The new Google Slides templates are honestly funny

This month (November 2024) Google added "Templates" to Google Slides.

On the surface level, they look very good. But once you open one, you see the placeholder text, and you start wondering if it's satire. Here's what I mean.

Honestly perplexing: Every time there's a contact slide, the email is "no reply". That doesn't really make sense for a *contact* email...

Honestly perplexing: Every time there's a contact slide, the email is "no reply". That doesn't really make sense for a *contact* email...

Buzzword overload: This slide from "Sales Pitch"

Buzzword overload: This slide from "Sales Pitch"

Confusing: "Educational games" has a hardcoded winner

Confusing: "Educational games" has a hardcoded winner

Surely satire: "Product overview minimal". Let's go over it.

Accidental?: "Event faciliation" is supposed to be like flipping through a book, but it's out of order

On a positive note

Interesting: "Class overview" uses vectors to represent a raster.

Interesting: "Class overview" uses vectors to represent a raster.

Clever: "Course overview" uses Noto Emoji for monochrome icons.

Clever: "Course overview" uses Noto Emoji for monochrome icons.

All templates use free fonts from Google Fonts. It goes to show that you can make something without losing money.

Other thoughts

Templates are really weird in that they look and work like themes, but they're separate from themes. Perhaps Google thought themes had a bad rep.