Chapter 1. Creating SmartArt Graphics

Images and artwork provide an interesting visual break from tables of numbers. The 2007 Microsoft Office release provides a feature known as SmartArt Graphics. SmartArt Graphics is collection of shapes, arranged to imply a process, hierarchy, or collection of groups. In previous versions of Office, the SmartArt Graphics feature was known as Diagrams. As in the past, you can easily add new shapes, reverse the order of shapes, or change their color. In Office 2007, diagrams include a text editor that allows for Level 1 and Level 2 text for each shape in the diagrams. Some styles of SmartArt graphics include a placeholder to easily add a small picture or logo to accent the diagrams.

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THE CONCEPT OF LEVELS

Microsoft’s description of a SmartArt graphic layout refers to Level 1 or Level 2 text. The text pane where SmartArt is entered uses an outlining paradigm.

In a typical outline, bullet points represent major points. Each major point may have subpoints underneath it. In Word outlines or the Outline View of PowerPoint, you’ve probably seen an outline of bullet points.

In SmartArt diagrams, bullet points at the first level of the outline represent major shapes within the diagram. If you have subpoints under a Level 1 bullet points, these items are indented in the text pane and are called Level 2 text. While most layouts are designed for two levels of text, a few hierarchical styles can easily accommodate Level 3 text, Level 4 text, etc.

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Microsoft believes that PowerPoint will be the #1 producer of SmartArt graphics. The company expects Word to be #2 and Excel to be #3. As such, SmartArt graphics have a few extra features in PowerPoint.

SmartArt graphics in PowerPoint work with the animation engine. Also, you can highlight any bulleted text in PowerPoint and convert it to a SmartArt graphic.

It is a bit unfortunate that the SmartArt graphics team did not have time to support applying formulas to SmartArt shapes. For many versions of Excel, the text attached to a shape could come from a formula in a cell, allowing for dynamic shapes. Excel 2007 does not support this feature for SmartArt graphics. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that it will be in Excel 14.

Note

I discovered that you can convert a finished SmartArt graphic to a collection of shapes and then apply formulas to the shapes. There is more on that at the end of Chapter 11, “Shapes.”

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Introducing SmartArt Graphics

You can use SmartArt Graphics to show a series of similar shapes where each shape represents a related step, concept, idea, or grouping.

SmartArt Graphics in Office 2007 is an enhanced version of business diagrams from previous versions of Office. In previous versions of Office, the business diagrams were hidden behind an icon on the Drawing toolbar. If you happened to access them, you would have found six fairly inflexible layouts. In this version, Microsoft has addressed many of the shortcomings of business diagrams:

• Each graphic has an associated text editor called the text pane. You can easily copy and paste in this editor. Spell check works in the editor in Excel and PowerPoint, but not in Word. If you are familiar with using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys for promoting or demoting outlines in PowerPoint, you know how to use this editor.
• Shapes can contain Level 1 text for headlines and Level 2 text for body copy.
• Some styles include accent shapes to include an image. In all layouts, you can fill individual shapes with a picture as the fill effect.
• Automatic settings in SmartArt graphics automatically resize the type in all shapes or the shapes themselves to allow the longest text to fit. In an effort to make the graphic look consistent, Microsoft attempts to keep the font size consistent throughout the graphic.
• Quick styles allow you to apply effects to the entire SmartArt diagram. The effects include glow, bevel, shadow, rotation, gradients, and more.
• If you venture to the SmartArt Tools Format ribbon, you can customize individual shapes in the graphic.
• In PowerPoint, SmartArt graphics support animation.

The goal is to allow you to create great-looking graphics with a minimum of interaction.

After you define a SmartArt image, you can quickly change to any of the other 83 built-in styles by choosing the layout from the gallery. Text and formatting are carried from one style to the next. Figure 1.1 shows four different SmartArt styles:

1. The first SmartArt graphic uses the Basic Process layout. All text is typed as Level 1.
2. The SmartArt graphic in rows 10–16 uses the Accent Process style. This style puts the Level 1 text in the background and highlights the Level 2 text in the foreground boxes.
3. The SmartArt graphic in rows 19–26 uses the Picture Accent Process style. This style gives equal weight to Level 1 and Level 2 text. Pictures are added behind each shape.
4. The SmartArt graphic in rows 28–35 uses the Picture Accent List style. Note that unlike the process charts, a list chart does not include arrows to indicate a process.

Figure 1.1 Subtle differences in these 4 of the 84 possible SmartArt Graphics styles give more weight to either Level 1 or Level 2 text.

If you want to fine-tune the text in one particular box, the SmartArt Tools, Format ribbon allows you to micromanage any element in the SmartArt graphic. This is a great way for overeager users to quickly ruin the look of the SmartArt graphic.

There are 84 built-in layouts for SmartArt graphics. More layouts are available from Microsoft Office Online, and third-party companies will certainly start offering their own SmartArt layouts.

Elements Common Across Most SmartArt Diagrams

SmartArt graphics contain a collection of two or more related shapes. In most layouts, you can add more shapes to illustrate a longer process. A few layouts are limited to only a particular number of shapes. These layouts show both a red x in the text pane and a warning at the bottom of the text pane.

Each shape can contain a headline (Level 1 text), body copy (Level 2 text), and an image. Some of the 84 styles show only Level 1 text. If you switch to a style that does not display Level 2 text and then go back, the shape remembers the Level 2 text. (SmartArt graphics remember this additional text until you close the document.)

Some of the 84 styles include a picture.

Note

You should add pictures to accent shapes after you have selected your final style. Changing layout styles causes the pictures to be discarded from the accent shapes.

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Some styles include arrows between shapes to illustrate a process of relationship.

While you edit a SmartArt graphic, a text pane appears (look ahead to Figure 1.4). This text pane reminds me slightly of PowerPoint. You can type some bullet points. If you demote a bullet point by pressing Tab, the text changes from Level 1 text to Level 2 text. If you add a new bullet point, Office adds a new shape to the SmartArt graphic.

Although it is easier to use the text pane, the 2007 release of Office does allow you to edit text directly in the shapes. Simply click near the text to add an insertion point in the shape text box.

Tip

It is easier to build your diagram in the text pane. This way, you can focus on the text’s message rather than the individual shapes. Microsoft provides a way to turn off the text pane. It would almost be interesting to have a way to hide the SmartArt graphic so that you can focus on the text before worrying about the diagram.

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A Tour of the SmartArt Types

The SmartArt gallery groups the 84 SmartArt styles into seven broad categories. One version of each category, described next, is shown in Figure 1.2.

Figure 1.2 SmartArt diagrams exist in seven broad categories. Counterclockwise from upper left, they include List, Process, Cycle, Relationship, Matrix, Pyramid, and Hierarchy.

1. List—Designed to show a nonsequential list of information. Variations include horizontal, vertical, and bending lists. Some lists include chevrons; others include pictures. In general, these styles do not include arrows between shapes.
2. Process—Designed to show a sequential list of steps. Variations include horizontal, vertical, bending, equations, funnels, gears, and several varieties of arrows. Some process charts allow the inclusion of images. Most styles include an arrow or connector to convey a sequence.
3. Cycle—Designed to show a series of steps that repeat. Styles include cycle charts, radial charts, a gear chart, and a pie chart.
4. Relationship—Designed to show a relationship between items. Many of these styles are duplicated from the other six categories. They include arrows, chart, cycle, equation, funnel, gear, hierarchy, horizontal list, list process, pyramid, radial, target, and venn charts.
5. Matrix—Designed to show four quadrants of a list. Only two options exist: either four quadrants and a central element, or four quadrants.
6. Pyramid—Designed to show containment, overlapping, proportional, or interconnected relationships.
7. Hierarchy—Designed to show organizational charts, decision trees, and hierarchical relationships. Variations include horizontal or vertical, with and without connecting lines.

Inserting SmartArt Graphics in Excel

There are 84 different layouts of SmartArt graphics. To use them, you follow the same basic steps:

1. Select a cell in a blank section of the workbook.
2. From the Insert ribbon, choose Illustrations, SmartArt.
3. On the left side of the Choose a SmartArt Graphic dialog box, select a category.
4. Click on a SmartArt type in the center of the Choose a SmartArt Graphic dialog box.
5. Read the description on the right side. This description tells you if the style is good for Level 1 text, Level 2 text, or both. In Figure 1.3, the Vertical Chevron List style is good for large amounts of Level 2 text.

   

   Figure 1.3 The information for each style indicates if a particular style is appropriate for more Level 1 or Level 2 text.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you find a style suitable for your content. After you select a suitable style, click OK.
7. As shown in Figure 1.4, an outline of the SmartArt graphic is drawn on the worksheet. The flashing insertion cursor is in the first item of the text pane. One element of the SmartArt graphic is selected. When you type text at the flashing insertion point, it is added to the selected shape.

   

   Figure 1.4 When you type in the text pane, the text is added to the selected element of the SmartArt graphic.

8. Fill in the text pane with text for your SmartArt graphic. Items can be added, deleted, promoted, or demoted using icons in the SmartArt Tools, Design, Create Graphic group. The SmartArt graphic updates itself as you type more text. In many cases, adding a new Level 1 item adds a new shape element to the SmartArt graphic.
9. In most SmartArt layouts, as you add longer text to the SmartArt graphic, Excel shrinks all the text to make it fit within the shapes. In some layouts, Excel also increases the size of shapes. You can make the entire SmartArt graphic larger at any time by grabbing the resize handles in the corners of the SmartArt graphic and dragging to a new size. After you resize the graphic, Excel resizes the text to be as large as possible.
10. Although the SmartArt graphic initially is in shades of one color, you can quickly change the color scheme. Select SmartArt Tools, Design, SmartArt Styles, Change Colors. Excel offers several versions of monochrome styles and five styles in which the color varies for each shape.
11. Choose a 2-D or 3-D style from the SmartArt Tools, Design, SmartArt Styles gallery. The styles go from conservative to outlandish. The first five styles—labeled “Best Match for Document”—are 2-D styles. The next nine styles are 3-D styles.

    Tip

    When choosing a 2-D or 3-D style, I’ve found that it’s best to pick something in between the conservative and more extreme options. The Inset and Cartoon styles, for example, have a suitable mix of effects but are still readable.

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12. Move the SmartArt graphic to the proper location. Position the mouse cursor over the border of the SmartArt graphic, avoiding one of the eight resize areas. The cursor changes to a four-headed arrow. Click and drag to a new location. If you drag the SmartArt graphic to the left side of the worksheet, the text pane moves to the right of the SmartArt graphic.
13. Click outside the SmartArt graphic to embed the finished SmartArt graphic in the worksheet.

Excel embeds the SmartArt graphic in the worksheet and hides the SmartArt ribbons. The completed SmartArt graphic is shown in Figure 1.5.

Figure 1.5 Click outside the SmartArt boundary to complete the SmartArt graphic.

Creating SmartArt Graphics in Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007

There are a few different ways to create SmartArt graphics in Office PowerPoint 2007. Because Microsoft considers Office PowerPoint 2007 the “home application” of SmartArt graphics, it has added a feature that allows any bulleted text to be converted to a SmartArt graphic.

Adding SmartArt Graphics on a New Slide

To add SmartArt graphics on a new slide, follow these steps:

1. From the Insert ribbon, in the Slides group, choose the drop-down in the Add Slide drop-down.
2. Choose the Title and Content slide.
3. In the center of the slide is a gray box with six icons. Click the SmartArt icon, on the right side of the top row, as shown in Figure 1.6.

   

   Figure 1.6 The icon on the right side of the top track is for SmartArt.

4. On the left side of the Choose a SmartArt Graphic dialog box, select a category.
5. Click on a SmartArt type in the center of the Choose a SmartArt Graphic dialog box.
6. Read the description on the right side. This description tells you if the style is good for Level 1 text, Level 2 text, or both.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until you find a style suitable for your content. When you have selected a suitable style, click OK.
8. An outline of the SmartArt graphic is drawn on the slide. The flashing insertion cursor is in the first item of the text pane. One element of the SmartArt graphic is selected. When you type text at the flashing insertion point, it’s added to the selected shape.
9. Fill in the text pane with text for your SmartArt. Items can be added, deleted, promoted, or demoted using icons in the SmartArt Tools, Design, Create Graphic group. The SmartArt graphic updates itself as you type more text. In many cases, adding a new Level 1 item adds a new shape element to the SmartArt graphic.
10. In most SmartArt layouts, as you add longer text to the SmartArt graphic, PowerPoint shrinks all the elements to make the text fit. You can make the entire SmartArt graphic larger at any time by grabbing the resize handles in the corners of the SmartArt graphic and dragging to a new size. After you resize the graphic, PowerPoint resizes the text to be as large as possible.
11. Although the SmartArt graphic initially is in one color, you can quickly change the color scheme. Select SmartArt Tools, Design, SmartArt Styles, Change Colors. PowerPoint offers several versions of monochrome styles and five styles in which the color varies for each shape.
12. Choose a 2-D or 3-D style from the SmartArt Tools, Design, SmartArt Styles gallery. The styles go from conservative to outlandish. The first five styles are 2-D styles. The next nine styles are 3-D styles. Somewhere in the center seems to be a good choice; the Inset and Cartoon styles have a suitable mix of effects but are still readable.
13. Click outside the SmartArt graphic to embed the finished SmartArt graphic in the slide.

PowerPoint embeds the SmartArt graphic in the slide and hides the SmartArt ribbons as well as the text pane.

Adding SmartArt Graphics to an Existing Slide

To add a new SmartArt graphic to an existing slide, follow these steps:

1. In PowerPoint, select the slide in Normal view.
2. Choose the Insert ribbon.
3. From the Illustrations group, select SmartArt.
4. Continue with step 4 from the preceding section.

Converting Existing PowerPoint Text to SmartArt Graphics

The easiest way to create SmartArt graphics in PowerPoint is to highlight any existing text and choose Convert to SmartArt from the Paragraph section of the Home ribbon. This technique works for any bulleted text on the slide. Follow these steps:

1. Display the slide in Normal view in PowerPoint.
2. Select any bulleted text. This text can include multiple levels. Indented bullet points are converted to Level 2 text.
3. Right-click the text. From the context menu, select Convert to SmartArt. Alternatively, choose Paragraph, Convert to SmartArt Graphic from the Home ribbon.
4. As shown in Figure 1.7, the flyout menu offers 20 popular layouts. If you want to see all layouts, choose the More SmartArt Graphics choice at the bottom of the flyout menu.

   

   Figure 1.7 Select any text in a slide, right-click, and choose Convert to SmartArt.

5. PowerPoint transfers the text into the SmartArt Graphics text pane.

This method is by far the easiest method for creating SmartArt graphics.

Creating SmartArt Graphics in Microsoft Word 2007

When using SmartArt graphics in Word 2007, you have to choose an insertion point, create the SmartArt graphics, and then specify how the text on the page should flow around the images.

To add SmartArt graphics to a Word document, follow these steps:

1. From the Insert ribbon, in the Illustrations group, click the SmartArt icon.
2. On the left side of the Choose a SmartArt Graphic dialog box, select a category.
3. Click on a SmartArt graphics layout in the center of the Choose a SmartArt Graphic dialog box.
4. Read the description on the right side. This description tells you if the style is good for Level 1 text, Level 2 text, or both.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you find a style suitable for your content. When you have selected a suitable style, click OK.
6. An outline of the SmartArt graphic is drawn in the document. The flashing insertion cursor is in the first item of the text pane. One element of the SmartArt graphic is selected. When you type text at the flashing insertion point, it is added to the selected shape.
7. Fill in the text pane with text for your SmartArt graphic. Items can be added, deleted, promoted, or demoted using icons in the SmartArt Tools, Design, Create Graphic group. The SmartArt graphic updates itself as you type more text. In many cases, adding a new Level 1 item adds a new shape element to the SmartArt graphic.
8. In most SmartArt layouts, as you add longer text to the SmartArt graphic, Word shrinks all the elements to make the text fit. You can make the entire SmartArt graphic larger at any time by grabbing the resize handles in the corners of the SmartArt graphic and dragging to a new size. After you resize the graphic, Word resizes the text inside the shapes to be as large as possible.
9. Although the SmartArt graphic initially is in one color, you can quickly change the color scheme. Select SmartArt Tools, Design, SmartArt Styles, Change Colors. Word offers several versions of monochrome styles and five styles in which the color varies for each shape.
10. Choose a 2-D or 3-D style from the SmartArt Tools, Design, SmartArt Styles gallery. The styles go from conservative to outlandish. The first five styles are 2-D styles. The next nine styles are 3-D styles. Somewhere in the center seems to be a good choice; the Inset and Cartoon styles have a suitable mix of effects but are still readable.
11. Right-click the border of the SmartArt graphic. Choose the Text Wrapping flyout menu.
12. From the Text Wrapping flyout menu, choose Top and Bottom to allow the text to wrap around the graphic.
13. Click outside the SmartArt graphic to embed the finished SmartArt graphic in the document.

Word embeds the SmartArt graphic in the worksheet and hides the SmartArt ribbons.

Creating SmartArt Graphics in the Body of an Outlook E-Mail Message

You can add SmartArt graphics to the body of an e-mail created with Outlook 2007.

Note

When this e-mail is received by anyone using an e-mail client other than Outlook 2007, the graphic is converted to a static image.

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Because the Outlook 2007 compose mail feature makes use of Microsoft Word 2007, the process for adding a SmartArt graphic to an Outlook e-mail message is identical to creating a graphic in Word. Follow steps 1–13 in the preceding section.

Adding and Removing Shapes with the Text Pane

Although the instructions in the preceding section indicated that you could use the Promote, Demote, Add Bullet, and Add Shape icons in the SmartArt Tools ribbon, you can actually perform the same tasks using some simple shortcut keys in the SmartArt text pane.

To display the text pane, make sure the SmartArt graphic is in edit mode. Then click on the SmartArt graphic to edit the diagram.

If the text pane is not visible, choose SmartArt Tools, Design, Create Graphic, Text Pane to display the text pane.

As shown in Figure 1.8, the text pane starts with two levels of bulleted text items. Each nonindented bullet is called Level 1 text. There is usually one shape in the image for each bullet point of Level 1 text.

Figure 1.8 The text pane holds the outline for the diagram. Using shortcut keys here, you can add or remove shapes.

Under each Level 1 text item, there can be indented bullet points of Level 2 text. Level 2 text provides some detail for the Level 1 items. Depending on the SmartArt layout, the Level 2 text is either in nearby shapes or incorporated near the Level 1 text.

When working in the text pane, you can use the shortcut keys listed in Table 1.1.

Table 1.1 Shortcut Keys Available When Working in a Text Pane

Using these keyboard shortcuts, you can add or delete shapes without ever touching the icons in the ribbon.

Introducing the Ribbon

When working with SmartArt graphics, you work primarily with the following ribbons. The first two ribbons are available only when a SmartArt diagram is selected.

• The SmartArt Tools, Design ribbon allows you to make broad changes to the entire graphic.
• The SmartArt Tools, Format ribbon lets you edit individual shapes in the diagram. This ribbon also contains fine-tuning icons that allow you to control reflection, glow, WordArt styles, and so on. This ribbon is covered in Chapter 2, “Modifying SmartArt Graphics.”
• The Page Layout ribbon contains the Themes group. Selecting a new theme gives your SmartArt graphic a completely new look, although changing the Document theme affects all elements in a Word or Excel file. Changing the Theme in PowerPoint completely changes the slide background on all slides. Be aware that if you change the theme to impact the appearance of the SmartArt graphic, you also impact the appearance of charts, tables, and backgrounds elsewhere in the document.
• The Home ribbon’s Font group allows you to micromanage font sizes and styles. You generally do not have to do this because Office resizes the font to fit the shape. Note that most of the relevant settings in this ribbon appear in the Mini toolbar when you select text in the text pane.

Types of Elements in the Ribbon

Although previous versions of Office offered rows of tiny icons, the new interface in Office 2007 offers new types of elements in the ribbon. These elements are designed to be more intuitive than the tiny icons. Most icons now include words, which is a major improvement. If you hover the cursor over most icons, a nice, large ToolTip appears to explain the icon, as shown in Figure 1.9.

1. Button Drop-Down Icon
2. Normal Icon
3. ToolTip
4. Gallery
5. Gallery Controls

Figure 1.9 Detail of the Design ribbon.

Figure 1.9 shows a portion of the SmartArt Tools, Design ribbon. In this figure, Add Bullet is a simple icon. If you click the icon, the desired action occurs.

The Add Shape icon is more complex. In Figure 1.9, this icon appears to be a single large button. It turns out that this large icon is actually two controls. Hover the cursor over the button, and you can see that it is divided into two parts. If you click the top part of the button, Office adds a shape after the current shape. However, if you click the bottom part of the button, a drop-down appears, offering more choices, as shown in Figure 1.10.

Figure 1.10 The Add Shape icon is really a button on the top and a drop-down at the bottom.

Note

The button portion of the Add Shape icon follows a strange set of rules to determine if the new shape is a peer or a sibling of the current shape. In some cases, these rules make sense. In other cases, the rules are a bit bizarre. For example, if a hierarchical chart already has three peers at the current level, adding a shape assumes that you want to add a child shape instead of a peer shape.

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Another new element of the ribbon is the gallery element. A gallery takes up a wide section of the ribbon. As shown in Figure 1.9, the Layouts gallery shows five thumbnails. Hover the cursor over a thumbnail, and the Live Preview feature gives you a preview of how the SmartArt graphic would change.

To the right of the gallery element are three control buttons. The up and down arrows scroll a new row of layout thumbnails on to the ribbon.

Instead of scrolling one row at a time, use the More button (it looks like an underlined down arrow) to open the gallery and see the 32 different layouts available, as shown in Figure 1.11. Live Preview continues to work; hover the mouse cursor over a style to see a preview of the change in the worksheet.

Figure 1.11 Open the gallery to see all the most popular styles at once.

At the bottom of the opened gallery panel, the More Layouts link takes you to a dialog box with 84 different layout styles.

On the Format ribbon, you will find the other new element in the ribbon architecture. As shown in Figure 1.12, the Shape Effects button is a drop-down that leads to a series of flyout menus. Select a flyout menu to see the choices available for that option.

Figure 1.12 A single icon on the ribbon might lead to several levels of flyout menus.

Using the Ribbon to Access Dialog Boxes

Some obscure commands are not found on the ribbon. Or, in some cases, you might prefer to work in the Microsoft Office 2003 style dialog boxes.

To access a dialog box, you can click a tiny More button that appears in various groups of the ribbon. This button is an 8-pixel-by-8-pixel icon. At a super zoom size, you might be able to that the icon is an arrow pointing down and to the right from the top-left corner of a square.

At normal zoom levels, the More button looks like the top left and bottom-right corners of a tiny square, as shown in Figure 1.13. Click the button to open a dialog box with more options for that group.

1. Expand Button
2. ToolTip for Expand Button
3. Dialog Box with More Options

Figure 1.13 The Expand button opens a dialog box with more choices.

Using the Context Menu to Access Dialog Boxes

Although you can accomplish many customizations through the ribbon, you have more control over objects in the Format Object dialog boxes.

Right-click any shape in an active SmartArt diagram. The context menu offers a Format Shape choice.

Select Format Shape to access the dialog box shown in Figure 1.14. This dialog box offers eight panes along the left side. For each pane, you can access a variety of settings, many of which are not on the ribbon.

Figure 1.14 Right-click any element on a SmartArt graphic and choose Format from the shortcut menu to access the dialog box offering more formatting choices.

Choosing the Right Layout for Your Message

With 84 built-in layouts of SmartArt graphics, choosing the right layout can be daunting.

The following questions are designed to help you narrow down your choices, assuming you do not want to further customize the look of the graphic:

1. Do you need accent images in the shape?

   If so, use Bending Picture Accent List, Picture Caption List, Horizontal Picture List, Picture Accent List, Continuous Picture List, Vertical Picture Accent List, Vertical Picture List, Picture Accent Process, or Radial List.

2. Do you have extremely long sentences of Level 2 text?

   If so, use Vertical Box List or Vertical Bullet List.

3. Do you need to show a continuous process?

   Use one of the cycle charts: Text Cycle, Basic Cycle, Continuous Cycle, Block Cycle, or Segmented Cycle.

4. Do you need to show a circular process that can travel both ways?

   Use Multidirectional Cycle.

5. Do you need to show a process that progresses from left to right?

   Use Basic Process, Accent Process, Continuous Arrow Process, Alternating Flow, Process Arrows, Detailed Process, Continuous Block Process, Picture Accent Process, Basic Chevron Process, or Closed Chevron Process.

6. Do you need to show many processes that progress from left to right?

   Use Chevron List.

7. Do you need to show a process that progresses from top to bottom?

   Use Vertical Process, Segmented Process, Vertical Chevron List, or Staggered Process.

8. Do you need to show a one-way process and need to fit many shapes into a small area?

   Use Basic Bending Process, Circular Bending Process, Repeating Bending Process, or Vertical Bending Process.

9. Do you need to show an organization?

   Use Organization Chart.

10. Do you need to show a hierarchy?

    Use one of the pyramid, radial, matrix, target or hierarchy layouts.

11. Do you need to make a decision between two choices?

    Use Balance.

12. Do you need to show how parts add together to create an output?

    Use Equation or Funnel layout.

13. Do you need to illustrate two opposing forces?

    Use Diverging Arrows, Counterbalance Arrows, Opposing Arrows, Converging Arrows, or Arrow Ribbon.

14. Do you need to illustrate a containment chart?

    Use Nested Target or Stacked Venn.

Changing an Existing SmartArt Graphic to a New Style

There are a few ways to change the SmartArt graphic to a new style:

• Click the SmartArt graphic to activate it. Choose SmartArt Tools, Design, Layouts to choose a new layout. As shown in Figure 1.15, the Layouts drop-down initially shows only the styles that Office determines are a close fit to the current style. Hover the cursor over any style in the gallery drop-down to see a Live Preview of the style. If you want to access the complete list of styles, you have to select More Layouts to access the dialog box shown in Figure 1.16.

Figure 1.15 Hover the cursor over a style to see the Live Preview of that style. Note how Microsoft uses different highlighting to show the current graphic and the Live Preview graphic.

Figure 1.16 After choosing More Layouts from the bottom of the Layouts gallery, you can access all 84 layouts.

• A faster way to access the complete list of styles is to right-click between two shapes in the SmartArt graphic and choose Change Layout from the context menu. This step is a little tricky because you cannot click on an existing shape; you must click inside the SmartArt graphic border, but on a section of the graphic that contains nothing. If the layout style completely fills the graphic with shapes, try right-clicking the graphic’s border.

1. Current Graphic
2. Live Preview Graphic

Finding a Layout in the Dialog Box

The Choose a SmartArt Graphic dialog box can be frustrating. Seven broad categories plus “All” are listed along the left side of the dialog box.

Think of SmartArt as basically version 1.0 technology. In time, Microsoft typically improves version 1.0 technology, smoothing out the kinks. Realistically, expect the feature to really start humming along in Office 14. (There will not be an Office 13; Microsoft is skipping ahead to Office 14.) This dialog box is a perfect example of one of the rough edges that need smoothing out.

Say that you would like to find one of the arrow styles. There are six arrow styles. Five of them are found in the Process category, and five of them are found in the Relationship category.

There are nine horizontal process charts. Although you would expect to find them in the Process category, one of them is also in the List category.

Further, when you get into a category, the order of the charts is rather haphazard. They are sorted by a hidden importance value. Microsoft assigns an importance to each layout style. In many cases, the importance is based on actual usage of the beta testing community. Rather than being able to find diagrams based on an alphabetical list, you need to scroll through all the styles. To me, it is a confusing mess.

Based on the naming convention, the 84 built-in styles fit into 23 types of charts. Table 1.2 shows the types, the number of styles for that type, and the categories where you can find these types. If a category has an asterisk, only some of the layouts are shown in that category.

Table 1.2 Summary of SmartArt Types

Because it is difficult to find a particular style in the Choose a SmartArt Graphic individual categories, perhaps it would be easier to choose the All Category and browse through the 84 styles.

Table 1.3 lists all the SmartArt layouts by name, showing the location of the item in the All category of the dialog box.

Table 1.3 Location of SmartArt in the All Category of Choose a SmartArt Graphic

Note

After you create custom layouts in Chapter 9, “Adding New SmartArt Graphics Layouts,” or download new layouts from Office Online, the new layouts can be inserted in the middle of this list, skewing all layouts after the new layout by one position.

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Next Steps

Chapter 2 discusses how you can modify your SmartArt graphics using the Design and Format ribbons.