To create dramatic special effects using type, turn to Publisher's WordArt utility. This delightful tool might be familiar to you from your work with it in Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. WordArt adds a lot of visual interest to text, as you can see in the following illustration:
If you'd like to add decorative text to a publication— a special headline or logo, perhaps— it's easy. You don't even have to worry about positioning it at first, because you'll be able to move and size the WordArt frame later. To create special text effects using the WordArt utility, follow these steps:
A placeholder for the text appears on the page, and the Enter Your Text Here dialog box appears and is active. The automatic Your Text Here is highlighted. Notice that the Publisher window has been temporarily replaced by the WordArt window.
Experimenting with the different formatting capabilities of WordArt is easy and fun. You can add borders, color, shadows, and other effects to WordArt frames. As you try out the various tools in this window, you'll start to develop a sense of what works and what doesn't. Certain shapes are better matched with a particular length of text. For example, the circle shape needs at least four or five words to do it justice. And the more decorative typefaces can create confusion when paired with a WordArt special effect. WordArt can add a nice lively feel to your publication, but the text should always be readable.
Figure 31-7. The WordArt window contains tools for editing text.