When it comes to preparing a PowerPoint presentation it's tough to find a balance between being too simple or too fancy. We want to keep our audience engaged, but we don't want transitions and animations to distract from what's most important: the presentation. We surveyed the Front60 design team and came up with the following tips for creating the perfect PowerPoint presentation.

• Use logical flow: this may seem obvious, but it's often overlooked; order your slides so they tell a story and make an argument.

• Keep it simple: use graphics and media that convey the message. Clutter confuses, when in doubt take it out.

• Limit your bullet points to key details: use these points as a reference for further discussion.

• Use animations sparingly: if the animation has relevance and doesn't distract the viewer then use it, just be sure not to overdo it.

• Choosing transitions: limit transition styles to one or two types to maintain consistency.

• Customize one template: avoid creating custom slides for each page.

• Use graphics related to your content: avoid bad clip art, diagrams are always better.

• Use an opening and closing page: frame your presentation with your company/brand, name of the presenter and name of the presentation.

If you're looking to take your presentation to the next level, try an app that will turn your mobile phone into a remote control. We like iClickr for iPhone which connects to your laptop via WiFi. We haven't tried any PowerPoint apps for BlackBerry, but their Presenter app + hardware provides an all-in-one ‘laptopless' solution.