Formatting Shapes and Diagrams

Chapter at a Glance

In this chapter, you will learn how to:
	Format individual shapes.
	Add decorative elements to diagrams.
	Apply themes to entire diagrams.

You can create effective, professional-looking diagrams simply by dragging Microsoft Office Visio shapes onto the drawing page. However, to ensure that a flowchart, for example, captures the attention of your colleagues, you can spend just a few more minutes on the diagram to make it look great. For example, add colors to individual shapes to make them stand out, insert a background image to add interest, and increase the font size of the text to make it easier to see. You can also customize the appearance of the shapes to meet your organization's design specifications, and apply themes to entire diagrams with just a single click. With Visio, formatting individual shapes and entire diagrams is easy.

In this chapter you'll learn the quickest methods of formatting individual shapes and adding finishing touches to entire diagrams. You'll learn how to add decorative elements, such as ornamental borders and attractive title shapes, to your diagrams. Last, you will apply themes to entire diagrams.

Do you need only a quick refresher on the topics in this chapter? See the Quick Reference entries on pages xxvxliii.

Important

Before you can use the practice files in this chapter, you need to install them from the book's companion CD to their default location. See "Using the Book's CD-ROM" on page xix for more information.