Using Icons in PowerPoint: Design Tips for a Clean, Modern Look

You probably already know that making your slides cleaner and more visual is a great way to engage your audience and make your presentations look more professional. The hard part is getting there: how do you streamline your content without losing key ideas? And how do you add visual punch without spending ages designing slides?

Swapping out text for icons is a simple way to add clarity and visual interest to your PowerPoints. Icons can reinforce your content, support your brand, and add some spark to your slides —but when they’re misused, they can quickly make your deck feel cluttered, inconsistent, or dated. 

The good news? Unlike animations or complex graphics, icons don’t require any design experience.

In this post, we’ll walk through a handful of easy-to-follow rules for using icons in PowerPoint—so your visuals support your message instead of distracting from it.

Why icons are so useful for PowerPoint slides

Icons are one of the most effective tools for simplifying slides and making them more visual. At their core, icons are simplified illustrations of common objects or ideas—easy to recognize, and powerful when used with intention.

Rather than relying on blocks of text, icons let you express key actions, ideas, or categories with just a few lines. They help your audience absorb information faster, reinforce your message, and add clarity without adding clutter.

When used well, icons can also enhance the tone of your slides and visually support your brand—making your presentation not just clearer, but more cohesive and engaging.

Match Your Icons to the Tone of Your Presentation

Icons don’t just convey meaning—they also influence the mood of your presentations. The visual style you choose can subtly (or not-so-subtly) influence how your audience feels about your content. That’s why it’s important to match your icons to the tone of your presentation.

A sleek, minimalist icon set might work well for a corporate strategy deck, but feel cold or sterile in a team culture presentation. On the flip side, bright and playful icons might feel out of place in a data-heavy investor pitch.

Think of your icons as part of your presentation’s voice. They should reflect the level of formality, energy, and personality you're aiming for, not bring their own unique style.

Do: Use clean, simple icons for professional content; save playful or colorful ones for internal or creative work.

Use a Consistent Icon Style

One of the quickest ways to make a slide feel chaotic or unprofessional is by mixing icon styles. It’s easy to understand how this happens: you might have a branded icon library that just doesn’t have the right match for your content. Or maybe you are browsing the icon library in PowerPoint and have to mix and match the styles to cover all your ideas.

The problem? That inconsistency creates visual tension and distracts from your message.

To keep your slides looking polished, choose one icon style and stick with it throughout your deck. Whether you go with outline, filled, flat, or hand-drawn, consistency is key. Most built-in icon libraries (like the one in PowerPoint) let you filter by style, which makes it easier to stay consistent.

If you’re looking for more options—or a specific concept—The Noun Project is our favorite source. It offers thousands of icons in matching styles, so you can build a cohesive set even when you're pulling from multiple topics. There are even free options if you don’t want to pay for a subscription.

Do: Use all matching icon styles with consistent line weight.

Don’t: Combine a glossy 3D icon with a thin minimalist one.

Don’t Use Icons Just to Fill Space

A common mistake is to treat icons as decorations—something to “spice up” a slide or fill an empty corner. But that’s a quick way to make your deck feel disjointed, gimmicky, and overcrowded.

Icons work best when they directly support your message. They should clarify an idea, reinforce a concept, or help the audience understand a point faster. So even if you're presenting a slide about new innovations in your product line, dropping in a rocket ship icon just because it “feels right” isn’t a great idea. If an icon doesn’t serve a clear purpose, it’s better left off the slide. 

This is especially important when you’re presenting in a high-stakes or professional setting. Decorative visuals with no meaning can dilute your credibility or distract from your content.

Do: Use a lightbulb icon next to a key idea or insight.

Don’t: Drop in a rocket ship icon just because the slide “felt empty.”

Align Your Icons With Text and Other Elements

Even well-chosen icons can feel “off” if they’re not properly aligned. Misalignment—whether it’s an icon floating too far from a bullet point, sitting slightly above a line of text, or crowding other elements—makes a slide feel unpolished, even if the audience can’t immediately say why.

Think of it like hanging pictures on a wall: if one frame is even slightly crooked, it throws off the whole arrangement. The same goes for your slides.

Use PowerPoint’s built-in alignment tools to ensure icons are centered, evenly spaced, and aligned with text boxes or bullet points. When in doubt, zoom in and adjust manually—pixel-perfect alignment can go a long way toward making your slides feel more professional.

Do: Align icons with bullets so they feel clean and intentional.

Don’t: Let icons float too high, sit off-center, or break the visual rhythm of the slide.

Use Icons Sparingly

Icons are helpful—until they’re not. While swapping out text for icons can make your slides more visual and easier to read, icons quickly reach a tipping point where you go from clean to chaos. In other words, just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

Think of icons as tools for emphasis. They’re most effective when used to highlight or clarify key points—not when they’re scattered across every line like confetti. A well-placed icon can help your audience focus. Too many, and the impact gets lost in the noise.

So instead of asking “Where can I add icons?”, try asking: “Will an icon actually help communicate this idea more clearly?”

Do: Use icons to draw attention to your most important points.

Don’t: Add icons to every bullet just because you can.

Final Thoughts: Keep It Clear, Not Clever

Icons can elevate a slide—or overwhelm it.

When used thoughtfully, icons help you communicate faster, reinforce key messages, and bring a little visual clarity to even the densest content. But when they’re inconsistent, decorative, or overused, they just create noise.

Keep it simple: choose icons that fit your message, match your tone, and stay consistent in style and alignment. You don’t need a design degree—just a few good tips!

About the author

Kyle Kartz is the Creative Director of Storytelling at VerdanaBold. He is an expert copywriter and strategist, with experience driving major campaigns for global brands in multiple industries. He is passionate about communications, the outdoors, and cooking.