Microsoft® PowerPoint® 2010 Bible

Chapter 11. Creating SmartArt Diagrams

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Understanding SmartArt types and their uses

• Inserting a diagram

• Editing diagram text

• Modifying diagram structure

• Modifying an organization chart structure

• Resizing a diagram

• Manually restructuring a diagram

• Formatting a diagram

Just as charts and graphs can enliven a boring table of numbers, a SmartArt diagram can enliven a conceptual discussion. SmartArt helps the audience understand the interdependencies of objects or processes in a visual way, so they don't have to juggle that information mentally as you speak. Some potential uses include organizational charts, hierarchy diagrams, and flow charts.

Understanding SmartArt Types and Their Uses

SmartArt is a special class of vector graphic object that combines shapes, lines, and text placeholders. SmartArt is most often used to illustrate relationships between bits of text.

The SmartArt interface is similar regardless of the type of diagram you are creating. You can type directly into the placeholders on the diagram, or you can display a Text pane to the side of the diagram and type into that, much as you would type into an outline pane, to have text appear in a slide's text placeholder boxes. See Figure 11-1. You can also select some text, right-click it, and choose Convert to SmartArt.

There are eight types of SmartArt diagrams in PowerPoint 2010, and each is uniquely suited for a certain type of data delivery.

Figure 11.1. A typical SmartArt diagram being constructed.

List

A List diagram ...