Add impact to your Word documents with Text Effects

Have you ever noticed that glowing button on your ribbon in Word 2010?

It’s the gateway to a number of Text Effects that you can use to dress up your documents:

Let’s say you’re making a flier for the company picnic. A nice bright sunny theme might brighten things up! Select a suitable style (like the outlined blue one above), adjust the font color and play with the Glow color and size until you get a suitable amount of sunniness without impacting legibility:

Later, you might be creating a business proposal. Do you want your illustrations to stand out more? Try using a text effect with a bold gradient fill and then add a reflection (just make sure it’s large enough to be clearly readable).

If you’re looking for more pre-built effects in Word 2010, or you’re using Word 2007, look on the Insert tab for the WordArt button.

Office 2007 WordArt:

Office 2010 WordArt:

Just remember the cardinal rule of design and don’t overdo it. Pick just one or two effects that work with your document content and audience.

Suzanne