Effective Ways to use Text Effects in Word 2010

Your document is complete, but something's missing, and you don't have a lot of time to hand-craft graphical pizzazz. Word has a large, built-in store of attractive backgrounds, borders, shading, and text effects that you can apply quickly to the page or to text for instant effect. In this post we show you how.

Word 2010 has many text options--including glow, shadow, and reflection text effects. But how much is too much? How can you make sure a text effect will enhance your message, not detract from it?

When you want to make your words pop with special effects, here are few tips to keep in mind.

Be consistent: Choose one effect or effect combination and one color theme for your text effects. And use text effects in specific, only in headings. Also, because text effects can make the text thicker and harder to read, consider using effects only for larger text, such as headings and the title.

Use styles: If you apply a style to a heading and then apply text effects, you can select the heading, right-click the style in the Styles gallery, and then click Update style to match selection. Now all your headings with that style will display the same text effects.

Speak, don't scream: People tend to avoid looking at ads or any content that looks like an ad, so take care to add effects that suit your content aren't flashy for the sake of flash.

Keep it readable: Be sure that the text is still easy to read (and not a big blob of colorful shapes). Graphic designers will tell you that text is just shapes on the page. And they're right. But these shapes are communicating a message--and the effects are there to play a supporting role, not the star.

Think about your message and your audience:

 

What's appropriate for a back-to-school barbecue flier might not work for a paper on the Amazon Basin or a sales report or a company newsletter.

Choose effects that complement and enhance your information. For more information, see  Add or remove text effects.

For information about other typographical features, see OpenType options in the Font dialog box.

Note: If you're working with a table, there's a cool way to quickly add a unified border, shading, and color scheme: use the Table AutoFormat feature.