What is SmartArt and how to use it in office documents?

6 February 2023By Vlad

ONLYOFFICE Docs supports embedding SmartArt objects in a text document, spreadsheet, or presentation. Read this article to learn more about this feature and discover some common use cases.

What is SmartArt?

SmartArt is one of the best ways to visually represent messages and data in text documents and presentations. Schemes, graphs, funnels — these are all different kinds of SmartArt. The main idea behind this feature is to draw attention and encourage better idea perception compared to plain text. There are several SmartArt types available in ONLYOFFICE Docs.

Note: Although SmartArt options are classified into categories by their design and purpose, some objects may occur in multiple categories. Think of the applicability when choosing one.

List

This SmartArt object type could be a great substitution for a simple bulleted or numbered list. As the name suggests, you’ll share a list of values with the audience. Example:
What is SmartArt and how to use it in office documents?

Process

When you want to emphasize the sequence of events and the desired outcome, the best choice is in the Process category for SmartArt objects.
What is SmartArt and how to use it in office documents?

Cycle

SmartArt embeddings from this category are similar to processes, but repeated ones. For example, the popular software development life cycle looks as follows:
What is SmartArt and how to use it in office documents?

Hierarchy

This type allows to visualize a list of values, where some are superior to the rest. The example of hierarchy can be administrative division of a country:
What is SmartArt and how to use it in office documents?

Relationship

This category contains SmartArt objects that show logical connection between multiple things. Perhaps, the most popular example is this vertical equation:
What is SmartArt and how to use it in office documents?

Matrix

Matrix is a rectangular array or a table where numbers or elements are arranged in rows and columns. A well-known matrix example in the economics is the BCG Growth Share Matrix.
What is SmartArt and how to use it in office documents?

Pyramid

SmartArt objects in the form of a pyramid represent a list of values, where the fundamental ones are usually located closer to the basis.
What is SmartArt and how to use it in office documents?

Picture

This category of SmartArt elements lets you arrange images with captions easy and smart.
What is SmartArt and how to use it in office documents?

Enhanced SmartArt objects

ONLYOFFICE Docs 8.2 has improvements for some SmartArt objects. We added generation of the visual part (previously, the visual part from the file was used for display). So, the editors can now display SmartArt objects even if the file doesn’t contain the visual part or it is set incorrectly.

What is SmartArt and how to use it in office documents?