Minimalism Slides
a system, not a theme
Part One
fundamentals
What we keep
three things, nothing else
- One typeface — Roboto Mono
- Three values — black, gray, white
- Two heading levels — h1 chapters, h2 slides
What we remove
negative space is the design
No logos, no slide footers, no decorative rules, no shadows, no gradients, no transitions. A page number and a progress bar are the only persistent chrome. Everything else must earn its place in the content.
The grid
one column, generous padding
--pad-x: 8vw;
--pad-y: 12vh;
font: Roboto Mono, weights 300 / 400 / 500
ink: #111 on #fff
rule: #999 (1px)
muted: #666On restraint
quoted with apology
Less, but better — because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials.
Dieter Rams
Callouts
asides without chrome
Two columns, when needed
compare, contrast
Kept
- Page number
- Progress bar
- Subtitle rhythm
Removed
- Theme toggle
- Transitions
- Slide footers
Picture with caption
image right, text left
Use this layout to give a figure breathing room. The text column carries the title, subtitle, and a short description.
The image column holds one figure with an optional caption beneath — perfect for screenshots, diagrams, or single hero shots.
The type scale
one master, every rem follows
| screen | 1 rem | h1 · 2 rem | h2 · 1.6 rem | page no. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1366 × 768 | 28 px | 56 px | 45 px | 14 px |
| 1920 × 1080 | 39 px | 78 px | 62 px | 19 px |
| 2560 × 1440 | 52 px | 104 px | 83 px | 26 px |
| 3840 × 2160 | 78 px | 156 px | 125 px | 39 px |
Density test
auto-fit shrinks body type when content overflows
| # | Principle | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Good design is innovative | Innovation moves in step with technology |
| 02 | Good design makes a product useful | Function precedes decoration |
| 03 | Good design is aesthetic | Beauty matters because the product is used daily |
| 04 | Good design makes a product understandable | Clarity reveals the product's structure |
| 05 | Good design is unobtrusive | Tools, neither decorative nor artistic |
| 06 | Good design is honest | It does not deceive about its capabilities |
| 07 | Good design is long-lasting | Avoids fashion, stays current for years |
| 08 | Good design is thorough down to the last detail | Nothing arbitrary, everything intentional |
| 09 | Good design is environmentally friendly | Conserves resources, minimises pollution |
| 10 | Good design is as little design as possible | Less, but better |
Density test, list
auto-fit also handles long lists
- No theme switcher
- No build step
- No bundler, no framework
- No state management library
- No SSR, no SSG
- No analytics, no telemetry
- No service worker
- No self-hosted fonts
- No images, no icons, no logos
- No gradients, no shadows, no fills
- No animations between slides
- No multiple typefaces
- No backgrounds beyond #fff
- No weights below 300 or above 700
- No alignment changes per slide
- No speaker notes
- No print overrides for the page number
- No shortcut docs outside this deck
- No JavaScript polyfills
- No IE support
Part Two
operating it
Inputs
three ways in
- Keyboard — primary, every action is bound
- Pointer — clicks, scroll wheel, mouse
- Touch — swipe left or right on mobile
Keyboard
everything from the keys
- → ↓ PgDn Space
- Next slide
- ← ↑ PgUp Shift+Space
- Previous slide
- Home / End
- First / last slide
- o / Esc
- Toggle overview
- Cmd/Ctrl + P
- Print one slide per page