Introduction
Shapes and WordArt are useful tools in PowerPoint 2013 for enhancing the visual appeal of your presentations. Using shapes and WordArt allows you to highlight important information, illustrate concepts, and make your slides more interesting and engaging.
In this article, we will cover:
- What are shapes and WordArt in PowerPoint
- Adding and formatting shapes
- Working with WordArt
- Tips for using shapes and WordArt effectively
What Are Shapes and WordArt?
Shapes are predefined geometric figures that you can add to your PowerPoint slides such as rectangles, circles, arrows, stars, and callouts. You can customize the look of shapes by changing the fill color, outline, effects, and more. Shapes allow you to illustrate ideas, section off areas of a slide, point to information, and make your presentations more visually appealing.
WordArt allows you to format text in creative ways with visual styles, colors, outlines, fills, and effects. For example, you can make text appear inflated, tilted, faded, etc. WordArt helps text stand out and adds flair to your presentations.
Adding and Formatting Shapes
Adding shapes to your PowerPoint slides is easy:
- On the Insert tab, click Shapes
- Select the shape you want from the menu
- Click and drag on your slide to draw the shape to the size you want
Once inserted, you can customize the look of shapes in several ways:
Fill – Change the shape’s interior color, gradient, texture, or picture
Outline – Change the color, weight, and style of the shape’s border
Effects – Add visual effects like shadows, glows, soft edges, 3D formatting, and more
Size – Make shapes larger or smaller either by dragging the sizing handles or using precise height/width settings
Arrange – Align, group, rotate, bring shapes forward/backward and more
Take some time to explore all the formatting options for shapes. Well-designed shapes can go a long way in improving the look of your PowerPoint slides.
Working With WordArt
To use WordArt, first select the text you want to format. Then:
- On the Insert tab, click WordArt and pick a style
- The selected text will appear formatted as WordArt
- Customize the look using WordArt Tools Format tab
The WordArt Styles gallery provides quick formatting options to transform your text instantly. For example, you can make text appear:
- Faded or transparent
- Filled with gradients or images
- Constructed from materials like stone or metal
- Cast shadows or reflections
- And more!
After applying a style, you can refine the WordArt further by changing:
Fill – Interior color, gradient, texture, or picture
Outline – Border color, weight, dashes, and line style
Effects – Shadow, reflection, glow, 3D, transform, and more
Text – Font type, color, size, alignment, spacing, rotation, etc.
So be creative and experiment with various WordArt styles and effects!
Tips for Using Shapes and WordArt
Here are some tips to use shapes and WordArt effectively:
- Use sparingly – Limit use to key text/graphics so they retain impact
- Keep it simple – Don’t go overboard with elaborate effects
- Maintain contrast – Ensure WordArt stands out clearly against the slide background
- Consider meaning – Don’t use shapes/WordArt merely for decoration – make them communicate an idea
- Check accessibility – Ensure shapes and WordArt don’t pose issues for those with visual impairments
- Test on projector – Review slides on a projector screen to see if shapes/text are clearly visible
Conclusion
Shapes and WordArt help presentations look more polished and professional. When used appropriately, they bring visual clarity and flair. Utilize built-in galleries of shapes/styles and extensive formatting options to find options that enhance your message. With PowerPoint 2013, making engaging slides is easy!
