Metis Strategy: Presentation Guide (PowerPoint)

Use this reference whenever creating or reviewing a PowerPoint presentation for Metis Strategy.

Standard Slide Furniture (Required on Every Content Slide)

These elements appear on virtually every Metis content slide. Include them by default unless told otherwise.

Confidentiality Footer

Bottom of every content slide:

"Proprietary & Confidential, Metis Strategy LLC [YEAR]"

• Font: Calibri, 9pt, Gray (#7b8692), left-aligned
• Position: bottom-left, y ≈ 5.3" on a 16x9 slide

Source Attribution

Most content slides include a source line:

"Source: Metis Strategy Research & Analysis"

• Font: Calibri, 9pt, Gray, bottom of slide near the confidentiality footer
• Omit only on pure methodology or section divider slides

Page Number

Every content slide has a page number (not the title or closing slide).

• Font: Calibri, 10pt, Gray, bottom-right or top-right corner

Title Slide Header

When preparing a deck for a client, the title slide should include:

"Prepared for [Client Name] | [Month Year] | [Engagement Title]"

Slide Category Labels

Use small labels in the top-left area to categorize slide types:

• "Client Example." — for case study or reference slides
• "Illustrative." — for hypothetical or scenario-based content These labels appear in a small, muted style (Gray or Medium Blue, 10–12pt)

Slide Structure

"Sandwich" Layout Pattern

The most common Metis deck structure uses a dark-light-dark sandwich:

• Title slide: Dark Blue (#20216f) background
• Content slides: Light (#f4f6fa or white) background
• Section dividers / closing slide: Dark Blue background

Committing fully to dark throughout (all slides dark) is also acceptable for a premium feel.

Recommended Slide Count & Flow

1. Title slide — Client name, engagement title, date, "Prepared by Metis Strategy"
2. Agenda / Table of Contents — 3–5 items max
3. Context / Challenge — What the client is facing
4. Approach / Framework — How Metis addresses it
5. Findings / Recommendations — The insight-led core
6. Next Steps — Clear, numbered, owned actions
7. Closing slide — Dark background, BrandLine, contact info

Slide Layout Patterns

Use varied layouts — don't repeat the same structure slide after slide.

Two-Column Split

Text/insight on left, supporting visual or stat on right. Good for approach slides.

Stat Callout Cards

3 cards in a row with a large number (52–60pt), label below, and supporting note. Anchor card backgrounds in White; use a thin Metis Green top border as the accent.

Full-Width Content Row

For lists of 4–6 items: icon or number in a colored circle, bold header, 1–2 sentence description. Works well on light backgrounds.

Dark Feature Slide

Dark Blue background, large quote or single insight in White/Metis Green, supporting detail below. Use for impact moments, key findings, or section headers.

Timeline / Process Flow

Numbered steps with a horizontal connector line in Metis Green. Each step: bold label + 1-line description.

Programmatic Implementation (pptxgenjs)

When writing PowerPoint code with pptxgenjs, follow these rules:

Color Values — NEVER use # prefix

// ✅ Correct
color: "20216f"
fill: { color: "3cdbc0" }

// ❌ Wrong — corrupts the file
color: "#20216f"

Standard Color Constants

const METIS = {
  darkBlue:    "20216f",  // Primary dark background
  metisGreen:  "3cdbc0",  // Primary brand accent
  mediumGreen: "53a092",
  darkGreen:   "007d66",
  lightBlue:   "00bdef",
  mediumBlue:  "256ba2",
  white:       "ffffff",
  gray:        "7b8692",
  lightBg:     "f4f6fa",  // Light slide background
};

Font

Use "Calibri" as the font face in pptxgenjs (Open Sans requires manual installation; Calibri is the approved Microsoft fallback).

Shadow Objects — Never Reuse

// ✅ Correct — fresh object each time
const makeShadow = () => ({ type: "outer", color: "000000", blur: 8, offset: 2, angle: 135, opacity: 0.1 });
slide.addShape(pres.shapes.RECTANGLE, { shadow: makeShadow(), ... });

// ❌ Wrong — second call gets already-mutated values
const shadow = { ... };
slide.addShape(..., { shadow });
slide.addShape(..., { shadow }); // corrupted

Accent Bars

Use thin left-edge or top-edge rectangles in Metis Green or Dark Blue to anchor cards and sections:

// Left accent bar on a card
slide.addShape(pres.shapes.RECTANGLE, {
  x: cardX, y: cardY, w: 0.08, h: cardH,
  fill: { color: "3cdbc0" }, line: { color: "3cdbc0" }
});

Using Graphic Devices in PowerPoint

All graphic device files are in the assets/ folder of this skill. Reference them with:

slide.addImage({ path: "<skill-assets-path>/trajectory_device.png", ... });

Trajectory Device (assets/trajectory_device.png)

A fan of green/blue streaks pointing to the right — use on title or section slides.

• Position bleeding off the right edge for a dynamic feel
• On dark backgrounds at 45% transparency over a Dark Blue overlay
• Never point left or downward

// Example: right-bleed on title slide
slide.addImage({
  path: "assets/trajectory_device.png",
  x: 4.5, y: 0.5, w: 6, h: 4.5,
  transparency: 15
});

Energy Device (assets/energy_device.png)

Repeating arrow pattern — use as a background texture or to bookend an image.

• Always flows to the right
• Crop freely; works on both light and dark backgrounds
• Place at 20–40% transparency when used as wallpaper

slide.addImage({
  path: "assets/energy_device.png",
  x: 0, y: 3.5, w: 10, h: 2.5,
  transparency: 65
});

Nexus Device (assets/nexus_device.png)

Symmetric starburst expanding from center — represents the intersection of technology and business.

• Always horizontal orientation — never rotate
• Use on Dark Blue backgrounds only (or white/transparent)
• Place text in the darkest area for legibility

Arrow Device (assets/arrow_device.png)

Solid Metis Green arrow — use to direct the eye to a headline or key insight.

• Points right or left only (never up/down at an angle)
• Scale to match the text it accompanies
• Use sparingly — one per slide maximum

Slide Title Treatment

On light slides: Dark Blue title, 32–40pt, Bold, left-aligned. No decorative lines under the title. On dark slides: White title or Metis Green title, same specs.

Do NOT put a line under slide titles — this is a common AI-generated slide mistake. Use whitespace instead.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Using # prefix with hex colors in pptxgenjs (corrupts file)
• Reusing shadow objects across multiple shapes (corrupts second shape)
• Decorative lines under titles
• All slides the same layout (vary cards, columns, callouts)
• Centering body text (left-align paragraphs)
• Using light text on light backgrounds or dark text on dark backgrounds
• Placing the BrandLine as body text — it belongs near the logo or as a sign-off only
• Introducing any color outside the Metis palette