Smart graphics for visual people
While I was writing about the Visio Spectrum Shape the other day, I started thinking about the various ways that you could use this eyesore fabulous explosion of color in your own Visio SmartShapes.
While the spectrum offers a rainbow of tints, it only comes in one form: RECTANGLE. So what if you want to spice up some arrows, or circles, or…flowchart shapes?
A rainbow spectrum can really liven-up a diagram and clarify a point that you are trying to make.
Whether you are trying to illustrate a broad band of choices or options, talking about a range of electromagnetic wavelengths, or going for the happy feeling that a rainbow gives, a colorful spectrum can help clarify your message.
Visio does not have multi-stop gradient fills that make spectra a no-brainer to create. With clever formatting and grouping, however, you can build a passable spectrum shape. But why bother doing it yourself when we’ve got a pre-built shape, waiting for you to download (for free)?
A visible-light spectrum can be used to illustrate many concepts. A few that come to mind:
Whatever you want to illustrate, our Visio spectrum shape is easy to use and quick to deploy.
Since the spectrum colors can be a bit overwhelming, I’ve added a feature to quickly set transparency and soften the effect. Just right-click the Visio spectrum shape:
You can easily set four levels of transparency. They look like this:
All in all, it’s a pretty simple shape to use.
Once you have mastered the spectrum shape’s features, you possess the power to create vision-destroying graphics like this:
or this:
Sorry about that.
Stuff like this can be used to make sure your audience is paying attention when you present your next PowerPoint at Monday’s status meeting!
But if you must get real work done, then you could use the spectrum shape to enhance your business diagrams, as shown in this concoction:
or this one perhaps:
Enjoy the spectrum shape!
Download “Visio Spectrum Shape”
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Welcome to this month’s issue of Pimp My Visio Shapes! (*cough*)
I’ve come up with some shapes that will allow you to add lighting effects such as lens flares, star-highlights, and other shininess-enhancing effects to your overdrawn Visio diagrams.
[Read more…] about Lens Flare & Highlight Shapes – Bling Bling!
Today we’re going create a glass effect, using basic end-user features of Visio.
With a few simple techniques, you’ll be able to add pizzazz to your elevation drawings of windows, cabinetry, video monitors, rack-systems.
Now, maybe you’re thinking; Visio is not Adobe Illustrator, and Visio diagrams are supposed to be simple, boring, and utilitarian. A quick glance at this site might bring you to question that notion.
But don’t just take our word for it…
Update: You can now download a Visio drawing with samples shapes at the end of this article
The easy answer to this questions is: two. A single-shape can have two colors in its fill: a Fill Color and a Pattern Color.
If you want more, you have to group separate, differently-colored shapes together. In fact getting more colors is one of the major reasons that shapes become groups in the first place.
But if two were the actual answer, well, this article would over.
You see, Visio-Guy-friend Saveen Reddy has been up to his usual tricks of pushing Visio beyond the obvious and into the intriguing…
[Read more…] about How Many Fill Colors Can You Put on a Visio Shape?
A Sankey diagram is an interesting visualization that uses the thickness of arrows to depict the flow-volumes in a system. The thicker the arrow, the more flow of energy, mass, or volume. Sankey graphics are easily read and quickly comprehended.
In this article, we’ll explore the creation of Sankey diagrams using Visio, and we’ll offer our own free Visio Sankey diagramming shapes for your downloading and diagramming pleasure!