Day in the life of
Presentation Designer – Charlotte McBride
I am a presentation designer and I do just about exactly what my job title says. I professionally design presentations for just about anyone, usually using Powerpoint though some people do prefer Google Slides or Keynote. I have worked with a variety of companies including fundraising companies for both franchises and late stage investment for cybersecurity companies as well as individuals who only need a couple of slides retouched or created.
Presentation design for Micron
My background is originally in graphic design and I have a bachelor’s in Mass Communication with an emphasis in Graphic Design and three minors in Journalism, Advertising/PR, and Visual Media. I think a background in communications or design of some kind is an essential foundation to being a presentation designer because presentations aren’t just about looking pretty. Presentation design is about effectively designing information in a way that is both attractive and digestible for the audience. Of course, this can vary depending on your audience (you wouldn’t necessarily design the same way for a professor from a school the way you might for a company that’s pitching to a Fortune 500 company) but the basics are still the same.
Presentation design for Idaho Power
My typical day
A typical day starts at 6:30 AM. I am very much an early riser and prefer to get work done in the mornings rather than later in the day. I start off by playing with my cat for a little bit and then I sit down and take a look at my email.
Once I’ve responded to everything that needs to be looked at, I’ll get started on generating some leads on LinkedIn and then work on any client work I have until about 8:30 when I’ll go and have breakfast. I come back to work around 9 and work on client work, attend any scheduled meetings with prospective clients, or do some digital housekeeping. Then I have lunch around noon and around 1, I go back to work on some more work.
I usually set a deadline of 4 PM for my finish time. I try to be fairly strict about work time vs. home time but I’ll answer emails or work on things if it’s an emergency or if a client is in another time zone and needs changes made ASAP. Then I like to wind down with making dinner, doing some light cleaning around the house, reading, drawing, or watching my new favorite series *Heartland.*
Work from home setup
Pros
An interesting aspect about my job and a huge pro in my opinion is not just that I design presentations, which is a fairly niche occupation, but that I am also a freelancer. I handle everything from client sourcing to meeting with clients, submitting proposals, handling finances, etc. If it’s related to business, I am probably doing it. But I love it. Being a freelancer is probably one of the most freeing job occupations I’ve ever had. While some people might find it stressful to not be tied to an employer and having to source your own clients (I was terrified at first too though it did help that I had a part-time job until I could fully support my family doing freelance), I find it incredibly liberating and one of the biggest pros to my job. I make all the decisions from what I charge to deciding what clients I will work with.
Another pro is that it’s similar to a design agency where you never do the same thing twice. While you may have companies with similar goals and lines of work, their brand identity is different. Their aesthetic is different, their brand voice is different and it never gets boring. I worked at my university for two and half years and by the end of it, I was sick of orange and black and Futura and Museo fonts. I learned that I wouldn’t want to work for just a single company and being a freelancer you don’t get boxed in doing the same content for one company all the time.
Cons
The only real con I deal with personally is sourcing clientele. I have had the opportunity to make some amazing connections and have mentors that have really helped in beginning to build that clientele base but doing it on your own is fairly difficult. While presentation design is a niche industry and there is nowhere near the supply to meet the demand, it can still be a challenge to get yourself out there in front of people. But the most important thing you can do in any industry is to make connections. That is how a lot of people find their jobs and find new opportunities. I know that may feel a little weird coming into a relationship hoping it will lead to an opportunity for yourself and it will feel odd at first, especially if you do any methods of cold contacting people. I know I’ve always felt a little awkward at networking events because it didn’t necessarily feel like you were there to make actual connections with people. When I first started cold contacting, it felt weird and ingenuine. But tailoring your content to how you want yourself to be branded is key to making it genuine. For example, I wanted my branding to come across as confident bordering on cocky, so much so that in my cold contacting and on my website, I use the line “let’s make a deal”. While it may be cliche and a little on the nose, I find that it conveys confidence. I also use statements such as “I am” and “I know”. My query section on my website asks if a visitor is ready to make a deal. If I’ve done my job then they will say yes!
