Exploring Office 2007: Using SmartArt Graphics Office 2007's SmartArt Graphics Feature Helen Bradley
Anything that helps your audience connect with your message will help you in your communications with them. You probably already know how useful charts are for presenting numbers in an easy to read format and how helpful tables are for organizing data.
Microsoft Office 2007 offers a handy new feature called SmartArt that makes it easy to create business diagrams that display textual information in an easy to read and understand format. The SmartArt graphics tool is great for creating everything from simple diagrams to cutting-edge business graphics. In our first Exploring Office 2007 series article, we'll be taking a closer look at working with the new SmartArt feature.
»
Creating a SmartArt graphic
Of the applications in Office 2007, those that incorporate SmartArt are Word 2007, Excel 2007, PowerPoint 2007, and Outlook 2007. To create a SmartArt graphic, simply open one of these applications, click the Insert tab and then the SmartArt icon in the Illustrations group. When the Choose a SmartArt Graphic dialog appears, choose the type of graphic from the category list down the left of the dialog and then the actual graphic to create. If you’re unsure how a graphic should be used, click the graphic to see its name and a description for how it can be used.
The SmartArt layouts range from lists and organization charts to step by step processes. If you intend to include pictures in your diagram you’ll find that some shapes (several in the List category, for example) have special placeholders for pictures. These not only make it easy to add pictures but also ensure that they look good, too. In the Process category you will find diagrams that show the steps in a sequential process and some that provide a format for displaying two opposing ideas. In the hierarchy group are organization charts and table hierarchies. When you select a shape, you’re not committed to using that shape and you can also change the layout later on without losing your work.
»
Adding text to a SmartArt Graphic
To add a SmartArt object to your document, click a layout to select it and click Ok. The SmartArt graphic appears in your document, your spreadsheet, or on your PowerPoint slide. Along its left edge
(when selected) is a pair of arrows — click these to display the text pane. While it is possible to type directly into the graphic, the text pane is a simpler way of entering your data.
Type the heading for each of the shapes in the graphic and, to create a second level item, press Enter after the heading and press Tab. Exactly how the heading and other text is displayed will depend on the particular SmartArt graphic. In some cases the heading text appears in a separate shape and in other cases the heading and body text appear in the same shape, but they’re formatted and sized so they look different.
By default, most SmartArt graphics include three headings and their associated shapes. You can add another shape by pressing Enter after the last heading, and you can delete a shape by deleting its associated text in the text pane. When you have finished entering your text, close the text pane. You can now format the SmartArt graphic.
»
Formatting a SmartArt graphic
A SmartArt graphic inherits its formatting from the document or slide Theme. If you apply a different theme to your document or slide, the look of the SmartArt graphic will change. To do this in PowerPoint, click the Design tab and select a different Theme from the themes collection. The color of the graphic is also inherited from the current theme color scheme; you can alter the theme by selecting a different color scheme from the Colors dropdown list on the Design tab in PowerPoint.
Other settings that affect the look of the SmartArt are the Effects and Fonts that you have chosen for the Theme — these are also on the Design tab in PowerPoint. Themes, Colors, Fonts and Effects are all found on the Page Layout tab in Word and Excel and on the Options tab in Outlook.
To further configure the look of the SmartArt graphic, click the SmartArt graphic to select it and locate the Design tab in the SmartArt Tools group (this only appears when the SmartArt is selected). Here you can select a different layout for the SmartArt using the Layouts option to select a different type of diagram.
To alter the style choose a different SmartArt Style or change to a different color using the Change Colors list. The choices you see in the Change Colors list and in the SmartArt Styles list are determined by the settings you have for the current Theme.
The new hover behavior in Office 2007 lets you preview a SmartArt format before you apply it. Simply hover your mouse over an option in a gallery and the underlying graphic will change to show how it will look if you were to choose that option. Until you actually click on a format, you aren’t committed to using it.
One of the benefits of using SmartArt is that if the text needs alteration, it is automatically formatted to fit in the new shapes. In addition, if you add or remove headings from your text area, the remaining SmartArt shapes will resize accordingly.
