Brief

Following the success of a split-flap countdown used for longer intervals, the same client’s events team wanted a more playful timer for short breaks during their new town-hall sessions. The brief was to create a coffee-mug countdown that visibly empties as time passes, so the audience intuitively registers that the break is ending. The slide had to remain fully in PowerPoint, run on automatic timings, and require no operator input beyond moving to the slide. Duration needed to be adjustable between 10, 15 and 20 minutes to suit different agendas. The aesthetic should be simple, brand-aware and legible on large 16:9 displays, with a clear hand-off when time expires so the next speaker can begin without manual clicks.

Approach

We designed a clean 16:9 master with a central coffee mug composed of vector shapes. The “fill level” is a masked shape that decreases via automatic animation, paired with minute markers and a large digital readout for clarity at distance. Colour tokens map to brand accents, and typography is set for high contrast on venue projectors. Three duration variants — 10, 15 and 20 minutes — are provided as separate slides. Each variant starts automatically when the slide appears, progresses at tuned pace, and at 00:00 triggers an automatic advance to the next slide in the deck. Optional labels such as “Coffee break” and “Back soon” are editable text fields; the visual humour of the mug keeps attention without relying on stock imagery. Everything is native to Microsoft PowerPoint, so content owners can rename labels or refine wording moments before the session.

Outcome

Speakers now introduce short breaks without leaving the deck. The coffee mug empties in real time, audiences grasp remaining time at a glance, and the presentation auto-advances at zero so the next session starts smoothly. Switching duration is as simple as selecting the 10, 15 or 20-minute variant. Because the animation is built entirely in PowerPoint, it is reliable on standard venue setups and easy to tweak copy or colours while staying on brand. The playful motif complements the split-flap timer used for longer intervals and keeps energy high between talks.