Best sources to get PPT slides templates/decks inspiration

Question

Hello,

I would like to participate in Case competitions, prepare for future consulting career, and in general would like to create nice looking Powerpoint slides, I do not lack PPT skills, rather the inspiration. On internet there a lot of popular paid templates, but would prefer to spend the money somewhere else. Or is for example Slideworks.io worth buying?

Would you please give me tips on getting inspiration about designing the slides?

Do you also use any special tools for data visualization since PPT is pretty limited?

Is anyone here willing to share with me the Consulting firm decks or other slides worth sharing?

Thank you!

Answer 1

Hi there,

Great that you’re thinking ahead about slide design – it’s an important skill for both case competitions and consulting work. A few pointers for you:

1. Sources of inspiration (free):

Look at annual reports and investor presentations of large companies – they often follow clear, “consulting-style” layouts
Check websites like Slidesgo, SlidesCarnival, or Canva (free version) for simple templates you can adapt
Browse consulting slide breakdowns on blogs (e.g., StrategyU, SlideScience) – they show how top-tier firms structure their pages

2. Paid platforms like Slideworks.io:
They can save time if you want polished templates fast, but they’re not essential. Most case competitions and consulting interviews value clarity and logic of your storyline more than fancy formatting

3. Tools for data visualization:

Excel is still the go-to for consulting work – clean charts that you can copy into PPT.
For more advanced visuals, tools like Flourish, RAWGraphs, or Tableau Public (free) can help, though they’re rarely necessary for competitions. The key is to keep charts simple and easy to read.

4. Consulting firm decks:
Actual decks are confidential, so you won’t find many real ones shared openly. Instead, you can look at consulting reports published online (e.g., by BCG, McKinsey, Bain, or Deloitte) – they use the same slide principles but are public. These are great for studying storyline, hierarchy, and design consistency.

Practice building your own library of slides. Recreate slides you find inspiring – the act of reproducing them in PowerPoint will sharpen your design instincts.

Happy to help you prep – feel free to reach out.

Best,

Evelina

Answer 2

Hi there,

I personally like to find inspiration on Google Images and ThinkCell. Nowadays there are some great AI-powered tools and template sites that let you preview decks before deciding if you want to pay. A few worth checking:

AI-powered platforms

Gamma turns your outline into a polished, story-driven deck and lets you export to PPT or Google Slides.
Beautiful.ai uses design rules to automatically format slides. You can test it for free before subscribing.
SlidesAI creates slides from text directly inside PowerPoint or Google Slides.
AiPPT and Deckster both generate decks from text or documents with free demo options.
Prezi AI if you prefer more dynamic, non-linear presentations.

Free template libraries

Canva (with AI Magic tools)
PresentationGO (large library of free PPT/Google Slide templates)
SlidesCarnival (themed templates, including AI-inspired ones)
Visme (also useful for infographics and data visuals)

You’ll learn a lot about structure and design very quickly and most of these platforms let you test the design before paying. I also suggest building your own slide deck with the visuals you like the most, so you don't lose time when you are asked to build beautiful slides :-)

Answer 3

Hey Michael,

no need to go for any paid services for inspiration.

There is a lot of inspiration online. Reach out to me and I will share a public deck that I build during my time at BCG.

For data visualization you can of course use excel chart. However, what is used more frequently is thinkcell. I do believe they have some free student licenses.

Best,

Lukas

Answer 4

Hey Michael :)

For inspiration, the best free sources are things like the BCG/McKinsey/Bain insights pages, their published reports often use the same slide logic as internal decks. You can also look at Think Cell’s gallery or the “Beautiful.ai” free gallery for design ideas. Pinterest and Dribbble also have surprisingly good collections of consulting-style layouts.

Slideworks and similar platforms are useful if you want to save time, but not essential. With a clean layout, consistent fonts, and simple shapes in PPT you can already create very professional slides.

For data viz, most consultants stick to Excel or Think Cell plugged into PowerPoint, you rarely need more unless you’re doing advanced analytics. Tools like Tableau or Flourish are nice if you want to go beyond PPT, but for case competitions and interviews it’s better to stay close to the “classic” consulting look.

best,
Alessa :)