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Microsoft PowerPoint

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At a Glance

  • PowerPoint is versatile and can be an easy graphic design tool
  • SmartArt can convert your text into a diagram

Brief Overview of Microsoft PowerPoint

While PowerPoint is mainly used for Presentations, many of its features can be used as an easy and accessible graphic design tool. Features such as customizable templates, shapes and icons tool, basic image editing, and text formatting. The key tool that this guide will be using is SmartArt, which is a tool that allows you to create professional-quality diagrams and graphics easily. It helps visually represent information and ideas through various predefined layouts.

How to Create Graphs and Charts

This guide will go through the steps on how to make a pie chart in PowerPoint. Fictional data will be used based on the global market share of different smartphone brands:

  • Apple: 40%
  • Samsung: 30%
  • Huawei: 15%
  • Xiaomi: 10%
  • Others: 5%

Process for Making a Chart in PowerPoint

  • Open up Microsoft PowerPoint or a pre-existing PowerPoint file.
  • On a blank slide, there are six small icons that represent the different types of content you can insert. In this example, the “Insert Chart” will be selected.
  • Select the desired format for the chart in this case a Pie Chart
  • Fill in the data in the excel window provided
  • A style can be applied to the newly created pie chart but be cautious about color contrast and readability.
    A pie chart on fake data of the global market share of different smartphone brands.

How to Create a Flowchart

SmartArt is essential to create diagrams and graphics out of text. For this example, a hierarchical organization chart will be used to create a flowchart. First, the positions are converted into bullet points with the highest position as the first bullet point and subordinate positions are sub-bullet points.

Flowchart Example

Consider this example data for an organization chart.

  • CEO
    • VP of Operation
      • Operations Manager
        • Team Lead
          • Senior Analyst
          • Junior Analyst
  • VP of Marketing
    • Marketing Manager
      • Social Media Coordinator
      • Content Creator
  • VP of Finance
    • Finance Manager
      • Accountant
      • Financial Analyst

Process for Making a Flowchart in PowerPoint

The steps listed here will demonstrate how to produce the proceeding flow chart.

  • Open up Microsoft PowerPoint or a pre-existing PowerPoint file.
  • Create a new slide
  • Copy and paste your content into the slide
  • Format the content to a bullet/sub-bullet list and select all the text
    Screenshot of a plain slide in powerpoint with bulleted text of a business organization hierarchy chain.
  • Right-click above the content and select “Convert to SmartArt”
    A screenshot of a bullet list selected in powerpoint with a right-click menu open and the convert to smartart selected.
  • Choose “More SmartArt Graphics”
    A screenshot of the right-click menu for selected text with convert to smartart open and the more smartart graphics highlighted
  • Select “Hierarchy” and browse through the options. For this example, the “Circle Picture Hierarchy” was chosen.
    Screenshot of the choose a smartart graphic window with the hierarchy menu selected and the circle picture hierarchy option highlighted.
  • Design and style your new flowchart using Northwestern Branding standards
    a flowchart a business organization with the CEO on top and subordinates at the bottom.

Conclusion

PowerPoint is not just a presentation tool; it’s a versatile graphic creation platform that empowers users to design visually appealing and professional-quality graphics with ease. Whether you’re creating infographics, diagrams, or custom illustrations, PowerPoint’s intuitive interface and robust features make it accessible for both beginners and experienced designers. By leveraging tools like SmartArt, shapes, and various formatting options, you can transform your ideas into compelling visuals that enhance communication and engagement.

References/Resources