About this design
Where the Broadsheet style comes from, and what it signals.
Broadsheet applies the layout grammar of the morning broadsheet newspaper to the slide format. The reference is pre-digital print journalism: a masthead with volume and issue numbers, narrow justified columns separated by hairline rules, drop caps on opening paragraphs, pull quotes between heavy 3px rules, and a bordered 'By the numbers' sidebar where data lives. It is a studied homage to a format that survived two hundred years because it organized complex information well on a constrained page.
The typefaces are Playfair Display for headlines and the masthead, and Newsreader for body text and captions; both are Google Fonts chosen for their newspaper credibility. Ink is near-black #1A1A1A on newsprint #FAF7F0. Press red #A61B1B appears once per slide, reserved for the most important kicker or the single figure that needs to stand out in the numbers sidebar.
This is not a theme for fast decks. It suits annual reviews, in-depth research reports, and any context where the audience expects to read the slides rather than just receive them. The format signals that the content was prepared and edited, which is sometimes the whole point.
Use it for
- Annual reports and year-in-review presentations for investors or boards
- Long-form research and industry analysis decks
- Internal publications and quarterly newsletters promoted into presentations
- Journalism or media industry client presentations
Skip it for
- Quick sales pitches or live product demos; the format is slow by design
- Dark-room projector use; the newsprint background can look washed out
The slide design prompt
This is the exact text that gets sent to your AI.
Create a presentation laid out like a broadsheet newspaper, the 'Broadsheet' theme. Background: newsprint (#FAF7F0). Ink: near-black (#1A1A1A). One accent: press red (#A61B1B), used only for kickers and the single most important figure. Every slide opens with a masthead: a 3px black rule, then a row with the volume and issue number on the left, the deck name centered in bold letterspaced 'Playfair Display' caps, and the date plus page code (A1, B2) on the right, closed by a thin rule. Headlines: bold 'Playfair Display', large, tight leading. Body text runs in 2 or 3 narrow justified 'Newsreader' columns (both faces are Google Fonts) separated by thin vertical rules, with the opening paragraph starting on a two-line drop cap. Data lives in a bordered 'By the numbers' sidebar with ruled rows. Quotes are centered pull quotes between heavy 3px rules with the attribution in small letterspaced caps. Captions are small 'Newsreader' italics. Strictly avoid: color photography, rounded corners, sans-serif headlines, any color beyond ink, newsprint and the one red. Use this theme for my slides. Ask me what the presentation is about first, then apply the theme to every slide.View this prompt and its data on GitHub
How to use this prompt
From copied text to a finished Broadsheet deck in four moves.
- 01
Copy the prompt
Use the copy button, or open it pre-filled in Claude or ChatGPT with one click from the panel on this page.
- 02
Tell the AI your topic
The prompt instructs the AI to ask what your presentation is about first. A sentence or a pasted outline is enough.
- 03
Generate and iterate
Ask for more slides or swap a layout. The avoid list at the end of the prompt keeps Broadsheet on-style while the content changes.
- 04
Or skip straight to a deck
SlideSpeak turns your topic or document into a finished Broadsheet presentation, exportable as PowerPoint or PDF.
Common questions
Working with the Broadsheet slide design prompt in practice.
