Tip of the Day - Visio 2007: Creating Classy Visio Diagrams with Themes

First off, I have to apologize for this week on my tip of the days.  I'm in the process of rearranging my work habits so that my blog is consistently updated with relevant bits of tips and tricks every day, I'll try to ensure that these are rolled out a week in advance.  Sometimes we all get busy, but I don't want to use this as an excuse.  Expect more regular content coming your way on my blog!  NOW, for your "Tip of the Day,"

Apply Consistent Colors and Effects Automatically Throughout Your Diagram

Use the new themes features in Microsoft Office Visio 2007 to quickly apply a consistent set of colors or effects throughout your diagram. Themes in Visio 2007 are separate from the document themes you may know from 2007 Microsoft Office system programs such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

To use themes in Visio 2007:

1. on the Format menu, click Themes.

2. In the Theme-Colors task pane, click to apply a set of existing theme colors to your diagram, or click New Theme Colors (at the bottom of the task pane) to customize your own color set. Note that clicking the arrow that appears when you point to a color set shows you additional options.

3. To apply additional formatting, click Theme Effects to switch to the Theme-Effects task pane. You can then click to apply an existing set of effects (including text, line, fill, shadow, and connector formatting). You can also click New Theme Effects at the bottom of the task pane to create your own effects. Also, clicking the arrow that appears when you point to an existing theme effects set shows you additional options, including the option to duplicate a built-in set of theme effects so that you can customize it.