A SmartArt graphic is a visual representation of your information that you can quickly and easily create, choosing from among many different layouts, to effectively communicate your message or ideas.

smartart graphic with slide text and layout galleryIn this article

Overview of creating a SmartArt graphic

Most content that is created by using Microsoft Office system programs is textual, even though the use of illustrations improves understanding and memory and encourages action. Creating designer-quality illustrations can be challenging, especially if you are not a professional designer or you cannot afford to hire a professional designer. If you use earlier versions of Microsoft Office, you can spend a lot of time getting shapes to be the same size and to be aligned properly, getting your text to look right, and manually formatting the shapes to match the document's overall style, instead of focusing on your content. With the new Office release feature called SmartArt graphics, and other new features such as themes, you can create designer-quality illustrations with only a few clicks of your mouse.

You can create a SmartArt graphic in Microsoft Office Excel, Microsoft Office PowerPoint, Microsoft Office Word, or in an e-mail message in Microsoft Office Outlook. Although you cannot create a SmartArt graphic in other Office release programs, you can copy and paste SmartArt graphics as images into those programs.

Because Office PowerPoint presentations often contain slides with bulleted lists, you can quickly . In addition, you can in Office PowerPoint presentations.

When you create a SmartArt graphic, you are prompted to choose a type of SmartArt graphic, such as Process, Hierarchy, Cycle, or Relationship. A type is similar to a category of SmartArt graphic, and each type contains several different layouts. After you choose a layout, it is easy to . Most of your text and other content, colors, styles, effects, and text formatting are automatically carried over to the new layout.

When you select a layout, placeholder text (such as [Text]) is displayed, so that you can see how your SmartArt graphic looks. Placeholder text is not printed, nor is it displayed during a slide show. However, the shapes are always displayed and printed, unless you . You can replace the placeholder text with your own content.

As you add and edit your content in the Text pane, your SmartArt graphic is automatically updated - shapes are added or removed as needed.

You can also and shapes in your SmartArt graphic to adjust the structure of the layout. For example, even though the Basic Process layout appears with three shapes, your process may need only two shapes, or it may need five shapes. As you add or remove shapes and edit your text, the arrangement of the shapes and the amount of text within those shapes is updated automatically - maintaining the original design and border of the layout for your SmartArt graphic.

To quickly add a designer-quality look and polish to your SmartArt graphic, to it.

What to consider when you create a SmartArt graphic

Before you create your SmartArt graphic, visualize what type and layout are best for displaying your data. What do you want to convey with your SmartArt graphic? Do you want a certain look? Since you can quickly and easily , try different layouts (across types) until you find the one that best illustrates your message. Your graphic should be clear and easy to follow. Experiment with different types by using the table below as a starting point. The table is intended to help you get started and is not an exhaustive list.

Purpose of graphic Graphic type

Show non-sequential information

List

Show steps in a process or timeline

Process

Show a continual process

Cycle

Show a decision tree

Hierarchy

Create an organization chart

Hierarchy

Illustrate connections

Relationship

Show how parts relate to a whole

Matrix

Show proportional relationships with the largest component on the top or bottom

Pyramid

Also, consider the amount of text that you have, because the amount of text often determines the layout that you use and how many shapes you need in the layout. In general, SmartArt graphics are most effective when the number of shapes and the amount of text are limited to key points. Larger amounts of text can distract from the visual appeal of your SmartArt graphic and make it harder to convey your message visually. However, some layouts, such as Trapezoid List in the List type, work well with larger amounts of text.

Some layouts for SmartArt graphics contain a fixed number of shapes. For example, the Counterbalance Arrows layout in the Relationship type is designed to show two opposing ideas or concepts. Only two shapes can contain text, and the layout cannot be changed to display more ideas or concepts.

counterbalance arrows layout with 2 shapes for text

If you need to convey more than two ideas, that has more than two shapes for text, such as the Basic Pyramid layout in the Pyramid type. Keep in mind that changing layouts or types can alter the meaning of your information. For example, a layout with arrows pointing to the right, such as Basic Process in the Process type, has a different meaning from a SmartArt graphic with arrows going in a circle, such as Continuous Cycle in the Cycle type.

Create a SmartArt graphic

  1. On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click SmartArt.

    illustrations group ribbon image

  2. In the Choose a SmartArt Graphic dialog box, click the type and layout that you want.
  3. Enter your text by doing one of the following:
    • Click in a shape in your SmartArt graphic, and then type your text.
    • Click [Text] in the Text pane, and then type or paste your text.
    • Copy text from another program, click [Text], and then paste into the Text pane.

    If the Text pane is not visible

    1. Click your SmartArt graphic.
    2. Under SmartArt Tools, on the Design tab, in the Create Graphic group, click Text Pane.

Change the colors of an entire SmartArt graphic

You can apply color variations that are derived from the theme colors to the shapes in your SmartArt graphic.

  1. Click your SmartArt graphic.
  2. Under SmartArt Tools, on the Design tab, in the SmartArt Styles group, click Change Colors.

    smartart styles group image

  3. Click the color variation that you want.

Apply a SmartArt Style to a SmartArt graphic

A SmartArt Style is a combination of various effects, such as line style, bevel, or 3-D, that you can apply to the shapes in your SmartArt graphic to create a unique and professionally designed look.

  1. Click your SmartArt graphic.
  2. Under SmartArt Tools, on the Design tab, in the SmartArt Styles group, click the SmartArt Style that you want.

    To see more SmartArt Styles, click the More button button image.

Tips

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