PowerPoint® 2007 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 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 replaces the old Diagrams and Organization Chart features in earlier PowerPoint versions. 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 slides text placeholder boxes. See figure 11.1. You can also select some text, right-click it, and choose Convert to SmartArt.

Figure 11.1. A ...