How to Design a Dual-Infographic Presentation Slide

Creating a slide that conveys a large amount of information without overwhelming the audience is a core skill for any presentation designer. The slide we are analyzing today does this beautifully by combining two distinct infographic styles—a hub-and-spoke cluster diagram and an alternating timeline—onto a single, cohesive canvas.

This layout is highly effective for business presentations, pitch decks, and educational materials where you need to show interconnected relationships on one side and a chronological progression on the other. Let's break down exactly how you can recreate this professional, premium infographic style from scratch.

Understanding the Slide Layout

Before touching any shapes, it is important to understand the grid and structural logic of this slide. The design is split into two distinct visual zones.

The Two-Column Approach

The slide uses a roughly 40/60 vertical split. The left side (40%) is dedicated to the cluster diagram, which serves as a conceptual breakdown. The right side (60%) houses the timeline, providing a sequential narrative. This split ensures that neither graphic feels cramped.

Central Alignment Strategy

Both infographics are centered along the same horizontal middle axis of the slide. If you draw an invisible line across the vertical center, the central pill shape on the left and the main timeline bar on the right sit perfectly on this line. This creates a strong sense of visual balance.

Setting Up the Background

The dark background is crucial for this specific "premium" aesthetic. It creates high contrast with the text and makes the lighter shapes pop.

Choosing the Right Dark Tone

Avoid pitch black. Instead, opt for a deep, rich navy blue. This feels more corporate, modern, and easier on the eyes.

• Background Color: Set your slide background to a solid Deep Navy (hex code approx. #1A2E44).
• Avoiding Gradients: Stick to a solid color fill for the background to keep the focus entirely on the infographics.

Choosing Fonts and Typography

Clean typography is essential for complex infographics. You need a font that remains highly readable even at small sizes.

Font Selection and Hierarchy

Use a modern, geometric sans-serif font like Arial, Segoe UI, or Montserrat.

• Slide Title: Place "Premium infographics" at the very top, centered, in a large, bright white font.
• Section Titles: Use a slightly smaller size for the "Add the title here" text inside the center pill.
• Body Text: Use a small, highly legible font size (around 10-12pt depending on your screen size) for the descriptions. Color these a very light gray or pale blue to soften the contrast against the dark background.

Building the Left Hub-and-Spoke Diagram

This section visually breaks down a core concept into six smaller components.

Creating the Center Node

Start with the focal point of the left diagram.

Draw a "Rounded Rectangle" shape and drag the yellow adjustment handle until the left and right sides are fully rounded, creating a pill shape. Fill this with a soft slate blue. To create that "halo" outline effect, duplicate the shape, make it slightly larger, remove the fill (set to "No Fill"), and give it a thin solid line border. Align them perfectly centered on top of each other.

Adding the Surrounding Elements

Next, add the six supporting nodes.

Draw a standard rounded rectangle. Size it to hold an icon and a short label (e.g., "Text 1"). Duplicate this shape five times. Arrange three above the central pill and three below it. Use your alignment tools to distribute them evenly.

Routing the Connector Lines

To connect the nodes, use the "Curved Connector" or "Elbow Connector" line tool.

Draw lines from the top and bottom edges of the central pill to the corresponding outer boxes. To replicate the exact style in the image, change the beginning arrow type of your lines to an "Oval Arrow" (a small circle). This creates a clean anchor point at the center shape.

Crafting the Right Timeline Infographic

The right side uses an alternating layout to fit a five-point timeline into a compact space.

Building the Timeline Base

Start by creating the central axis for the years 2016 through 2020.

You can create this by drawing five individual rounded rectangles and placing them tightly side-by-side. Fill them with the same slate blue used on the left. Add the year text (e.g., "2016", "2017") centered inside each block.

Adding Alternating Nodes

The alternating design is what makes this timeline work so well.

Draw a Hexagon shape. Place the first one above the "2016" block. Place the next hexagon below the "2017" block, and continue alternating up and down for the remaining years. Connect each hexagon to its corresponding year block using a straight line. Format these lines to be dashed and add a small circle anchor at the timeline base.

Inserting Content and Icons

Now, fill in the data.

Place a relevant white icon inside each hexagon. Then, add text boxes opposite the hexagons. For example, if the 2016 hexagon is above the timeline, place the text box ("Mercury is the smallest planet...") below the timeline. For 2017, where the hexagon is below, place the text ("Venus is the second planet...") above the timeline. This clever arrangement prevents the text blocks from crashing into each other.

Perfecting Spacing and Alignment

The difference between a messy slide and a professional one is alignment.

Using Alignment Tools

Never eyeball your placement. Select all your top-row rounded rectangles on the left and use "Align Top". Select the year blocks on the right and use "Distribute Horizontally". Ensure the gap between the left diagram and the right diagram is visually equal to the margins on the far left and far right of the slide.

Balancing White Space

Negative space (or in this case, dark blue space) is your friend. Notice how much empty space exists around the main title and between the two distinct diagrams. This breathing room is intentional. It prevents the slide from feeling cluttered, even though it contains eleven icons and seven separate blocks of text.

Final Design Polish

Take a step back and review the visual hierarchy.

• Color Check: Ensure all shapes use the exact same shade of slate blue for consistency.
• Grouping: Group the elements of the left diagram together, and the elements of the right diagram together. This makes it easier to nudge the entire structures up or down to perfectly center them on the final slide.
• Icon Consistency: Make sure all icons share the same line weight and style. Mixing solid icons with thin-line icons will break the premium feel.

Conclusion

By breaking this complex slide down into a two-column grid, utilizing a cohesive two-tone color palette, and employing an alternating timeline structure, you can present a massive amount of data cleanly. Mastering these structural techniques will allow you to build custom, highly professional presentation slides for any scenario.