PowerPoint Icon Design Tutorial: Designing Simple Icons Using PowerPoint Shapes and Drawing Tools
Updated: Aug 9, 2023
Written by: Sarah Bailey | Professional PowerPoint Design | PowerPoint Design Specialist | PPT Solutions | Creative PPT design
Introduction
Icons serve as a fundamental component of visual communication, simplifying complex concepts into easily digestible symbols. In the toolkit of presentation designers, they play a vital role in enhancing the visual appeal and effectiveness of presentations. While Office 365 now offers a library of icons within the PowerPoint application, there may still be instances where the ideal icon isn't readily available. In such cases, or when you're seeking a more customised solution, leveraging PowerPoint's drawing tools to craft your own icons can be incredibly beneficial.
In this PowerPoint icon design tutorial, we delve into the creative process of crafting custom icons using the software's versatile shape and drawing tools
Utilising PowerPoint's Tools for Icon Creation
Within PowerPoint's suite of features, you'll discover a range of tools at your disposal, including traditional drawing tools. These tools enable you to craft icons that perfectly align with your content. By learning how to wield these tools and mastering a few basic techniques, you can seamlessly produce icons directly within PowerPoint, without the need for specialised drawing software.
The Art of Icon Composition
The foundational concept behind crafting icons in PowerPoint revolves around the combination and manipulation of basic shapes. This approach empowers you to design icons that encapsulate your desired message or concept. By creatively merging and subtracting various shapes, you can bring any icon to life, regardless of its complexity.
Let's embark on a journey to create a custom icon together. Follow these steps to bring your idea to visual fruition:
Conceptualise Your Icon: Before diving into the design process, clearly define the icon's purpose and intended meaning. A well-conceived concept serves as the foundation for a successful icon.
Accessing Drawing Tools: In PowerPoint, navigate to the "Insert" tab and select "Shapes." Here, you'll find a plethora of basic shapes to choose from, such as rectangles, circles, triangles, and more.
Creating the Base Shape: Select a shape that closely resembles the foundation of your icon. This shape will serve as the canvas upon which you'll build your design.
Layering and Combining: Begin adding additional shapes, positioning and resizing them as needed. Use PowerPoint's alignment and distribution tools to ensure precise arrangement.
Subtraction and Composition: Experiment with subtracting portions of shapes to create more intricate forms. PowerPoint's "Shape Combine" and "Shape Subtract" options enable you to seamlessly merge and carve out sections of your shapes.
Fine-Tuning Details: Pay attention to the finer details of your icon. Adjust line thickness, colours, and shadows to enhance the overall visual appeal.
Saving and Using Your Icon: Once satisfied with your creation, group the shapes together and save them as a single object. This makes it easier to manipulate and reuse your icon in various presentations.
PowerPoint Icon Design Tutorial: Example
The first sept is to look at the icon, and think about what basic shapes are used. In this calculator icon, we see there are various shapes such as a rounded rectangle, two rectangles, 13 squares and a circle. You will need to insert each of these shapes into your PowerPoint slide using the Insert Shapes function.
Take a look at the screen recording tutorial below to see how to create the calculator icon using the various shapes options built into PowerPoint.
Harnessing the power of PowerPoint's drawing tools empowers you to craft custom icons tailored to your specific messaging needs. By understanding the art of shape composition and subtraction, you can transcend the limitations of pre-existing icon libraries and convey your ideas with precision and creativity. With these skills in your toolkit, you're well-equipped to visually captivate your audience and enhance the impact of your presentations.
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