Here's a shortcut that most users never think to try: name a brand, a product, or a style you admire, and the AI uses it as a design compass. Instead of describing every detail yourself, you point to something the AI already understands and say "make it feel like that."
This works because the AI has absorbed thousands of design styles — from Apple keynotes to McKinsey strategy decks to Airbnb pitch decks. When you reference one, it synthesises the patterns — the spacing, the typography weight, the colour approach, the overall energy — and applies them to your content, with your brand colours.
The Technique
It's simple: tell the AI what the slide (or the whole deck) should feel like by naming something recognisable.
"Make this feel like an Apple keynote slide"
The AI knows what that means: dramatic whitespace, one idea per slide, centred content, large clean typography, minimal decoration. Your slide transforms.
You're not getting a copy of Apple's slides — you're getting the design philosophy applied to your content, with your brand.
Brand References
Name a company whose visual style you admire:
Try these:
"Style this like a Stripe landing page — modern, gradient accents, clear hierarchy, polished"
"Make this feel like an Apple keynote — one big idea, lots of white space, centred, clean"
"Give this the feel of a Tesla product reveal — dark background, cinematic, minimal text, dramatic"
"Make it look like an Airbnb pitch deck — clean data, friendly, well-structured, human"
"Style this like a Nike campaign — bold, high contrast, powerful imagery, one word headlines"
"Give this the energy of a Notion landing page — clean, structured, playful accents, well-organised"
"Make this feel like a Spotify Wrapped slide — bold colours, big numbers, fun, data-driven"
"Style this like a Bloomberg terminal — dense data, dark background, structured grid, no decoration"
Industry References
Reference a type of presentation or document style:
Try these:
"Make this feel like a YC Demo Day pitch — bold numbers, fast-paced, metric-forward, punchy"
"Give this the feel of a McKinsey strategy deck — structured, data-heavy, conservative, precise"
"Style this like a TED talk opener — one provocative question, large type, dark background, dramatic pause"
"Make this look like a Sequoia pitch deck — clean structure, narrative flow, strong data slides"
"Give this the energy of a product hunt launch — exciting, modern, feature-focused, screenshot-heavy"
"Make this feel like a private equity board report — conservative, data-dense, structured, no flash"
"Style this like a design agency portfolio — visual-first, minimal text, high-quality imagery, sophisticated"
Cultural References
Go beyond business — reference any visual style the AI would recognise:
Try these:
"Make this feel like a magazine editorial — elegant typography, generous margins, editorial photography"
"Give this the aesthetic of a luxury watch advert — dark, metallic accents, serif type, refined"
"Style this like a museum exhibition panel — clean, educational, well-spaced, authoritative"
"Make this feel like a sci-fi movie title sequence — dark, glowing accents, futuristic, sleek"
"Give this the warmth of a café menu — handwritten feel, warm tones, approachable, friendly"
"Style this like a film noir poster — high contrast, dramatic shadows, bold type, moody"
"Make this feel like an architect's project proposal — precise, measured, lots of white space, technical drawings vibe"
Combining References
The most powerful move: blend two references to create something unique.
Try these:
"Apple's whitespace with Stripe's gradient energy"
"McKinsey's structure with a startup's boldness"
"The data density of a Bloomberg terminal with the visual polish of an Airbnb deck"
"Nike's boldness with a luxury brand's restraint"
"TED talk drama for the opening, then Sequoia structure for the data slides"
"Magazine editorial elegance for the hero slides, dashboard precision for the metrics"
"The warmth of Airbnb with the confidence of Tesla"
These combinations create design directions that are genuinely unique — they don't exist as a template anywhere. They exist because you described them.
Per-Slide References
Different slides in the same deck can reference different styles:
Try these:
"Opening slide like a TED talk — one provocative statistic, dark background, dramatic. Then switch to Sequoia structure for the business case slides"
"Team slide with the warmth of Airbnb — friendly photos, personal. Traction slide with Bloomberg density — lots of metrics, structured grid"
"Title slide like an Apple keynote — minimal, bold, centred. Problem slide like a documentary — stark, uncomfortable, one powerful image. Solution slide like a product launch — clean, optimistic, feature-focused"
"The closing CTA like a Nike ad — one bold statement, nothing else. Previous slides like a McKinsey deck — structured, data-rich, professional"
What References Do (and Don't Do)
What they do:
- Give the AI a clear design direction in just a few words
- Set spacing, typography weight, colour intensity, and overall energy
- Help you communicate a feeling you can picture but struggle to describe
- Create unique combinations when you blend two references
What they don't do:
- Copy the referenced brand's actual designs (every slide is unique to you)
- Override your brand colours (your palette stays — the reference guides how it's used)
- Work for brands the AI wouldn't recognise (obscure local businesses won't register as a style)
Finding Your Reference
Not sure which reference fits? Here's a quick guide by what you're trying to achieve:
Want to feel premium? → "Apple keynote," "luxury watch ad," "architect's proposal"
Want to feel data-driven? → "Bloomberg terminal," "McKinsey deck," "private equity report"
Want to feel exciting? → "YC Demo Day," "product launch," "Nike campaign," "Spotify Wrapped"
Want to feel warm and human? → "Airbnb," "café menu," "magazine editorial," "TED talk"
Want to feel bold and confident? → "Tesla reveal," "Nike ad," "movie poster"
Want to feel structured and professional? → "Sequoia deck," "McKinsey," "annual report"
What to Read Next
- Prompting for Tone and Personality — Use tone words instead of references to shape the feeling of your slides.
- Prompting for Layout — How spatial words shape the structure of your slides.
- Prompting for Motion and Interaction — Add hover effects, counters, and choreographed motion.
Here's a shortcut that most users never think to try: name a brand, a product, or a style you admire, and the AI uses it as a design compass. Instead of describing every detail yourself, you point to something the AI already understands and say "make it feel like that."
This works because the AI has absorbed thousands of design styles — from Apple keynotes to McKinsey strategy decks to Airbnb pitch decks. When you reference one, it synthesises the patterns — the spacing, the typography weight, the colour approach, the overall energy — and applies them to your content, with your brand colours.
The Technique
It's simple: tell the AI what the slide (or the whole deck) should feel like by naming something recognisable.
"Make this feel like an Apple keynote slide"
The AI knows what that means: dramatic whitespace, one idea per slide, centred content, large clean typography, minimal decoration. Your slide transforms.
You're not getting a copy of Apple's slides — you're getting the design philosophy applied to your content, with your brand.
Brand References
Name a company whose visual style you admire:
Try these:
"Style this like a Stripe landing page — modern, gradient accents, clear hierarchy, polished"
"Make this feel like an Apple keynote — one big idea, lots of white space, centred, clean"
"Give this the feel of a Tesla product reveal — dark background, cinematic, minimal text, dramatic"
"Make it look like an Airbnb pitch deck — clean data, friendly, well-structured, human"
"Style this like a Nike campaign — bold, high contrast, powerful imagery, one word headlines"
"Give this the energy of a Notion landing page — clean, structured, playful accents, well-organised"
"Make this feel like a Spotify Wrapped slide — bold colours, big numbers, fun, data-driven"
"Style this like a Bloomberg terminal — dense data, dark background, structured grid, no decoration"
Industry References
Reference a type of presentation or document style:
Try these:
"Make this feel like a YC Demo Day pitch — bold numbers, fast-paced, metric-forward, punchy"
"Give this the feel of a McKinsey strategy deck — structured, data-heavy, conservative, precise"
"Style this like a TED talk opener — one provocative question, large type, dark background, dramatic pause"
"Make this look like a Sequoia pitch deck — clean structure, narrative flow, strong data slides"
"Give this the energy of a product hunt launch — exciting, modern, feature-focused, screenshot-heavy"
"Make this feel like a private equity board report — conservative, data-dense, structured, no flash"
"Style this like a design agency portfolio — visual-first, minimal text, high-quality imagery, sophisticated"
Cultural References
Go beyond business — reference any visual style the AI would recognise:
Try these:
"Make this feel like a magazine editorial — elegant typography, generous margins, editorial photography"
"Give this the aesthetic of a luxury watch advert — dark, metallic accents, serif type, refined"
"Style this like a museum exhibition panel — clean, educational, well-spaced, authoritative"
"Make this feel like a sci-fi movie title sequence — dark, glowing accents, futuristic, sleek"
"Give this the warmth of a café menu — handwritten feel, warm tones, approachable, friendly"
"Style this like a film noir poster — high contrast, dramatic shadows, bold type, moody"
"Make this feel like an architect's project proposal — precise, measured, lots of white space, technical drawings vibe"
Combining References
The most powerful move: blend two references to create something unique.
Try these:
"Apple's whitespace with Stripe's gradient energy"
"McKinsey's structure with a startup's boldness"
"The data density of a Bloomberg terminal with the visual polish of an Airbnb deck"
"Nike's boldness with a luxury brand's restraint"
"TED talk drama for the opening, then Sequoia structure for the data slides"
"Magazine editorial elegance for the hero slides, dashboard precision for the metrics"
"The warmth of Airbnb with the confidence of Tesla"
These combinations create design directions that are genuinely unique — they don't exist as a template anywhere. They exist because you described them.
Per-Slide References
Different slides in the same deck can reference different styles:
Try these:
"Opening slide like a TED talk — one provocative statistic, dark background, dramatic. Then switch to Sequoia structure for the business case slides"
"Team slide with the warmth of Airbnb — friendly photos, personal. Traction slide with Bloomberg density — lots of metrics, structured grid"
"Title slide like an Apple keynote — minimal, bold, centred. Problem slide like a documentary — stark, uncomfortable, one powerful image. Solution slide like a product launch — clean, optimistic, feature-focused"
"The closing CTA like a Nike ad — one bold statement, nothing else. Previous slides like a McKinsey deck — structured, data-rich, professional"
What References Do (and Don't Do)
What they do:
- Give the AI a clear design direction in just a few words
- Set spacing, typography weight, colour intensity, and overall energy
- Help you communicate a feeling you can picture but struggle to describe
- Create unique combinations when you blend two references
What they don't do:
- Copy the referenced brand's actual designs (every slide is unique to you)
- Override your brand colours (your palette stays — the reference guides how it's used)
- Work for brands the AI wouldn't recognise (obscure local businesses won't register as a style)
Finding Your Reference
Not sure which reference fits? Here's a quick guide by what you're trying to achieve:
Want to feel premium? → "Apple keynote," "luxury watch ad," "architect's proposal"
Want to feel data-driven? → "Bloomberg terminal," "McKinsey deck," "private equity report"
Want to feel exciting? → "YC Demo Day," "product launch," "Nike campaign," "Spotify Wrapped"
Want to feel warm and human? → "Airbnb," "café menu," "magazine editorial," "TED talk"
Want to feel bold and confident? → "Tesla reveal," "Nike ad," "movie poster"
Want to feel structured and professional? → "Sequoia deck," "McKinsey," "annual report"
What to Read Next
- Prompting for Tone and Personality — Use tone words instead of references to shape the feeling of your slides.
- Prompting for Layout — How spatial words shape the structure of your slides.
- Prompting for Motion and Interaction — Add hover effects, counters, and choreographed motion.