How to Use & Format Word Art in Google Slides

If you want fancy-looking text on your slide, then learn how to use Word Art in Google Slides. Word Art in Google Slides is a feature that lets you format visually appealing text.

It can be useful for creating eye-catching titles, headings, captions, and other types of text you want to highlight. This article shows you step-by-step how to do Word Art on Google Slides:

How to Use Word Art in Google Slides

Google Slides is generally user-friendly, and the same goes for Word Art. To create Word Art in Google Slides, insert a Word Art, type the text you want to format. Then use the formatting options in WordArt to modify it.

To insert a Word Art in Google Slides, go to Insert > Word Art.

A text box appears. Type the text you want to format through Word Art.

insert Word Art text box in Google Slides

Press Enter to save. Or use Shift+Enter to add multiple lines.

Word Art in Google Slides with multiple lines

You’ve just created a basic Word Art with default formatting.

a basic Word Art in Google Slides with default formatting

To edit the text, double-click on the Word Art. The text box opens again, so you can revise the copy.

The default formatting of a Word Art isn't much to look at, but don't be dismayed. Now you can use the Word Art formatting options to make the text appear exactly the way you want it to.

Basic Formatting With Word Art

With Word Art, you can modify the font style, size, color, and other aspects of the text to apply your creativity.

1. Font Style and Emphasis

To change the font style, click on the Font selection dropdown menu. Make sure the Word Art is selected!

how to format Word Art in Google Slides: change font

Scroll down the list of fonts, then select the font you want to use.

You can also add emphasis by applying Bold or Italics to Word Art. Go to Format > Text > Bold or Italic.

format Word Art in Google Slides with bold or italics for emphasis

Or you can use the buttons on the Shortcut Toolbar.

shortcut toolbar for Word Art in Google Slides

Text Color

Next, change the text color. Note that you can control both the color of the text and its outline. To change the color of the text, click on Fill Color.

how to change font color of Word Art in Google Slides

From the menu that opens, select the color you want to use. You can choose between a solid color or gradient (more on that below).

To change the color of the text outline, go to Border Color and select the outline color you prefer.

change border color of Word Art in Google Slides

Use the Border Weight and Border Dash buttons on the Shortcut Menu to change the thickness and style of the border.

If you don’t want the text to have an outline or border, then make the Border Color either transparent or the same color as the Fill Color.

2. Text Size and Rotation

You can quickly change the text size of a Word Art. With the Word Art selected, click and drag any of the corners or squares along its border. Hold the SHIFT key down while dragging to maintain its aspect ratio.

If you wish to change the size of the Word Art to a more precise measurement, do this instead. Select the Word Art then go to Format Options > Size & Rotation.

size and rotation of Word Art in Google Slides

In the menu that opens, type in the width and height you want to use. You can also adjust the Word Art size by changing the Width Scale or Height Scale. This is also where you can change the text rotation to any angle, turn it 90 degrees, as well as flip it either vertically or horizontally.

3. Text Alignment

Text in a Word Art is always center-aligned. But there’s a workaround. If you want two lines of text that appear to be left-aligned, create a separate Word Art for each line of text. Then arrange the Word Art boxes so that they look left-aligned.

how to left align Word Art in Google Slides

Advanced Formatting Techniques for Google Slides Word Art

So far, we’ve only used the basic features of Word Art in Google Slides. You can apply more advanced formatting techniques to make text pop out. Let’s try some of those options next:

1. Adding Shading or Drop Shadows to Word Art

Go to Format Options > Drop Shadow. Check the box next to Drop Shadow and click on the arrow to open the Drop Shadow menu.

add a drop shadow to Word Art in Google Slides

From the Drop Shadow menu, you can change the shadow Color, Transparency, Angle, Distance, and Blur Radius. Toggle these controls until the shading or shadow looks just the way you want it.

I used the Drop Shadow feature to give this Word Art a very subtle “glow.”

how to format Word Art in Google Slides with drop shadow

2. Creating 3D Word Art

Word Art in Google Slides doesn’t have an automatic 3D feature, unlike other presentation apps. But you can use the Drop Shadow feature to give your Word Art a 3D appearance.

how to format Word Art in Google Slides with 3D effect

3. Adjusting Transparency Option

You may have noticed when setting the color of the font that there’s an option to make the color transparent.

transparent color for Word Art in Google Slides

This feature is useful when you've got a slide background and you want it to show through the Word Art. Combined with the Border and Drop Shadow, you can achieve a dramatic effect like this:

how to use Word Art in Google Slides with transparent effect

You can achieve the same effect by following these steps:

Set the font color to transparent.
Choose a color, weight, and dash for the border. In this case, I used a white border color, 4px weight, and line style.
Add a drop shadow.

4. Using the Reflection Feature

Finally, an interesting effect you can add to a Word Art is a reflection. To enable this, go to Format Options > Reflection. The Reflection menu opens so you can set the Transparency, Distance, and Size of the reflection as you see fit.

how to format Word Art in Google Slides with the Reflection feature

This is what my slide looks like with one Word Art rotated and the second one with a reflection:

Word Art in Google Slides with reflection

5. Blending Colors in Google Slides Word Art

You can get more cool effects by blending colors in a Word Art. You can achieve this with the Gradient color option. Select the Word Art then go to Fill Color > Gradient.

how to use Word Art in Google Slides with gradient

There are pre-sent Gradient options. But do experiment with Custom Gradient to see what other special effects you can achieve.

custom gradient Word Art in Google Slides

For example, you can blend two or more colors by adding Gradient Stops. That’s how I got this rainbow effect:

rainbow Word Art in Google Slides using custom gradient

6. Layering Word Art in Google Slides

Combining different Word Arts in layers lets you get three-dimensional and other special effects. For instance, I created this text by making a copy of the rainbow text, making it transparent, and giving it a black border. For the rainbow text, I made the border wider and made it white. I then layered the two Word Arts.

layering Word Art in Google Slides for special effects

Different Uses of Word Art in Google Slides

I hope this tutorial has made you excited to play around with Word Art in Google Slides. You can use Word Art to spice up your presentation, such as:

creating titles and headers
adding labels, titles, and annotations to charts and graphs
enhancing images with specially formatted text

You can also use Word Art in Google Slides to make other kinds of content, not just slide decks. For example, you can use Word Art in Google Slides and export your project as a:

poster
flier
social media tile
YouTube video cover image
meme
special text to lay over an image or video

Tips for Using Word Art in Google Slides

Word Art is terrific, but you can’t use it willy-nilly. Otherwise, your presentation can look chaotic and disjointed. Here are a few tips to using Word Art in Google Slides—the right way.

1. Use Word Art Selectively

Caixa Google Slides theme from Envato Elements — The Caixa Google Slides theme demonstrate the restrained use of artistic formatting.

Word Art is most effective for highlighting key information on your slide or document. First decide which text you want to highlight, and then decide if formatting it as a Word Art is the best way to do that.

By using Word Art to draw attention to the most important part of your presentation, you help your audience better understand and remember your content. You don't have to use Word Art for everything on your slide or presentation.

2. Go Easy on the Special Effects

Don’t get carried away by using all the effects just because you can. This is a sure way to make your presentation look amateur.

Professional designers know when to use each tool, and they know how to curb their enthusiasm about using every design feature.

Remember, your ultimate goal is to communicate better. And so, every decision you make about which feature to use should be guided by that goal. Use only the effects that'll help you drive home your point better.

3. Match the Word Art to the Tone of Your Presentation

Select the formatting options that match the tone and style of your presentation. Whether your presentation is formal or casual, use the appropriate fonts, colors, and effects. Within a professional context, you can easily format Word Art using your brand fonts and colors.

For example, this Google Slides theme is appropriate for a casual and contemporary presentation:

Brandit Google Slides theme from Envato Elements — Here's a Google Slides theme with a more casual and contemporary design.

4. Legibility Is Key

Whatever font, font size, color, or effects you use, make sure the text remains readable. There’s no use creating an impressively creative Word Art if the text itself becomes impossible to understand. Use an easy-to-read font size, avoid too many special effects, and use high contrast to keep your text easy to read.

5. Experiment Away!

While the previous tips have been about restraint, this one is about diving into Google Slides and trying all the features. But not on your final project, of course!

The idea is for you to become familiar with as many of the effects as possible. Play with Word Art in Google Slides, and see where that takes you. That's the only way you'll best learn how to do Word Art on Google Slides.

Arara Google Slide theme from Envato Elements — With a just few special effects, the Arara Google Slides theme has an eye-catching title style you can create with Word Art.

Learn More About Creating Awesome Google Slides

Word Art is only one of the features of Google Slides that enable you to create awe-inspiring presentations. While Google Slides was designed to be user-friendly and intuitive, a little guidance couldn’t hurt. Check out these guides to make the most of Google Slides:

Start Right with a Google Slides Theme from Envato Elements

Google Slides themes from Envato Elements — Google Slides themes streamline your workflow when creating an engaging presentation.

The fastest way to make an eye-popping presentation is to start with a professionally designed Google Slides theme, such as one from Envato Elements. Elements is a subscription that gives you access to over 12 million assets for any communication project. Aside from Google Slides themes, you also get unlimited downloads of photos, fonts, graphics, music, video templates, and more—for one low price.

This means you've got everything you need to create everything from printed documents to eBooks, websites, and video. Plus, all assets in the Envato Elements library come with one license that allows both personal and commercial use. You can download and use anything you desire without worrying about breaking copyright laws.

Here are a few Google Slides themes to get started:

Make Your Text Wow With Word Art in Google Slides

Now you know how to use Word Art in Google Slides to create impressive text. You can use this skill not only to spice up your presentations, but for other kinds of projects as well, both print and digital.

At first glance, Word Art in Google Slides might appear to be simple and basic. But if you use the features and combine several Word Arts together, you’ll be surprised what you can come up with! Experiment with different Word Art formatting techniques and have fun. And remember to check out Envato Elements for all your creative needs.