How to Insert and Format SmartArt in PowerPoint

Edited 2 weeks ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

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SmartArt is a simple way to enhance your PowerPoint presentation by transforming text into more attractive diagrams. This guide will introduce you to the step-by-step process of inserting and formatting SmartArt in PowerPoint, helping to make your slides more visually appealing and informative. By the end of this guide, you should be able to effectively use SmartArt in your presentation, ensuring that your ideas are expressed in a clear and attractive way.

What is SmartArt?

SmartArt is a feature in Microsoft PowerPoint that allows users to create various diagrams and graphics from text, ranging from lists and procedures to hierarchy and cycle diagrams. This feature offers a more dynamic alternative to bullet points by providing a visual representation of information, making it easier for your audience to understand and remember the main points of your presentation.

Inserting SmartArt into PowerPoint

Step 1: Open your presentation

To insert SmartArt, you must first open the PowerPoint presentation where you want to add the graphic. If you don't have a presentation yet, open PowerPoint and create a new presentation.

Step 2: Go to the slide

Go to the slide where you want to insert SmartArt. You can insert SmartArt into any slide, but it's typically used on slides that could benefit from a visual representation, such as slides with a lot of text, procedures, lists, or organizational structure.

Step 3: Open the Insert tab

Once you've selected your slides, go to the ribbon at the top of the PowerPoint window. Click the Insert tab, which is found among other tabs such as Home, Design, and Transitions.

Step 4: Click on SmartArt

In the Insert tab, you'll find a group of different elements that you can add to your slide, such as tables, pictures, and charts. Click the SmartArt button. This button is usually located on the left side of the group under the Illustrations section.

Step 5: Select a SmartArt graphic

A dialog box titled "Choose a SmartArt Graphic" will appear, displaying various categories of SmartArt types. These categories include:

• List: For displaying non-sequential information.
• Process: Best for steps in a process or timeline.
• Cycle: Ideal for continuous or repetitive processes.
• Hierarchy: Suitable for tree diagrams or organizational charts.
• Relation: Used to represent relationships.
• Matrix: To show how the parts relate to the whole.
• Pyramid: For proportional or hierarchical relationships.

Select the graphic that best suits the information you want to convey and click OK to insert it into your slide.

Formatting SmartArt in PowerPoint

After you insert SmartArt, you may want to customize it to better fit the style of your presentation. PowerPoint offers a variety of formatting tools to adjust colors, add effects, style text, and more.

Step 1: Select SmartArt

Click the SmartArt graphic you just inserted to select it. The borders of the graphic will appear with handles around it, indicating that it is selected.

Step 2: Use the SmartArt Tool

With a SmartArt graphic selected, you'll see new tabs at the top of the PowerPoint window called SmartArt Tools: Design and Format. These tabs contain all the tools you'll need to customize your SmartArt.

Step 3: Change the layout

Under the Design tab, you can change the layout of your SmartArt. This feature is useful when you want to try out different ways of displaying information without getting started. Simply click the More button in the Layout group to see additional layout options.

Step 4: Change the Color

In the Design tab, you can also change the color scheme of your SmartArt. Click Change Colors and choose from the various color themes PowerPoint offers. Selecting a different color palette can help your SmartArt stand out or blend more seamlessly into your slide design.

Step 5: Apply the SmartArt style

In the same Design tab, you can apply predefined SmartArt styles for a more polished look. These styles include line styles, 3D effects, and effects such as shadows. To apply a style, click the style you want from the SmartArt Styles group.

Step 6: Format the Individual Shapes

If you want more detailed control over the appearance of specific parts of your SmartArt, go to the Format tab. Here you can format individual shapes within the SmartArt graphic, such as changing the fill color, changing the shape border, or adjusting text formatting.

Additional formatting options

In addition to the basic formatting tools, you can further customize your SmartArt by using more of PowerPoint's features:

Text formatting

You can format text within SmartArt using standard text formatting tools. Select the text you want to format and adjust the font, size, boldness, italics, or color using the options available in the Font group on the Home tab.

Adding more elements

If the initial SmartArt you inserted doesn't have enough elements to fully convey your message, you can add more. Select the SmartArt, then go to the Design tab and use the Add Shape button to add additional shapes to your graphic.

Animating SmartArt

To make your presentation even more engaging, consider adding animations to your SmartArt. Select the SmartArt and go to the Animations tab. Choose from a variety of animation effects to make the SmartArt appear, emphasize, or exit as desired. For more complex animations, you can control the order and timing of the animations using the Animations pane.

Resetting SmartArt

If you decide you want to restart your formatting, you can reset the SmartArt to its default state. In the Design tab, click the Reset graphic found in the Reset group. This will undo all custom styling and layout changes.

SmartArt usage examples

Consider the following examples of SmartArt use to better understand where these graphics can be beneficial:

Example 1: List

If you're presenting a set of bullet points, turn them into simple list SmartArt to improve clarity. This visual change helps differentiate each item while still maintaining a clean and professional look.

Example 2: Process

Process SmartArt is very effective for explaining a workflow or a series of steps. Choose Basic Process SmartArt to clearly depict the sequence of steps. Additional details can be added to the text pane to ensure full understanding of each step.

Example 3: Hierarchy

To display the structure of an organization, use hierarchy SmartArt. This type of graphic helps visualize relationships and reporting lines within a company, making it easier for viewers to understand the organizational setup.

Example 4: Cycle

Cycle SmartArt can depict the life cycle of a product or a repetitive process. The cycle layout emphasizes continuity and is especially useful in environmental or product development presentations.

Conclusion

Using SmartArt in PowerPoint presentations increases their aesthetic and communicative power. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you will not only be able to insert and format SmartArt, but you will also learn how to structure them to effectively convey your message. Visual representations can help capture your audience's attention and ensure that key points are understood, remembered, and appreciated. With practice, you can transform complex data into complete, attractive, and meaningful diagrams, greatly increasing the quality and impact of your presentations.

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