Adding shapes is a great way to make your documents more interesting.
Word gives you a lot of different shapes to choose from and they can be customized
to suit your needs using your own color palette, preferences, and more.
To get started, go to the Insert tab
click the Shapes command,
then take a look at the menu and see if there's anything you like.
In this example we're going to start with the ribbon shape here.
To draw your shape, click and drag your mouse roughly where you want it to go.
The shape will appear with your default color scheme.
We're going to talk more about how to change that in a minute.
Right now I'd like to add one more shape before we move on.
The great thing about shapes is that they can be combined and customized to create your own unique graphics.
Mastering this element can take time but with a little practice and a little creativity,
you can create almost anything with these tools.
When you're working with multiple shapes, you may reach a point where you want to
change the order so the correct shape is in front or on top.
This comes up a lot in Word, so it's a good technique to know.
Just right-click one of your shapes
then go to Bring to Front and Send to Back.
You may need to experiment with these options to make sure your shapes are
arranged the way you want.
In this example I have selected the heart shape and I want to move it behind the ribbon shape.
So I'm going to Send to Back, then Send Backward.
And that'll do it!
Now we can make some adjustments to our shapes. The first thing I'm going to do
is make the ribbon shape a little smaller using the sizing handles here.
These can be found on the sides and the corners of any shape or object in Word.
Every shape also has a rotation handle that you can drag in any direction.
if your shape has any yellow handles, like the ones you see here, you can use those
to make other adjustments.
In this case they change the proportions of the ribbon, but it just depends;
some shapes don't have this option at all.
Next, let's take a look at the Format tab, which appears anytime you have a shape selected.
From here, you can change the fill color, outline, and basically anything related to
the shape's appearance.
The fastest way to change the look of your shape is to use one of the
predefined shapes styles.
These options depend on the colors and shape effects that are part of your current theme.
Just mouse every each one for a preview and see if there's anything you like.
You can also use the commands on the right
to choose your own formatting options.
In this example I'm going to change the outline color
and then use the Shape Effects command to apply a drop shadow.
I'd also like to customize the heart shape a little more.
I'll change the fill color...
remove the outline...
and finally I'm going to add a bevel from the Shape Effects menu.
You can even change the shape itself if you want to try something different.
This option is good if you've already applied some formatting like this and
you don't want to lose it by starting over from scratch.
Just select the shape you want to change( that's the ribbon shape in this example)
then click the Edit Shape command on the far left of the Format tab
You can then choose a new shape in the menu.
I'm going to go with a slightly different ribbon shape.
There we go!
And I'll just make a few tweaks to get this shape the way I want it.
Now let's add some text for the finishing touch.To add text to his shape all you
have to do is select the one you want, then start typing.
This instantly turns the shape into a text box.
You can even format the text using the options on the Home tab.
Here it is with a different font.
There are a lot of things you can do with shapes in Word; this graphic is just one example.
So give it a try and see what you can come up with.
You can use just one shape at a time, or you can try combining them to create something new.