Why Is the Font Size 8? Because We Refused to Delete Anything

The Terms and Conditions of Reporting

I received a slide deck yesterday that required a magnifying glass. I am not exaggerating. It looked less like a marketing report and more like the Terms and Conditions update for an iTunes agreement.

Rows and rows of data. 14 columns. Font size 8. The consultant had even shrunk the margins to fit more in. It was an assault on the eyes.

I asked him, “What is the point of this slide?”

He pointed vaguely at the middle of the spreadsheet. “Well, it shows the correlation between the secondary metric and the tertiary spend, providing we ignore the seasonality…”

“Stop,” I said. “If you have to explain the chart, the chart is broken.”

We treat white space like it is wasted real estate. We treat the delete key like it is a nuclear launch button. It is tragic. We are prioritizing our own anxiety over the client’s comprehension.

The Clutter: The Safety Blanket of Data

Why do we do this? Why do we reduce the font size to illegible levels rather than removing a column?

It is a lack of conviction. It is a safety blanket.

We think: “If I include every single metric available in the platform, nobody can accuse me of missing anything. I cannot be wrong if I include everything.”

This is cowardly. We are not paid to be encyclopaedias; we are paid to be editors. The value of a consultant is not in what they add, but in what they take away.

When you present a client with a “Wall of Data,” you are signaling insecurity. You are saying, “I don’t know what is important here, so I brought it all.” You are forcing the client to hunt for the insight. And trust me, a client who has to hunt for value is a client who is thinking about firing you.

Complexity is not a status symbol. It is a barrier to renewal.

The Clarity: The Art of the Delete Key

Here is a rule of thumb: If your font size is below 12, you are hiding something.

You need to find the courage to delete. It is brilliant, really, once you start.

1. Bin the “Nice-to-Knows”: Does this metric drive a decision? If not, it’s gone. Impressions? Vanity metric. Bin it. Cost Per Mille? Technical detail. Bin it.
2. One Idea Per Slide: A slide should not argue with itself. It should make one point, backed by evidence. If you are trying to show sales growth AND customer sentiment AND technical debt on one slide, you have failed.
3. White Space is Confidence: When you put one big number in the middle of a white page, you are making a statement. You are saying, “This is the thing that matters. I am sure of it.”

[TO EDITOR: Illustration of a slide transition. Slide A is a dense grid of numbers (The “Before”). Slide B is the same slide with 80% of the data removed, leaving only the critical row highlighted in bold. (The “After”).]

The first time you delete the clutter, it feels risky. You worry the client will think you aren’t working hard enough.

But try it. Next time, present a chart with only two lines on it. Make the font size 24. Look the client in the eye and say, “This is the only trend you need to worry about this week.”

They won’t think you’re lazy. They’ll think you’re a genius. They’ll finally understand what they are paying for.

It’s not magic; it’s just clarity. Stop being so frightened of the white space.

FAQs

But all the data is important!

Rubbish. If everything is important, nothing is important. Pick a lane.

What if I delete something the client wants to see?

Then they will ask for it, and you can look smart by pulling it up from your backup notes. That is called a conversation.

How do I know what to cut?

Ask yourself: 'If this number changed by 10% today, would we do anything differently?' If the answer is no, bin it.