beamer

Pack: 100xOS shared skills

Category: drafting

Field: economics

License: private (curator-owned)

Updated: 2026-05-20

Stages: paper-drafting

Curator-private skill — copy text from 100xOS/shared/skills/latex/beamer.md.

↗ view SKILL.md on source

The Rhetoric of Decks — Beamer Presentation Generation

A framework for creating effective academic presentations with AI assistance. Based on principles from classical rhetoric, information economics, and decades of tacit knowledge about what makes presentations work.

---

Part I: Philosophy — The Three Laws

Law 1: Beauty Is Function

Beautiful slides are not decorated slides. Beauty is clarity made visible. A slide is beautiful when every element earns its presence, nothing distracts, the eye knows where to go, and the mind grasps the idea instantly.

A gradient that serves no purpose, a stock photo that illustrates nothing, an animation that delays comprehension — these are noise, not design. The most beautiful slide may be three words on a blank background.

Law 2: Cognitive Load Is the Enemy

The audience has limited working memory. Every unnecessary word, extraneous data point, or "just in case" inclusion steals bandwidth from the actual message.

• Too many points → zero points retained
• Dense text → nothing read
• Complex charts → confusion, not insight

One idea per slide. This is the law.

Law 3: The Slide Serves the Spoken Word

The slide is not what you say. It is the visual anchor — a focal point for attention, a memory hook, evidence for the claim, a structural marker.

If your slides can be understood without you speaking, you have written a document and called it a presentation.

---

Part II: The Economics of Attention (MB/MC Equivalence)

Every deck is an optimization problem. Let MB be the marginal benefit of adding information to a slide. Let MC be the marginal cost — the cognitive load imposed, attention demanded, risk of overwhelming the audience.

The optimal deck satisfies:

Text Only

MB₁/MC₁ = MB₂/MC₂ = ⋯ = MBₙ/MCₙ

When one slide is overloaded while another is sparse, you have misallocated the audience's attention budget.

What this means in practice

Overloaded slides (MB/MC too low): Text running into footer, multiple competing ideas, charts with too many series. The audience gives up.

Underloaded slides (MB/MC too high): A single word that could support a sentence. Wasted opportunity.

The audit: For each slide ask: "If I added one more element, would the benefit justify the cost? If I removed one, would I lose more than I gain in clarity?" When every slide answers "I'm at the margin," you're optimized.

Exception: Deliberate "jump scares" — intentional spikes in density for rhetorical effect. A sudden striking statistic. A provocative claim. These must be intentional, not accidents of poor distribution.

---

Part III: The Aristotelian Foundation

Ethos (Credibility)

In decks: process diagrams showing methodology, acknowledged limitations, the "Devil's Advocate" slide. Admitting weakness builds credibility.

Pathos (Emotion)

In decks: opening with a problem the audience recognizes, validating frustrations, connecting data to human impact. Pathos without logos is demagoguery.

Logos (Logic)

In decks: data visualizations that reveal patterns, comparison tables, before/after examples, logical flow from problem to solution. Logos without pathos is a lecture.

Balance by context

Context	Logos	Ethos	Pathos
Academic seminar	45%	20%	35%
Conference talk	50%	25%	25%
Job market talk	40%	35%	25%
Teaching lecture	35%	25%	40%

---

Part IV: Titles Are Assertions, Not Labels

Slide titles carry the argument. They are claims, not labels.

Weak → Strong: - "Results" → "Treatment increased distance by 61 miles on average" - "Literature Review" → "Prior work ignores the supply-side margin" - "Methods" → "We exploit county-level variation in clinic closures" - "Data" → "We combine three administrative datasets covering 2M workers"

If someone reads only your slide titles in sequence, they should understand your argument. The titles are the argument. Everything else is evidence and elaboration.

---

Part V: Narrative Structure

The Arc (Three Acts)

Act I — Problem (Tension): Establish status quo, introduce the disruption/question, make the audience feel the problem.

Act II — Investigation (Development): Show what you tried, present what you learned, build the logical case.

Act III — Resolution (Release): Deliver the insight, show implications, call to action.

The Pyramid Principle

Lead with the conclusion. Then support it. Humans want the punchline, then they want to understand why it's true.

Do this: Claim → Evidence → Why it matters

Not this: Background → More background → Analysis → Finding (finally)

The Opening

The first slide after the title is the most important. It must grab attention, establish stakes, and preview the journey.

Bad: "Today I'm going to talk about..." / Agenda with 12 items / Definitions

Good: A provocative question / A surprising statistic / A concrete problem the audience recognizes / A bold claim you'll defend

The Closing

Bad: "Questions?" / Summary repeating everything / "Thank You"

Good: A single memorable takeaway / A concrete call to action / A question that provokes continued thought / Return to the opening, now resolved

---

Part VI: Bullets Are a Confession of Defeat

A list of bullets says "I couldn't figure out the relationship between these ideas." Usually there's a structure hiding in your bullets:

• A sequence → use a numbered list or timeline diagram
• A contrast → use a two-column comparison layout
• A hierarchy → use size/color to show main point vs. supporting detail
• A causal chain → use a flow diagram with arrows

Find the structure. Make it visible. Use layout, not bullets.

---

Part VII: The Devil's Advocate

Before presenting your argument, present its strongest critique:

• "A skeptic would say..."
• "Here's what could go wrong..."
• "The strongest objection is..."

Then: your response, your mitigation, your acknowledgment of residual risk.

This builds ethos (you've done the hard thinking), preempts objections, and signals you're not hiding from problems.

---

Part VIII: Visual Grammar

Hierarchy

Not all information is equal. Design must reflect this:

• Primary: The one thing to remember (large, prominent, above the fold)
• Secondary: Supporting evidence (smaller, subordinate)
• Tertiary: Context and sourcing (smallest, footer area)

If everything is emphasized, nothing is emphasized.

White Space

Empty space is rest for the eye, emphasis for content, and confidence in your message. Crowded slides signal fear. White space signals confidence.

Typography

• Minimum 24pt for body text (20pt absolute floor)
• Maximum two fonts (one headings, one body)
• Sans-serif for projection (serif details disappear at distance)
• Never justify text (ragged right is easier to read)

Data Visualization

Charts are arguments, not decorations. Every chart must answer: "what am I supposed to conclude from this?"

• One message per chart
• Remove chartjunk (3D effects, excessive gridlines, decorative elements)
• Label directly on the line (no legends requiring eye movement)
• Use color to highlight the key comparison
• State the finding in the title

If you can't explain what the chart proves in one sentence, it's too complex.

---

Part IX: LaTeX Implementation

Document class and aspect ratio

TeX

\documentclass[aspectratio=169, 11pt]{beamer}  % 16:9 widescreen standard

Custom Color Palette

Never use default Beamer themes. Define a professional, harmonious palette with semantic color roles:

TeX

% --- Professional Academic Palette ---
% Primary: text, headings, main structural elements
\definecolor{DeepNavy}{HTML}{2E4057}
% Structural: key terms, positive examples, itemize bullets
\definecolor{Teal}{HTML}{048A81}
% Alert/accent: emphasis, negative examples, key findings
\definecolor{WarmOrange}{HTML}{E85D04}
% Tertiary accent: occasional variety
\definecolor{SoftPurple}{HTML}{9D4EDD}
% De-emphasis: footnotes, captions, secondary text
\definecolor{WarmGray}{HTML}{6C757D}
% Background tiers
\definecolor{LightGray}{HTML}{E9ECEF}
\definecolor{Cream}{HTML}{FBF8F1}
\definecolor{SoftWhite}{HTML}{FAFAFA}
% Negative/contrast
\definecolor{DeepRed}{HTML}{D62828}

% --- Apply to Beamer elements ---
\setbeamercolor{normal text}{fg=DeepNavy, bg=SoftWhite}
\setbeamercolor{structure}{fg=DeepNavy}
\setbeamercolor{alerted text}{fg=WarmOrange}
\setbeamercolor{example text}{fg=Teal}
\setbeamercolor{frametitle}{fg=DeepNavy, bg=SoftWhite}
\setbeamercolor{title}{fg=DeepNavy}
\setbeamercolor{subtitle}{fg=WarmGray}
\setbeamercolor{block title}{bg=DeepNavy, fg=white}
\setbeamercolor{block body}{bg=LightGray, fg=DeepNavy}
\setbeamercolor{block title example}{bg=Teal, fg=white}
\setbeamercolor{block body example}{bg=LightGray, fg=DeepNavy}
\setbeamercolor{itemize item}{fg=Teal}
\setbeamercolor{itemize subitem}{fg=WarmOrange}
\setbeamercolor{enumerate item}{fg=Teal}

Custom Theme Configuration

TeX

% Remove chrome
\setbeamertemplate{navigation symbols}{}
\setbeamertemplate{headline}{}

% Typography
\usefonttheme{professionalfonts}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage{lmodern}
\usepackage{microtype}

% Custom frame title with generous spacing
\setbeamertemplate{frametitle}{%
    \vspace{0.5cm}
    \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\paperwidth, leftskip=0.8cm]{frametitle}
        \usebeamerfont{frametitle}\insertframetitle
        \ifx\insertframesubtitle\empty\else
            \\[0.1cm]
            {\usebeamerfont{framesubtitle}%
             \usebeamercolor[fg]{subtitle}\insertframesubtitle}
        \fi
    \end{beamercolorbox}
}

% Minimal footline: page number only
\setbeamertemplate{footline}{%
    \hfill
    \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=3cm, ht=2.5ex, dp=1ex, right, rightskip=0.5cm]%
        {page number}
        \usebeamercolor[fg]{WarmGray}\scriptsize\insertframenumber
    \end{beamercolorbox}
    \vspace{0.3cm}
}

% Custom bullets: colored circles
\setbeamertemplate{itemize item}{%
    \footnotesize\raisebox{0.3ex}{\tikz\fill[Teal] (0,0) circle (0.5ex);}}
\setbeamertemplate{itemize subitem}{%
    \footnotesize\raisebox{0.3ex}{\tikz\fill[WarmOrange] (0,0) circle (0.4ex);}}
\setbeamertemplate{enumerate item}{\textcolor{Teal}{\insertenumlabel.}}

% Font sizes
\setbeamerfont{title}{size=\LARGE, series=\bfseries}
\setbeamerfont{subtitle}{size=\normalsize, series=\mdseries}
\setbeamerfont{frametitle}{size=\Large, series=\bfseries}
\setbeamerfont{framesubtitle}{size=\small, series=\mdseries}

Essential Packages

TeX

\usepackage{amsmath, amssymb}
\usepackage{booktabs}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usepackage{pgfplots}
\usepackage{xcolor}
\usepackage{fontawesome5}
\usepackage{ragged2e}
\usepackage{colortbl}
\usepackage{array}
\usepackage{hyperref}

\usetikzlibrary{shapes.geometric, arrows.meta, positioning, calc,
                backgrounds, decorations.pathreplacing, shadows}
\pgfplotsset{compat=1.18}

Custom Commands

TeX

% Inline emphasis
\newcommand{\emphcolor}[1]{\textcolor{WarmOrange}{\textbf{#1}}}
\newcommand{\tealtext}[1]{\textcolor{Teal}{#1}}
\newcommand{\graytext}[1]{\textcolor{WarmGray}{#1}}
\newcommand{\bigidea}[1]{%
    \begin{center}\Large\color{DeepNavy}\textbf{#1}\end{center}}

% Section transition slide (full-bleed colored background)
\newcommand{\transitionslide}[2]{%
    \begin{frame}[plain]
        \begin{tikzpicture}[remember picture, overlay]
            \fill[DeepNavy] (current page.south west) rectangle
                (current page.north east);
            \node[anchor=center, text=white, font=\Huge\bfseries,
                  text width=0.8\paperwidth, align=center]
                at (current page.center) {#1};
            \node[anchor=center, text=LightGray, font=\large,
                  text width=0.8\paperwidth, align=center,
                  below=1cm of current page.center] {#2};
        \end{tikzpicture}
    \end{frame}
}

% Math operators (define these for consistency)
\DeclareMathOperator{\E}{\mathbb{E}}
\DeclareMathOperator{\Var}{Var}
\DeclareMathOperator{\Cov}{Cov}
\newcommand{\indep}{\perp\!\!\!\perp}
\newcommand{\Prob}{\mathbb{P}}

---

Part X: Slide Layout Patterns

1. Title Slide — Full TikZ Overlay

TeX

{
\setbeamertemplate{footline}{}
\begin{frame}[plain]
\begin{tikzpicture}[remember picture, overlay]
    \fill[DeepNavy] (current page.south west) rectangle
        (current page.north east);
    % Decorative accent circles
    \fill[Teal, opacity=0.3]
        ([xshift=-2cm, yshift=-3cm]current page.north east) circle (5cm);
    \fill[WarmOrange, opacity=0.2]
        ([xshift=3cm, yshift=2cm]current page.south west) circle (4cm);
    % Title
    \node[text=white, font=\fontsize{36}{40}\selectfont\bfseries,
          text width=0.8\paperwidth, align=center]
        at ([yshift=1cm]current page.center)
        {Your Title Here};
    % Decorative rule
    \draw[WarmOrange, line width=2pt]
        ([yshift=-0.3cm]current page.center) ++(-3cm,0) -- ++(6cm,0);
    % Subtitle
    \node[text=LightGray, font=\large,
          text width=0.7\paperwidth, align=center]
        at ([yshift=-1.5cm]current page.center)
        {Author Name \\ Institution \\ Date};
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{frame}
}

2. Two-Column Comparison (Bad vs. Good)

TeX

\begin{frame}{Assertion Title Describing the Comparison}
    \begin{columns}[T]
        \begin{column}{0.47\textwidth}
            \textcolor{DeepRed}{\textbf{Traditional Approach}}
            \vspace{0.3cm}
            \begin{itemize}
                \item Problem one
                \item Problem two
            \end{itemize}
        \end{column}
        \begin{column}{0.47\textwidth}
            \textcolor{Teal}{\textbf{Our Approach}}
            \vspace{0.3cm}
            \begin{itemize}
                \item Advantage one
                \item Advantage two
            \end{itemize}
        \end{column}
    \end{columns}
\end{frame}

3. TikZ Callout Box (Key Insight)

TeX

\begin{frame}{The Central Finding}
    \vspace{0.5cm}
    \begin{center}
    \begin{tikzpicture}
        \node[draw=Teal, rounded corners=5pt, inner sep=15pt,
              fill=Teal!5, text width=0.75\textwidth, align=center]
            {\Large\color{DeepNavy}\textbf{%
             Treatment increased distance by 61 miles on average}\\[0.3cm]
             \normalsize\color{WarmGray}%
             95\% CI: [42, 80] | $p < 0.001$ | $N = 12{,}450$};
    \end{tikzpicture}
    \end{center}

    \vspace{0.5cm}
    \small
    \begin{itemize}
        \item Robust to alternative specifications
        \item Effect concentrated among first-time users
    \end{itemize}
\end{frame}

4. Three-Pillar Framework

TeX

\begin{frame}{The Three Modes of Persuasion}
    \vspace{0.5cm}
    \begin{tikzpicture}[
        box/.style={rounded corners=3pt, minimum width=3.5cm,
                     minimum height=2.5cm, text width=3cm,
                     align=center, font=\small}
    ]
        \node[box, fill=Teal!15, draw=Teal]
            (ethos) at (0,0)
            {\textbf{\large Ethos}\\[4pt]Credibility\\Process \& rigor};
        \node[box, fill=WarmOrange!15, draw=WarmOrange]
            (pathos) at (4.5,0)
            {\textbf{\large Pathos}\\[4pt]Emotion\\Why it matters};
        \node[box, fill=SoftPurple!15, draw=SoftPurple]
            (logos) at (9,0)
            {\textbf{\large Logos}\\[4pt]Logic\\Evidence \& data};
    \end{tikzpicture}
\end{frame}

5. Figure Slide

TeX

\begin{frame}{Treatment Increased Distance by 61 Miles}
\framesubtitle{Event-study estimates with 95\% confidence intervals}
    \begin{figure}
        \centering
        \includegraphics[width=0.78\textwidth,
                         height=0.72\textheight,
                         keepaspectratio]{figures/event_study.pdf}
    \end{figure}
    \vspace{-0.5em}
    \graytext{\scriptsize Base period: $t = -1$. Standard errors
    clustered at the county level.}
\end{frame>

6. Final Slide (Mirrors Title)

TeX

\begin{frame}[plain]
\begin{tikzpicture}[remember picture, overlay]
    \fill[DeepNavy] (current page.south west) rectangle
        (current page.north east);
    \fill[Teal, opacity=0.2]
        ([xshift=-2cm, yshift=-3cm]current page.north east) circle (5cm);
    \node[text=white, font=\Large, text width=0.7\paperwidth,
          align=center] at ([yshift=1cm]current page.center)
        {Your one-sentence takeaway goes here};
    \draw[WarmOrange, line width=2pt]
        ([yshift=-0.3cm]current page.center) ++(-3cm,0) -- ++(6cm,0);
    \node[text=LightGray, font=\large,
          text width=0.7\paperwidth, align=center]
        at ([yshift=-1.5cm]current page.center)
        {author@institution.edu};
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{frame}

---

Part XI: Figure Generation (R / ggplot2)

When generating figures, the R script should use a custom theme that matches the LaTeX palette exactly:

S

## Color palette matching LaTeX
palette <- c(
  primary   = "#2E4057",  # DeepNavy
  secondary = "#048A81",  # Teal
  accent    = "#E85D04",  # WarmOrange
  highlight = "#9D4EDD",  # SoftPurple
  neutral   = "#6C757D",  # WarmGray
  negative  = "#D62828"   # DeepRed
)

theme_rhetoric <- function(base_size = 14) {
  theme_minimal(base_size = base_size) +
    theme(
      text = element_text(color = "#2E4057"),
      plot.title = element_text(size = rel(1.3), face = "bold",
                                hjust = 0, margin = margin(b = 15)),
      plot.subtitle = element_text(size = rel(1.0), color = "#6C757D",
                                   hjust = 0, margin = margin(b = 20)),
      axis.title = element_text(size = rel(0.95), face = "bold"),
      axis.text = element_text(size = rel(0.9), color = "#2E4057"),
      panel.grid.major = element_line(color = "#E9ECEF", linewidth = 0.4),
      panel.grid.minor = element_blank(),
      legend.position = "bottom",
      plot.background = element_rect(fill = "white", color = NA),
      panel.background = element_rect(fill = "white", color = NA)
    )
}

Figure design rules

• Output both PDF (vector) and PNG (300 DPI) for every figure
• Dimensions: 10 × 6.5 inches for standard, 8 × 5 for smaller
• Direct labeling: annotate lines directly instead of using legends
• Titles state findings: "Q4 Performance: 28% Growth" not "Quarterly Data"
• Shaded annotation rectangles for period highlights
• Confidence interval ribbons with 20% opacity fill
• Reference lines (dashed) for baselines or treatment dates

---

Part XII: Tables in Presentations

Tables must be dramatically simpler than in papers.

• Show 2–4 columns maximum (move rest to appendix)
• Use \small minimum font size
• Round aggressively (two significant digits)
• Bold or color the key coefficient: \textbf{\textcolor{Teal}{0.123**}}
• Use booktabs rules only (\toprule, \midrule, \bottomrule)
• No vertical rules ever

---

Part XIII: Overlays and Animation

Use sparingly. Overlays are for building complex arguments, not decoration.

When to use: Building a diagram step by step, argument where order matters, revealing results after showing empirical strategy.

When NOT to use: Every bullet point, tables, figures.

---

Part XIV: Appendix / Backup Slides

TeX

\appendix
\newcounter{finalframe}
\setcounter{finalframe}{\value{framenumber}}
\setcounter{framenumber}{\value{finalframe}}

Link from main slides: \hyperlink{robustness}{\beamergotobutton{Details}}

Back-link from appendix: \hyperlink{main-results}{\beamerreturnbutton{Back}}

---

Part XV: Timing and Length

Context	Slides	Notes
Seminar (75–90 min)	35–50	Plan for extensive Q&A throughout
Conference (15–20 min)	15–20	Cut aggressively. Identification + results only
Job market (90 min)	40–50	Your most important talk. Backup for every question
Teaching lecture	50–80	Repetition allowed. Show reasoning, not just conclusions

General rule: 2–3 minutes per substantive slide. Title, outline, and divider slides take less time.

---

Part XVI: TikZ Diagram Rules (Non-Negotiable)

Box uniformity

All boxes in the same diagram MUST have identical dimensions. Use text width (hard-fixed) to control box size — NEVER minimum width (which grows with content and breaks uniformity). Define a single style and apply it to every node:

TeX

box/.style={draw, rounded corners=3pt,
            text width=3cm, minimum height=1.2cm,
            align=center, font=\small}

Arrow routing

Arrows must NEVER pass through boxes. Never use TikZ shorthand like |- or -| for routing — these go vertical-first or horizontal-first and will cross boxes in complex layouts. Always use explicit coordinate paths routed far enough outside all nodes to guarantee clearance:

TeX

% BAD — may cross intermediate nodes:
\draw[->] (A) |- (C);

% GOOD — explicit routing with clearance:
\draw[->] (A.east) --++(1,0) --++(0,-2) -- (C.west);

Text fitting

All text MUST fit on one line within its box. If it doesn't, shorten the text — do NOT resize the box. Uniform box size trumps showing every word. Verify after compilation that no text overflows.

Respect existing layouts

Don't "clean up" a chaotic or organic layout into a grid unless explicitly asked. The original visual aesthetic and spatial relationships are intentional. When editing existing TikZ diagrams, preserve the overall structure and only modify the specific elements requested.

Visual verification

After every TikZ edit, compile and visually verify: - Arrows actually connect to the intended nodes - Boxes actually align as intended - Text actually fits within all boxes - No arrows pass through or behind any box

Never describe a fix as done if the geometry doesn't work in the compiled PDF.

---

Part XVII: Content Accuracy Rules

1. Don't invent future plans. If something already exists (e.g., a large literature catalog, running datasets, operational infrastructure), present it as what it is — don't frame it as a future goal or aspiration.

2. Verify facts against what's operational. When presenting system capabilities, datasets, or infrastructure, check the actual state rather than guessing or embellishing.

3. Implement feedback fully in one pass. Don't partially address feedback items — every piece of feedback must be resolved before presenting the next version. Half-fixes waste review cycles.

---

Part XVIII: The Iterative Multi-Pass Workflow

Step 1: Build deck with MB/MC equivalence

Create the full deck. Check that cognitive load is balanced across all slides. No slide should be overloaded while another is sparse.

Step 2: Fix ALL compilation warnings

Check and eliminate every overfull/underfull hbox and vbox. No matter how small. These indicate LaTeX making compromises you did not authorize.

Step 3: Check silent visual errors

LaTeX warnings catch box overflow but NOT coordinate/positioning problems in TikZ, ggplot2, or matplotlib. These compile silently but look wrong:

TikZ silent errors: - Labels not where intended (coordinates miscalculated) - Timeline endpoints misaligned - Arrows pointing to wrong nodes - Shape constraints forcing misplacement

Figure silent errors: - Axis labels cut off at boundary - Legends obscuring data - Text sizing inconsistent across panels

Step 4: Recompile and verify

After fixing, recompile and check flow, MB/MC balance, and label positioning.

Step 5: Repeat until all tests pass

Text Only

while (not all_tests_pass):
    fix_issues()
    recompile()
    check_flow_and_equivalence()
    check_label_positioning()

---

Part XIX: Common Failures

1. Text walls: slides that could be printed as paragraphs → extract key phrase
2. Burying the lede: key point on slide 15 → state conclusion on slide 2
3. Chartjunk: 3D bars with gradients → remove until removing more removes meaning
4. Label titles: "Results" → assertion stating the finding
5. "Questions?" ending: → end with key takeaway or call to action
6. Anxiety overload: dense slides as security blanket → sparse slides force authority
7. Default themes: generic Beamer templates → custom palette with semantic color roles
8. Bullet-only slides: → find the structure, use TikZ diagrams or layouts
9. No backup slides: → have appendix slide for every anticipated question
10. Figures without finding in title: → title states what the chart proves