SmartArt has been around a long time with no significant changes, but finally, we have some new SmartArt layouts!
First of all, let me say that I’m a big fan of SmartArt. It’s a way to turn a boring-looking bulleted list into something that looks like a graphic. SmartArt will make your slide more easily digestible for your audience.
It’s a great option for non-designers.
I have an old post, My Favorite SmartArt faves, that will give you some ideas, if you haven’t been using SmartArt.
Numbered SmartArt lists!
I’ve been wanting numbered SmartArt for a long time. Yes, I created a workaround but it was a bit time-consuming. It was 6 steps!
I wrote about that technique here…
Now, you can create great-looking numbered lists with ease.
Note: If your PowerPoint account doesn’t update regularly (your account might update more or less often), you might not have these yet.
Here’s how to use them.
- Create a numbered list.
- Select the placeholder with the numbered list and choose Convert to SmartArt Graphic in the Paragraph section of the Home tab.
- Choose More SmartArt Graphics.
Option 1: In the left-hand pane, choose the new Text Card category. (I don’t really understand what that name means, but it has some great options.) Hover over the options that show numbers and choose one of them.
Option 2: Choose the Timeline category. Choose one of the options that shows numbers.
Here is the original slide and some of the new SmartArt options…
Meet the Team layouts
This set of SmartArt layouts is a way to introduce a team, perhaps at the beginning of a presentation or at an orientation meeting. It combines images of the team members with text, usually the person’s name.
Prepare your images in advance and crop them. The Crop > Aspect Ratio > 1:1 option works well. The area for the image is usually a circle.
In this case, it makes more sense to start with no text on the slide and use a Content placeholder. Then use the Insert a SmartArt Graphic option from inside the placeholder. Choose one of the Meet the Team layouts.
To insert an image, click the image placeholder and choose This Device.
Here is one example of a Meet the Team slide.
Even more!
Here are some more new SmartArt layouts in various places:
Under the List category: Icon Circle Label List
Under Timeline, there are non-numbered options
Under both the List and Process categories, there are some new layouts that are slightly different from old layouts.
Which are your favorites?
I think it helps to find favorites in each category, since there are so many options.
Which are your favorites? Please leave a comment and share!