Reusable Layout Catalog

Use this catalog during inventory planning. Choose the smallest set that covers the story; a template does not need every layout.

Layout id	Best used for	Core placeholders	Avoid when
title	Opening a deck with one clear promise	title, subtitle, presenter, date	The slide needs detailed context
agenda	Previewing three to seven sections	title, ordered sections	The talk is too short to need navigation
section-divider	Resetting attention between major chapters	section label, title, optional motif	Every slide would become a divider
problem	Framing the user pain or opportunity	headline, evidence, affected audience	Evidence is not yet available
key-message	Landing one memorable claim	message, support line, optional visual	Several equal ideas must be compared
two-column	Contrasting or pairing related ideas	left title/body, right title/body	Content lengths are badly unbalanced
comparison	Comparing options on consistent criteria	option names, criteria, values, takeaway	The options use unrelated criteria
process	Showing three to seven sequential steps	step labels, descriptions, connectors	The sequence has many branches
timeline	Showing dated phases or milestones	dates, events, status	Exact timing is unknown or unimportant
metrics	Highlighting one to four headline measures	metric value, label, context, source	The numbers lack definitions or sources
chart-and-insight	Pairing one chart with the conclusion it supports	chart, insight, source	The chart needs extensive explanation
quote	Giving a short attributed voice a full beat	quote, speaker, affiliation/source	The quote is long or weakly sourced
case-study	Summarizing context, action, and result	challenge, approach, outcome, evidence	Results cannot be verified
team	Introducing a small group and roles	person, role, short credential, image	The group is too large for legible cards
image-focus	Letting one licensed visual carry the slide	image, caption, credit	The visual is decorative or low resolution
closing	Ending with one action or memorable takeaway	takeaway, call to action, contact	Several unrelated next steps remain
appendix	Holding supporting detail outside the main story	title, body/table/chart, source	The content is required to follow the main argument

Inventory Heuristics

• Include title, section-divider, and closing for most reusable decks.
• Add both process and timeline only when the template must support sequence and calendar views.
• Prefer comparison over improvised columns when criteria must align.
• Pair every data layout with a source placeholder.
• Keep placeholder counts low enough that a user can scan the slide in seconds.
• Use usage notes to prevent a layout from becoming a generic dumping ground.

Placeholder Kinds

Use these portable kinds in the manifest:

• text
• rich-text
• image
• chart
• table
• metric
• date
• source
• logo

Backend adapters may map these kinds to native PowerPoint or Slides objects.