My two cents

If I had to recommend just one slide design or structure for most people, I would recommend the "Half Text, Half Image" layout.

Basically, you divide your slide in half. The left half is for text, usually with a big title and maybe a paragraph or a few bullet points. The right half is for an image, a graph, or some other visual element.

By cutting the slide in half, you ensure that the words per line in your text are not more than 10 words per line, which is the optimal number of words for easy reading.

The visual half of the slide is where you can add your eye-catching images or charts, which makes your presentation much more interesting.

This layout is simple and easy to use, and it allows you to create a good-looking presentation without having to worry about the size or placement of your images.

Even with weirdly shaped images, you can still maintain good consistency by adding a grey rectangle on the right half of the slide and placing your image or chart on top of it.

Of course, you don't have to be boring with this layout. In the middle of your "Half Text, Half Image" slides, you can include slides with a very large image or a slide with just a title.

You can even spice things up by inverting the position of the image from time to time, switching it from the right side to the left side and back again.

This advice is especially useful for people who struggle to keep their presentations looking consistent and professional.

However, if you are a visual designer or someone who loves to create and experiment with images and layouts, this advice might not be as helpful. Even if sometimes, though, it's okay to be more productive and efficient even for people who know how to design beautiful presentations.