Our Picks for Decks of the Year
It’s one of my favorite times — when we look back at the most inspiring presentations created in 2014 and select our favorites to be honored as Decks of the Year.
Previous honorees and new ones, stylish decks and informative ones, beautiful Creative Commons images and custom collages — there’s a bit of everything in this year’s list, and we hope you’ll find something that inspires you.
1. Most Stylish
Scandinavian Interior Design Trends, by Emma Fexeus
Scandinavian Interior Design Trends 2013 – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires;
Theme: Five Seven Five
Why We Love It:
- Inspiring, visual subject matter
- Gorgeous use of custom photo collages. {Learn how in Import Images to Haiku Deck like a Pro.}
- Polished, consistent formatting featuring high-impact white text over stunning visuals, punctuated with solid black backgrounds
We can’t wait to see what ultra-talented design blogger Emma will create with Haiku Deck next!
2. Most Personality
How To Get a Startup Job, by Kim Pham
How to get a startup job – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires;
Theme: Cinematic
Why We Love It:
- Kim’s use of candid personal photos, punctuated by high-impact solid backgrounds, makes her deck feel authentic yet polished.
- Her well-crafted slides and Notes are packed with succinct, useful advice.
- Those solid red backgrounds with the crisp white text just knock our socks off. Hai-5, Kim!
Honorable Mention:
Random Rants about Sales – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires
3. Most Artistic
How to Work with Your Dad, by Alexander Charner
How To Work With Your Dad – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires
Theme: Iditarod (One of our absolute favorites, and newly available on the web!)
Why We Love It:
- Alexander’s striking illustrations, created on the iPad with Paper by FiftyThree, give his Haiku Deck a truly one-of-a-kind look.
- He incorporates a variety of paragraph slide layouts effectively to give his deck rhythm and flow.
- Created for Father’s Day, this lovely work of art perfectly balances personal sentiment with broad appeal. We’ll look forward to your next inspiration, Alexander!
4. Most Helpful
10 Productivity Hacks for Spring, by Blakely Aguilar
10 Productivity Hacks For Spring – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires;
Theme: Zissou
Why We Love It:
- This is an ideal use of Haiku Deck — short, sweet, to the point. {Create your own deck like this in just a few minutes with our handy Idea Sharing template.}
- Great tips! We definitely try to observe “fluff-free meetings” here at the office, and I’m an especially big fan of the “say no” tactic.
- This is just one in a series of stand-out Haiku Decks created by the resourceful team at PGI and shared on SlideShare. {Uploading to SlideShare is a terrific way to amplify your reach: This one got nearly 20K combined views!} Blakely discovered that with Haiku Deck, they were able to produce useful, shareable content at a fraction of the cost of custom PowerPoints. Keep those great Haiku Decks coming, team PGI!
Honorable Mentions:
7 Tips to Prep for Long Day Rides! – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires
by Irene Yam and
How to find inspiration – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires
by Melissa Johnson
5. Best Use of Custom Imagery
How to Make Micro-Content, by Danielle Oteri
How to Make Micro-content – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires;
Theme: Volterra
Why We Love It:
- Danielle’s Haiku Deck is crisp, cohesive, and filled with tasty content marketing advice.
- She incorporates artful photo collages as well as perfectly chosen snapshots to illustrate her points effectively. {See also: Import Images Like a Pro.}
- Cream puffs! Enough said.
6. Best Use of Imagery
Sharing Infrastructure, by John Sheridan
Sharing Infrastructure – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires;
Theme: Strangelove (Newly available on the web!)
Why We Love It:
- Australia’s CTO always wows us with his creative uses of Haiku Deck to share insights about technology infrastructure.
- Each well-chosen image in this to-the-point deck is evocative and packed with storytelling power.
- John also uses the Notes effectively to elaborate his points while keeping the wording on his slides crisp. Hai-5, John!
Honorable Mention:
Persuasive Speaking – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires
by Jonathan Tran
7. Most Thought-Provoking
Leanership: A New Way Of Work – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires
by Stowe Boyd
Leanership: A New Way Of Work – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires;
Theme: Zissou
Why We Love It:
- Stowe’s Haiku Deck stands out for its depth and substance. He packs so much clarifying detail into the Notes that this Haiku Deck could easily stand alone as an ebook.
- It’s a terrific example of sharing a groundbreaking idea in manifesto form.
- His use of THIS (NOT THAT) headlines creates a compelling sense of rhythm, bringing his concept into focus in the process. We’d love to see more of your thoughts on the future of work in Haiku Deck form, Stowe!
8. Most Progressive
Quotes from Women Developers and Engineers, by Arabella Santiago
Quotes from Women Developers and Engineers – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires;
Theme: Volterra
Why We Love It:
- Quotes from today’s tech leaders and the great Grace Hopper. What’s not to love?
- Excellent use of Notes to add context and background.
- Concise and focused — A perfect use of Haiku Deck. We’d love to see a series of these!
9. Best Education Presentation
Digital Citizenship Lessons, by Susan Spellman Cann
Digital Citizenship Lessons – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires
Theme: Volterra
Why We Love It:
- Digital citizenship is something we should all be thinking about — Susan’s beautifully crafted deck is thought-provoking and powerful for Internet users of all ages.
- Her use of solid-color backgrounds in a rainbow of colors, interspersed with high-impact, evocative visuals, create a powerful rhythm.
- All of Susan’s Haiku Decks are brimming with positive energy and inspire us to be better people. Keep on improving the world with your beautiful inspirations, Susan!
Honorable Mention:
Digital Storytelling – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires
by Judy Arzt
10. Most Informative
Badass Blogging: Best Practices to Enhance Your Customer Reach, by Virginia Nussey of Bruce Clay, Inc.
Badass Blogging: Best Practices to Enhance Your Customer Reach – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires;
Theme: Orwell (Newly available on the web!)
Why We Love It:
- This beautifully crafted 36-slide deck packs in a book’s worth of specific, detailed tips for bloggers.
- The delivery is engaging and packed with personality, with punchy text and well-chosen images.
- Virginia’s detailed Notes add helpful background and make you feel like she’s in the room. We can’t wait to see more Haiku Decks from you, Virginia!
Honorable Mentions: How To Ensure Your Website is Inbound-Ready, by Penny Baldwin-French, and 7 Reasons You Must Curate Content, by Martin Smith (both excellent reads for marketers)
Congratulations to all of this year’s honorees — and special thanks to all of you who have created, enjoyed, and shared inspiring presentations throughout the year. We are incredibly grateful for your creativity and support, and we wish you a happy and productive 2015!
More Inspiring Presentations
- Our Picks for Decks of the Year, 2012
- Our Picks for Decks of the Year, 2013
- Featured Gallery and Popular Gallery
Create Your Own Inspiring Presentations
I’d love to see YOUR Haiku Deck on next year’s list! Here are a few resources to help you create wow-worthy presentations.
- Rock Star Series: How To Build Thought Leadership
- Rock Star Series: How To Make Your Company Values Visible
- A Guide to the Haiku Deck Gallery
- A Field Guide to Haiku Deck’s Free Themes
- Field Guide to Haiku Deck Slide Types
