# Pitch Deck Patterns

> Slide deck narrative structures, data storytelling, visual presentation craft, and communication strategies for founders and leaders.

- Skill: `dragoon0x/pitch-deck-patterns` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add dragoon0x/pitch-deck-patterns`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/dragoon0x/pitch-deck-patterns/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Docs & Writing
- Author: dragoon0x (https://skillmd.com/u/dragoon0x)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/dragoon0x/pitch-deck-patterns

---


# Pitch Deck Patterns

## Slide Structures

### Seed Stage (10-12 slides)
1. Title + one-line hook
2. Problem (make them feel it)
3. Solution (clear, visual)
4. Demo/product (show, don't tell)
5. Market size (bottom-up TAM)
6. Business model (how you make money)
7. Traction (metrics, growth rate)
8. Competition (honest positioning)
9. Team (why you, specifically)
10. Ask (amount, use of funds, milestones)

### Series A+ (12-15 slides)
Add: unit economics, go-to-market strategy, expansion plan, financial projections

### Strategic/Partnership
Different structure entirely: shared problem, mutual value, specific proposal, timeline, next steps.

## Slide Design Rules

### One Idea Per Slide
If a slide needs "and also..." it's two slides. Complexity belongs in the appendix.

### Headlines Are Insights, Not Labels
- Bad: "Revenue Growth"
- Good: "Revenue tripled after launching self-serve in March"
- The headline should carry the point even if nobody reads the body.

### Data Storytelling
- Every chart needs an insight headline
- Annotate the specific data point that matters
- Remove gridlines, reduce axis labels, kill chart junk
- Use color to highlight the story, gray out the rest
- Left-align numbers in tables, right-align currency

### Visual Consistency
- One font family throughout
- One accent color for emphasis
- Consistent chart styles (don't mix bar and pie randomly)
- Same layout grid across all slides
- Logo placement doesn't move

### Text Reduction
Read your slide. Cut 50%. Read again. Cut 30% more. What remains should be speakable in 30 seconds.

## Anti-Patterns
- Wall of text slides (this is a document, not a deck)
- Clip art or generic stock photos
- Busy backgrounds that compete with content
- Inconsistent formatting slide to slide
- Appendix items in the main deck
- More than 3 bullet points per slide
- Animations/transitions that add time without meaning