Excel - un-fuck your chart default settings, why dontcha?
Today I am in chart-Martha Stewart mode. It blows me away that Microsoft keeps releasing "upgraded" software packages that profess to be easier to use and modify, yet their graphics default settings ALWAYS LOOK LIKE ASS. Almost everyone uses defaults. Must we all suffer the indignity of pie charts, scatter graphs, and SmartArt in mid-range, intensity neutral colour schemes? Why are the bevel defaults awful on white backgrounds? Why do half of the picture modifications distort the original photo's pixel quality?
Honestly, people - it's like you are PURPOSEFULLY trying to make the world an uglier place.
Here's some professional advice:
1. DO NOT create a presentation on a white background.
It signals that you are a program novice - it's not 'cleaner' or 'more professional', it's just boring and causes eyestrain.
2. DO NOT use the default colour scheme on ANYTHING.
This is the essence of the word "generic". MS designers picked 'safe' tones of every colour in the colour wheel and named it Office Default 1. Those colours do not go together - trust me, I went to art school. Spend a little time and create your own colour scheme. Even if it's heinous, it's yours.
3. Remember that less is more.
DO NOT bevel, rotate, add perspective distortion, drop shadows, and reflections on everything in sight. Subtle gradients, key lines, and demure drop shadows add a lot of class without looking like you spilled coffee all over your keyboard while formatting your file. Also, 'less is more' applies to animations as well. PICK 3 YOU LIKE AND STICK TO THEM. And let's agree that 'Fly In', 'Dissolve', and anything that involves a geometric entrance makes you look like an eighth grader giving a science presentation.
4. 3D charts are great! But only if you do it right.
They need to be big and clear, folks - and NOT have a zillion categories. Also, don't use outlines on them because they pixelate.
5. Use images, not words.
We've all seen too many reports, slide shows, and charts with enough verbiage to make Dickens swoon. No one needs to see all of that (unless it's a print document). THINK about your message and then find a SIMPLE & IMPACTFUL way to convey it. People loooooove pictures, and they will remember your content far more readily if you don't datadump all over their tiny brains. Doctors, lawyers, bankers... I'm looking at you!
Ugh. Back to making ugly shit pretty again...