Microsoft Corporate Brand — PowerPoint Skill

Last updated: June 2026 — audited against Brand Central (brandcentral.microsoft.com), citing Dynamics_365_marketing_guidelines_2602.pptx and Microsoft-Color-Guidelines-April_2026.pptx

Build PowerPoint decks that match the Microsoft Dynamics 365 corporate brand style. Use the pptx skill for file creation. This skill adds Microsoft-specific brand, palette, and content knowledge on top of those instructions.

Official Brand Resources (Download from Brand Central)

Before building, point users to these official assets at brandcentral.microsoft.com/microsoft-brand/products/dynamics-365.html: - Microsoft Dynamics 365 PowerPoint template — official starting point - Dynamics_365_marketing_guidelines_2602.pptx — full marketing guidelines - Microsoft-Color-Guidelines-April_2026.pptx — updated April 2026 - D365 color library — Swatch file - D365 illustration elements and UI element compositions - D365 Grab-n-Go Library

Brand Palette (Official — April 2026)

Primary Palette

Accent Colors

Gradient System

Gradients are not included in color libraries — they must be built manually.

⚠️ The correct gradient direction is Light Blue → Blue (warm to deep), not Blue → Cyan.

Color Usage Rules

• Dark slides (title, section dividers, closing): #0a1b45 or #0078d4 background with White text
• Content slides: White or Light Tan background; Extra Dark Gray body text; Blue or accent subheads
• Gradient titles: #50e6ff → #0078d4 for hero headings (Light Blue to Blue)
• Highlight cards: Use accent gradient pairs from the table above
• Pill/tag labels: #0a1b45 fill, white text, rounded corners

Typography

Font System

For PowerPoint, Segoe UI remains the correct font. Segoe Sans is for brand marketing materials and campaigns. Never use Arial.

Type Scale

• Limit to no more than 3 sizes or weights per communication
• Left-align all body and bullet text; center standalone stat callouts only
• For accessibility: substitute Bold for Semibold when needed

Text Color Hierarchy

Use only one headline color and only one body color per slide.

Slide Layout Patterns

Title / Hero Slide

• Full Navy (#0a1b45) or core gradient background
• Large bold H1 in White or #50e6ff (Light Blue), centered
• Optional subtitle in White, regular weight
• Microsoft logo required on title slides

Section Divider / Module Header

• Navy or Blue background
• Section title left-aligned, large, white
• Optional persona image right side
• Bullet sub-topics in Light Blue or accent color

Capabilities / Feature Slide (2-column)

• White or Light Tan background
• Bold H1 + benefit statement left column
• Product screenshot or diagram right column
• Use Spot Illustrations from Brand Central library (preapproved)

3-Up Value Card Slide

• White background
• Three equal-width cards with Navy border or colored header bar
• Icon + H3 title + 2–3 body bullets per card

Stat / ROI Callout Slide

• 2–4 large number callouts (48–72pt, Blue or accent colored)
• Small body label below each stat
• Source footnote bottom-left in 9pt Medium Gray (#a4a4a4)

Persona Capability Map

• 4 persona icons in 2×2 or horizontal row
• Connecting arrows to outcome areas
• Each quadrant: persona label + key capability bullets

Illustration System

Microsoft has a two-tier illustration system. Both are available from Brand Central.

Available spot illustration libraries: Collaboration, Security & Privacy, Education, Gaming & Entertainment.

Illustration principles: relatable metaphors, purposeful patterns, depth and layers. Style: "more sensorial, more mindful."

Photography Guidelines

Brand Central's official guidance (NOT stock-photo defaults):

• Real emotion — capture people as they actually are; full range of human emotion
• Unposed, unfiltered, imperfect preferred over slick/staged/stock
• Moments of action — people in authentic interactions with devices
• Points of view — variety of backgrounds, scenarios, environments
• Diversity behind and in front of the lens — diverse vendors/suppliers AND talent
• Photo library at Brand Central has 45 curated collections, all preapproved for marketing

Slide Design Rules

1. Pill/tag labels: small rounded rect, #0a1b45 fill, white 10pt Segoe UI — module names/section labels
2. No per-slide logo on content slides — logo on title and closing slides only
3. Screenshots: show actual product UI (D365, Teams, Outlook) — not generic illustrations
4. No accent lines under titles — use whitespace or background color instead
5. Icon circles: small #0078d4 or #50e6ff circles with white icons for bullet-row layouts
6. Spot illustrations: use from Brand Central preapproved library, not generated art
7. Footnotes: 9pt Medium Gray (#a4a4a4), include analyst source citations below stat slides
8. Persona images: authentic, unposed, diverse — avoid stock-photo feel

D365 Brand Voice & Strategy

Brand Identity

• Tagline: "No limits"
• Target persona: Grounded visionaries — expect and deliver immediate impact, avoid complacency, stay ahead of change
• We stand against: Barriers to change — friction, complexity, siloed data/people/processes
• Brand expression theme: Kinetic energy — visual storytelling should feel as agile as the product

Preapproved Customer Promises (Copy Library)

Use these verbatim in slide content — they are CELA-approved: - "Create impact faster" — Deliver more value in less time; quickly adopt or augment solutions - "Break through barriers" — Take a data-first approach; unify data with Microsoft AI - "Adapt to anything" — Freedom to adapt across new priorities, market conditions, opportunities - "Innovate everywhere" — Powerful solutions from the Microsoft Cloud, built to work together

Brand Voice — The Trailblazer

Microsoft's brand voice persona is The Trailblazer: bold, brave, adventurous; deep, daring, kind.

Three ways to write like a Trailblazer: 1. Reveal — Invite, engage, inform. Audiences feel in the know. 2. Inspire — Excite, delight, instill optimism. Audiences feel empowered. 3. Provoke — Assert, differentiate, make a statement. Audiences feel challenged.

Content Principles

• Represent product and customer benefits with vibrant conceptual illustration elements
• Lead with focused, emotive images with dynamic stopping power
• Outcome-driven focused UI compositions
• Bright customer imagery that feels real, not staged
• Dynamic motion where medium allows

D365 Customer Engagement — Field Content Reference

{{USER_NAME}}'s CE deck (223 slides) is the canonical field content source. Use this as a content library when building any D365 CE slide or deck.

Module 1: D365 Overview & Platform Story (Slides 1–7)

Headline message: Microsoft is the only truly connected solution bringing end-to-end support across CX, service, supply chain, finance, low-code, insights, productivity, and Azure.

The Dynamics 365 Difference (3 differentiators): 1. Single unified customer data platform — built on Dataverse + Azure 2. Head start in AI + consistent innovation — exponential Gen AI value 3. Native integration with Microsoft 365 — keeps CRM data fresh, best experience in flow of work

Analyst recognition (FY24): - Leader in 19 evaluative reports YTD; 7 Gartner MQ, 3 Forrester Wave, 9 IDC MarketScape

Module 2: D365 Sales (Slides 8–51)

4 Persona Framework:

Cost Savings vs. Salesforce: - 42% lower licensing costs; 30% lower 3-year TCO - $51M incremental operating profit; $13.3M from seller productivity - (Source: Forrester TEI study, March 2022)

Top 5 reasons customers choose D365 over Salesforce: 1. Single unified platform 2. Market leading generative AI 3. Cost savings 4. Built for extensibility (Power Platform) 5. Security, privacy, and compliance

Module 3: AI Advantage for Sales (Slides 42–51)

• 29% of sales labor time can be automated with Gen AI (Bain, Aug 2023)
• 99% of sellers would reinvest time saved from AI (Microsoft/Ipsos, 700 sellers, June 2023)
• 3–15% revenue uplift for AI investors (McKinsey, May 2023)
• 2x lift in lead-to-sale conversion rate (McKinsey, May 2023)

Module 4: Copilot + Agents (Slides 66–101)

3 Sales Agents: | Agent | For | Solves | |---|---|---| | Sales Chat | Sales reps | Day-to-day selling | | Sales Agent | Sales operations | Qualifying/prioritizing leads | | Sales Research Agent | Sales teams/leaders | Drowning in data, lacking insights |

Module 5: D365 Customer Insights (Slides 102–149)

• CDP foundation with 1st and 3rd party data
• Real-time Customer Journey Orchestration (CJO)
• 12+ Copilot capabilities publicly available

Module 6: Contact Center Modernization (Slides 150–193)

• 4 pillars: Engage, Self-service, Agent-assisted service, Efficiency
• Works with any CRM (not just D365 Customer Service)
• Microsoft uses D365 Contact Center internally

Module 7: Connected Field Service (Slides 194–223)

• Intelligent scheduling, resource optimization
• Mixed Reality: Remote Assist, Guides (no extra cost)
• D365 Field Service Contractor — manage external workforce

Speaker Notes — Key Talking Points

Opening:

"We are uniquely positioned because we are the only truly connected solution to bring sales organizations end-to-end support — across customer experience, service, supply chain, finance, ISV solutions, low-code innovation, insights & analytics, productivity & collaboration, and Azure."

On the AI opportunity:

"Leading analysts estimate 29% of sales labor time can be automated with Gen AI. 99% of sellers surveyed said if AI saved them an hour, they'd reinvest it on work tasks. Microsoft has a head start in AI, and we've been building seller-specific solutions tailored to those needs."

On D365 vs. Salesforce:

"We're seeing many customers moving from their legacy Salesforce system to Dynamics 365. More than 20% do so in less than 8 months. The top reasons: single unified platform, market-leading Gen AI, lower TCO, extensibility with Power Platform, and unparalleled security and compliance."

Quick Phrase Reference