Logo hidden behind picture placeholder in Slide Master layout – z-order has no effect

Hi,

I'm working on a PowerPoint Slide Master and running into a layer/z-order issue I can't resolve.

Here's my setup:

• I have a Slide Master with a custom layout called "Title Slide"
• The layout contains a picture placeholder (for a full image) and a logo (text-based, placed at the bottom of the slide)
• "Hide Background Graphics" is NOT enabled on the layout

The problem:

The logo is being hidden behind the picture placeholder — even after I set the logo to "Bring to Front" and the placeholder to "Send to Back". The layer order appears to have no effect once a picture is inserted into the placeholder.

What I've already tried:

• Toggling "Hide Background Graphics" on/off → no effect
• Changing z-order (Bring to Front / Send to Back) on both elements → no effect
• Confirmed the logo is visible on the layout inside Slide Master view → but still hidden in normal view when a picture is inserted into the placeholder

My question:

Is there a way to ensure the logo always appears on top of a picture placeholder in a Slide Master layout? And is it possible to convert a regular shape into a picture placeholder via XML or another method, as a potential workaround?

I'm using PowerPoint for Mac (Microsoft 365).

Thanks in advance.