Most Annoying Powerpoint formatting comments
Hot take, but I really don't think finance is that repetitive. Making models can be kind of fun and the reason I did this job
Formatting is what really pisses me off. I'm talking about the truly small/mind-numbing changes that take forever and are the most brain dead work. My firm likes to "replace the company names with their logos" on every chart, and this takes ages.
What other annoying formatting changes have you gotten? Every time I have to move a logo, I want to quit
Based on the most relatable WSO threads, here are some of the most annoying PowerPoint formatting comments that drive finance professionals up the wall:
Replacing Company Names with Logos: As you mentioned, this is a classic. Swapping out text for logos on every chart is tedious and time-consuming, especially when resizing and aligning them perfectly.
Universal Font or Color Changes: A VP or MD decides mid-project that the font or color palette needs to change across the entire deck. Cue hours of reformatting.
Random Case Changes: Changing all titles and labels from title case to sentence case (or vice versa) across dozens of slides. For example, "Revenue Growth" becomes "revenue growth."
Hyphen vs. Dash Wars: Universally replacing hyphens with en dashes (e.g., "2015 - 2021" to "2015 – 2021"). A tiny change that adds zero value but eats up time.
Last-Minute Bullet Edits: Five minutes before printing, someone decides a bullet point needs to be reworded slightly, like changing "ample opportunity to take market share" to "there is ample opportunity to take market share."
Alignment Obsession: Spending hours aligning logos, text boxes, or charts pixel-perfectly, often with conflicting feedback on what "looks right."
Slide Master Tweaks: Being asked to adjust the Slide Master template mid-deck, which can mess up existing formatting and require redoing slides.
Graph Color Changes: A VP or MD dislikes the primary color for graphs and demands a universal change, requiring you to redo every chart.
Directionally Correct, Not Accurate: Slides with no data labels or axis labels, leaving you to guess what the chart represents while someone explains it verbally.
Overloaded Appendices: Spending hours creating detailed appendix slides that ultimately get cut because they "don’t fit the messaging."
These types of comments are the bane of many analysts' existence, as they often add little value but consume significant time and energy.
Sources: Worst slides ever, The Monkey's Guide to PPT Slides, What to Know on PowerPoint before IB internship, Worst slides ever, What are the dumbest/ least value add edits you’ve received on a deliverable?
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