MasterAI

Claude Design Hands-on: Pitch Deck from a Word Briefing

15 May 2026·16 min·Claude Design, Anthropic, Pitch Deck, Hands-on, Presentation

A sales pitch deck in Claude Design — from drafting text in a regular Claude chat through the creation dialog to the Verifier Agent and PPTX export. This workflow is the most reliable path to professional AI-generated decks.

Recommendation: Read Exercise 1 (Multi-Page Website) first if you haven't worked with Claude Design yet — it explains the Skills system and basic operation.

Difficulty: Intermediate · Time: 30–40 min · Result: A finished PPTX file with ~10 slides, fully editable, with speaker notes per slide

The "Copy first, design second" workflow

Before opening Claude Design: work out the slide texts in a regular Claude chat first, then go to the design tool.

Why this pays off:

Text iteration in chat is faster and cheaper than in design mode
Claude Design then focuses fully on layout and aesthetics
You save allowance

Workflow:

Open claude.ai (regular chat)
Draft slide content:

I need slide content for a 10-slide sales pitch deck.
My offer: AI workshops for mid-size businesses (50–500 employees).
Audience: Business owners and HR leaders.
Goal: Win a free 30-minute initial consultation.

Per slide:
- Headline (max. 8 words)
- 3–5 bullet points (max. 12 words per bullet)
- Speaker note (1–2 sentences)

Slide structure:
1. Title + your promise
2. The customer's problem
3. Why this problem is getting more expensive
4. Your solution in one sentence
5. How it works (3–4 steps)
6. Three packages (prices on request)
7. Social proof
8. About me
9. FAQ — 3 typical objections
10. Clear next step

Direct, trustworthy tone. No buzzwords.

Iterate 2–3 rounds until the texts feel right
Save as pitch-briefing.md

Step 1: The creation dialog — two important checkboxes

Go to claude.ai/design → "New Project" → "Slide deck".

In the creation dialog:

| Field | Recommendation | |-------|----------------| | Use speaker notes | On for live presentations — off for email-only decks | | Less text on slides | Almost always on — the most important anti-pattern brake |

"Less text on slides" saves you from constantly prompting "maximum 6 words per bullet". Claude keeps slides brief on its own — always activate this checkbox.

Speaker Notes: Do not appear in the slide PDF export — only in the canvas and the PPTX notes area. If you're only sending the deck by email, you don't need them. For live presentations they're invaluable.

Step 2: Skills for decks

| Category | Skill | |----------|-------| | Output-Type | Make a deck | | Export-Format | Export as PPTX (editable) |

PPTX modes: Editable = native text, changeable in PowerPoint, effects simplified. Screenshots = pixel-perfect like the canvas, but only images, not editable.

For sales decks you'll still adjust: Editable. For final presentation versions: Screenshots.

Step 3: Opening prompt

Make a 10-slide sales pitch deck from the attached briefing.

Format: 16:9, designed for screen presentation and PDF export.
Audience: Business owners and HR leaders, age 40–60.
Goal: Win a free 30-minute initial consultation.

Tone: Professional but with personality — confident, direct.
This is from a solo consultant, not a McKinsey team.

Visual style:
- Clean editorial design
- One clear focus per slide — never crammed
- No stock photography
- Professional palette (not generic corporate blue)
- Per slide: headline max. 8 words, max. 5 bullet points

Special slides:
- Slide 1 and 10: full-bleed, no footer
- Slides 2–9: page number in footer
- Slide 6 (Pricing): middle "Pro" package subtly highlighted
- Slide 7 (Social Proof): testimonials in pull-quote style

Step 4: What happens next — no Clarifying Questions flow

Slide decks don't trigger a Clarifying Questions flow. Claude starts building directly. Instead you see a plan being worked through:

+ Copy deck-stage starter
+ Build 10 slides with consistent system
+ Verify with done + verifier

The Verifier Agent

A built-in Verifier Agent visually checks the finished deck for layout bugs — overlapping elements, oversized headlines, clipped text. When it finds something, Claude self-corrects:

Slide 1 fixed — title scaled to 116px (was overflowing into byline)
Re-verified — all clear.

Edge case: The verifier occasionally checks a stale state. If it flags something that looks fine in the canvas: run verification again or check yourself.

Step 5: Review

Decks typically take 2–4 minutes for 10 slides. Afterward:

Each slide individually — don't just scroll through
Work through the placeholder list (Claude transparently marks what still needs replacing: logos, real testimonials, photo, contact details, QR code)
Consistency check — consistent header line, unified labels, consistent numbering

Step 6: Iteration — two effective patterns

Pattern 1: Add visual energy

Standard AI decks often feel static. This prompt reliably fixes it:

This deck feels too static. For each slide with a list or process,
add subtle visual energy: numbered chips, connecting lines,
gradient accents on key words, or one small decorative element
in the brand color.

Don't overdo it — think 'editorial magazine', not 'PowerPoint clipart'.

Pattern 2: Consistency pass

Review the entire deck for consistency:
- Same headline hierarchy across all content slides?
- Consistent spacing between elements?
- Colors used the same way everywhere?
- Number formats consistent?
- Same bullet style across all slides?

List inconsistencies and propose fixes.

Step 7: Refine speaker notes (if activated)

Refine the speaker notes for all slides:
- Conversational English, not formal
- 2–3 sentences max per slide
- One concrete example or anecdote where it fits
- For slides 6 (pricing) and 10 (CTA): add a transition hint
  for gracefully moving into the next conversation step
- No speaker note should duplicate what's on the slide —
  notes should ADD context, not repeat

Step 8: Export

| Path | When | |------|------| | PPTX (editable) | Master file for future adjustments (logo, pricing, date) | | PDF | For sending — all effects preserved, what you see is what you get | | Canva | If your team already works in Canva |

Recommendation: Both versions — PPTX as master, PDF for sending. PPTX export simplifies complex effects; for pixel-accurate quality → PDF.

Pro tips

Personalized variants in seconds:

Generate 3 variants of slide 1, each personalized for a
different industry:
- Variant A: Manufacturing (B2B industry)
- Variant B: Creative agency
- Variant C: Hotel operator (hospitality)

Adapt headline, subline, and visual accordingly.

Generate complementary materials:

Now create a complementary 1-page handout PDF —
something I can leave behind after the meeting.
Same color story, key takeaways, contact details,
QR code placeholder for booking.

Success check

✓ Applied the "Copy first, design second" workflow
✓ Made conscious decisions about the two checkboxes in the creation dialog
✓ Activated deck skill combination (Make a deck + PPTX editable)
✓ Observed the Verifier Agent loop
✓ Applied at least one of the two iteration patterns
✓ Noted the placeholder list for real assets

Sources

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