. 60% of a dominant color: This is usually the background color and sets the overall tone of the presentation.

    2. 30% of a secondary color contrasts with the dominant color and is often used for elements like charts, graphs, or images.

    3. 10% of an accent color: This is used sparingly to highlight important points or call-to-action elements. The accent color should stand out against the other two colors to draw attention where needed.

  3. What is the best color for accessibility in PowerPoint?

    The best colors for accessibility in PowerPoint ensure high contrast between text and background, making content readable for everyone, including those with visual impairments.

    It’s crucial to use dark text or light text on dark backgrounds to achieve this. Additionally, avoid color combinations that are difficult for colorblind individuals to distinguish, such as red-green or blue-yellow.

  4. How do I decide on my color palette?

    Deciding on a color palette for your PowerPoint involves understanding your audience and purpose, choosing a base color that aligns with your brand or desired mood, and selecting complementary colors using the color wheel. It’s important to ensure contrast and readability by testing colors on different screens and considering color psychology to evoke the right emotions. For instance, blue can convey trust and professionalism, while red signals urgency. Online tools like Adobe Color, Coolors, or Canva’s Color Palette Generator can also help create harmonious color schemes. By following these steps, you can develop a color palette that enhances your presentations’ effectiveness and visual appeal.

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