Spice Up Your Word Documents with Design Elements

[nerdslife_team]

Microsoft Word, a long-time favorite for word processing, has come a long way since its debut in 1983. It’s not just for typing anymore; you can really enhance your documents with cool design elements. Let’s explore how to add some visual flair using text effects, WordArt, Styles and themes to your documents.

Using Text Effects

Microsoft Word provides various ways to format text, from changing fonts to adjusting sizes and colors. But you can take things up a notch by applying text effects to emphasize specific parts of your document.

1. First, open the Word document you’re working on and select the text you want to modify – be it a word, sentence, or paragraph.
   
   
2. Next, locate the ‘Text Effects and Typography’ button on the toolbar. Click it to see all the cool text effect options available.
   
   
3. Now, just click on any effect you like to apply it. As you hover over the different effects, you will get a live preview, making it easier to pick the perfect one.
   
   
4. You can explore even more effects, such as Outline, Shadow, Reflection, Glow, Number Styles, Ligatures, and Stylistic Sets. Clicking on any of these will give you more customization options.
   
   

Inserting WordArt

WordArt is a collection of text styles that can add visual interest and make your document stand out. It combines text with imagery to create impactful results.

1. Open your document, select the text, then go to the ‘Insert’ tab, and finally click on the ‘WordArt’ dropdown menu on the right-hand side.
   
   
2. You will now see the various types of WordArt you can use.
   
   
3. Just select an option and it’s applied.
   
   

Applying Styles

Styles in Word are like pre-made sets of font styles, sizes, colors, and spacing, ensuring a consistent look throughout your document. Word has several different styles that you can choose from.

1. Open the document in Word where you want to apply a Style. Select the specific sections like words, sentences, or paragraphs you want to style. You can also apply it to lists and tables.
   
   
2. Make sure you’ve got the ‘Home’ tab selected at the top. If not, click on it and you’ll find the available styles on the right.
   
   
3. Preview the styles by hovering your cursor over them. Once you find one you like, click to apply it to the selected text.
   
   
4. You can see more styles by clicking the arrow on the right side of the styles section.
   
   

Applying Themes and Document Formatting

Themes are great for creating professional-looking documents. They combine various fonts, effects, and colors that you can apply across an entire document with one click. Themes also ensure consistency throughout all Office programs.

1. Open your document and navigate to the ‘Design’ tab. Click on the ‘Themes’ button to view the available themes. Click on a theme to apply it to your document.
   
   
2. Hovering over the different themes will give you a preview of how they will look in your document. To apply a theme, click on it.
   
   
3. Next to the themes button, you will find different formatting options. Select the portion of the document you want to format, and click on any of the formatting options to apply them.
   
   
4. You can further customize the selected formatting by changing its color. Click on the ‘Colors’ button to view the color presets.
   
   
5. Click on a color preset to apply it to your selected text. Similarly, you can apply available effects to the formatting by clicking on the ‘Effects’ button.
   
   

Adding a watermark, borders and changing page color

To protect your documents, add a watermark. You can also change page color or add borders to them.

1. To add a watermark, go to the ‘Design’ tab and click on the ‘Watermark’ button on the right side to see the options available.
   
   
2. Click a watermark to apply it to your document.
   
   
3. You can also change the page color by clicking on ‘Page Color’ and selecting a color from the dropdown.
   
   
4. Finally, click on ‘Page Borders’. A dialog box will appear with border options. You can select a border style, color, width, etc., then customize it.
   
   
5. Once you have selected and customized the border, click ‘OK’ to apply it to your document.
   
   

Things to know

• You can also insert pictures, shapes, icons, 3D models, and more from the ‘Insert’ tab.
• Use the pen and highlighter tools in the ‘Draw’ tab to manually draw, highlight, or add annotations.
• Word lets you change the layout by altering the orientation, margins, adding columns, etc.
• If you open your Word documents in other office suites, like OpenOffice or LibreOffice, not all design elements might appear correctly.