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Hi there.

Many of us have used PowerPoint to create presentations. But did you know, with some formatting and a bit of creativity, you can use PowerPoint to create fun and engaging infographics? Let's take a moment to see how you can set up PowerPoint for an infographic.

Your first step is to set up your slide. After opening PowerPoint, you're given the option to select a template or to start from a blank presentation. A lot of the templates are designed for presentations and don't work so well as infographics, so we recommend going with a blank presentation. It's a good idea to remove any placeholders from the slide. Under the Home tab, select Layout and then select Blank.

Now it's time to set size and orientation. Changing your mind later on will cause a lot of problems, so give this decision a lot of thought.

Under the Design Tab, select Slide Size and then select Custom Size. Here, you'll be able to decide whether the orientation of your infographic will be portrait or landscape. The slide's default slide size will probably be too small for your infographic. You can make your slide larger by increasing the width or height of the slide. If you decided to create a portrait-sized infographic, you'll want to increase your slide's height and if you decided to create a landscape-sized infographic, then increase your slide's width. Since you have not started building your infographic, you can select either the Maximize or the Ensure Fit option.

Now let's select the theme and font. In the Design tab, select the down arrow in the Variants section.

Now select Colors. Here, you will be able to select your infographic's color palette. Don't like any of the default options? Select Customize Colors to create your own.

To change the default font for your infographic, select Fonts from the Variants section. You can also create your own font theme by selecting Customize Font.

Graphics and icons work much better than photographs in an infographic. A great resource for royalty-free and creative commons graphics is The Noun Project. Type your keywords in the search bar and then select a graphic. Click download. The PNG file format works very well with PowerPoint. Choose Creative Commons. This lets you use the graphic free of charge, as long you cite the creator. If you choose Royalty Free, you'll have to pay for the graphic, but you can use it without citing the creator.

Just like in any academic paper, citing your resources is very important. Leave a bit of space at the bottom of your infographic for your citations. Unless instructed differently by your instructor, you can provide an abbreviated citation that credits the person who made the resource and where you found it.

Shapes are often used throughout an infographic. You can use them to organize your content, direct the reader's gaze, or make your information appear more visually interesting. To add a shape, select the Insert tab and then select the Shapes option. Here, you'll see PowerPoint's large collection of shapes. Select a shape, then click and hold the left mouse button while moving the mouse until you have drawn your desired shape. To recolor your shape, select the shape and then select the Format tab under Drawing Tools and change the Shape Fill and Shape Outline colors. You can also choose from the Shape Styles section.

Want to add some text to your shape? Simply select the shape and start typing.

SmartArt is another great tool for displaying information in a visual format. Under the Insert tab, select SmartArt. Now select the type of SmartArt that will best present the information you are trying to share. Once selected, write your information into the SmartArt's placeholders. You are able to recolor your SmartArt by selecting the Design tab under SmartArt Tools and selecting Change Color.

Charts are commonly found in infographics. To insert a chart, select the Insert tab and then select Chart. Choose the type of chart that you wish to insert and then click Ok. Use the small spreadsheet that pops up to enter your information. When you're finished entering your info, you are able to recolor your chart by selecting Change Colors located under the Design tab within Chart Tools.

You can insert graphics by going to the Insert tab and selecting Pictures. Navigate to where your graphic file is located on your computer and select Insert. You can also drag graphics directly onto your infographic. To crop your graphic, select the graphic you want to crop, select the Format tab located under Picture Tools and select Crop. Use the black corner guides to resize your graphic.

Once you're finished, select Crop again. To recolor your graphic, select the Format tab located under the Picture Tools and select Color. If you do not see your desired color, you will need to change the color theme you are using for your infographic.

Always save your work while you build your infographic. You never know when the power is going to go out or when your laptop battery will die!

To make it easier for your professor to read your infographic, you may want to save it as a PDF. Do so by selecting the File tab, Save As, and then select PDF from the Save As Type drop down box.