What is SmartArt?

SmartArt is a handy diagramming tool that first showed up in PowerPoint 2007 for Windows. These days, you can find it on just about every platform PowerPoint runs on—Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and even the Web. The magic of SmartArt? It lets you ditch boring bullet points and turn your text into eye-catching infographics, with shapes that make your content pop.

Sure, SmartArt is amazing, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. You can’t just swap out bullet points for SmartArt every time and call it a day. Instead, think it through! Decide if SmartArt truly adds value to your content—use a merit-based approach to figure out if it’s the right fit for the job.

What is SmartArt

Smart Ideas for Using SmartArt Graphics

Looking for some ways to show off your SmartArt skills? Check out these ideas and watch your slides shine!

1. Show, Don’t Tell: Turn your concepts and ideas into visual masterpieces instead of sticking to boring text.
2. Diagram Delight: Build all kinds of diagrams—org charts, matrices, process flows, lists, cycles, and more!
3. Keep It Coordinated: Make your SmartArt graphics blend seamlessly by matching them to your presentation's theme.
4. Play Around: Experiment with different SmartArt layouts until you find the one that fits your content perfectly.
5. Make It Your Own: Customize SmartArt layouts by adding shapes, tweaking colors, and experimenting with fill, line, and effects.
6. Text Made Easy: Use the handy text pane to add and edit text right inside your SmartArt graphics.
7. Add Some Action: Animate your SmartArt! You can animate it as a single object or give each part its own animation flair.

We'll show you how you can learn more about SmartArt graphics with tutorials that include step-by-step instructions. Look at our main SmartArt page.

Also, do explore our SmartArt Samples page.