Smaller presentation, smaller budget?

I often get this question when discussing a new project with a client. Can we cut costs by cutting slides? For slide make-over, the answer is yes. Cost and the number of slides have a lineair relationship. For my bespoke presentation design work there is not that much correlation. Why? The hardest part of the presentation design work is coming up with the idea, the concept. Once you have got your head around that, it does not really matter if you need a few more slides or not. So, the answer you get for this question tells you something about the sort of designer you are talking to.