Extensions

In this extension, you will add shapes and lines to your infographic.

Lines and shapes decorate and divide up a graphic.

Use them to lay out your page and direct your audience’s attention to specific information.

To begin, add lines to divide up your drawing and organize your information.

Change the line’s thickness, style, and endpoint symbols.

Endpoint symbols are the decorative elements at the beginning and end of the line.

Reposition the line to create sections or to draw attention to a specific fact.

To add more lines, copy your line, paste it, and move it to a new spot.

Great job! Now add a shape to highlight a fact.

Interesting shapes and colors can emphasize a fact’s importance.

First, add and edit the shape.

Next, select a fill color or gradient for your shape...

...select an outline color...

...and set the outline thickness.

Then, reorder the elements in your infographic so the shape appears behind the text.

...and reposition your shape around your text.

Great work! You can also use shapes to design different backgrounds for your infographic.

...Or customize any graphic in Google Drawings.

Now, it’s your turn: Add lines to divide your facts, Add shapes to highlight specific information, And reorder the lines, shapes, and text so that your text is visible.

In this extension, you will customize your infographic with word art.

Word art calls attention to text by adding outlines and shadows.

Use word art to direct your audience’s attention to specific information.

To start, change your title to word art.

Copy the title text...

...and delete the title text box.

Then, insert word art...

...and paste your title.

Unlike a standard text box, word art allows you to use different fill and outline colors for a font.

Customize your word art fill and outline colors.

Then resize your text.

Add a drop shadow to give your text depth and get your audience’s attention.

Finally, reposition your Word Art.

Great work! Use word art to call attention to other important text in your drawings, such as titles or key facts in an infographic.

Now, it’s your turn: Change your title to word art, And customize the color, border, and shadow settings.

In the main lesson, you created an infographic in Google Drawings.

To use or share your infographic outside of Google Drawings, you will need to save it as an image file.

In this extension, you will download your infographic as a file to include in documents, presentations, emails, and other projects.

You can download your project as one of several common file types: .jpg, .png, .svg or .pdf files.

Each of these file types has benefits and limitations.

J-pegs are small files that load easily on a web page.

Photos taken with a smartphone or digital camera are usually J-pegs.

J-pegs are also commonly used for images on social media.

P-N-G files show more detail than J-pegs, but have a larger file size.

They take longer to load on a web page.

They can also have a transparent background if designed with one, so that you can place them in other designs.

P-N-G files are commonly used for graphics and icons, not photos.

S-V-G files remain clear at any size and allow for detailed graphics editing, though they have large file sizes.

P-D-Fs open the same way in any application and are common for documents with images, graphics, and lots of text.

They’re also good for printing.

For this lesson, download your infographic as a J-Peg file so you can use it in other projects and share it online.

Now you can: Insert your infographic into a document, Share your infographic on social media, Add it to a presentation about your topic, Include it on a webpage, Or attach it to an email Great work! Your drawing is ready to share and use in all kinds of projects.

Now, it’s your turn: Download your infographic as a J-peg, And insert the file into another project.

In this extension, you will duplicate an icon and use several of the same icon to represent a number or fraction.

For example, you could copy an icon many times to illustrate a number of people or objects.

Or, you could create copies of an icon and change the color of some icons to represent a fraction.

First, adjust the design of your infographic to make room for another fact.

Then, choose a fact on your infographic that can be represented by repeating an icon.

Your icons might represent a specific number of objects or people, or the icons might demonstrate a fraction, like four out of ten.

If you don’t have a fact like this in your infographic, search for a new one.

Then, add a new text box.

Include your new fact.

Adjust the formatting to match the rest of your infographic...

And reposition your text box.

Then, search for an icon to represent your fact.

Search for the image and make sure you have the right to use the image.

Select an icon and insert it into your infographic.

Then resize the icon so that several copies will fit together on the page.

Copy the icon...

And paste it enough times to reflect the numbers in your new fact.

Next, reposition your copied icons together.

Recolor your icons to match your infographic.

If your information shows a fraction, like two out of eight people, recolor the icons to represent your fraction.

Great work! You’ve added, copied, and edited icons to represent a fraction in your infographic.

Now, it’s your turn: Reposition and resize your existing elements to make room for more information, Search for, select, and add an icon from the web, Copy, paste, and resize your icons to represent a number or fact, And recolor your icons to reflect your fact.

In this extension, you will add a custom background gradient to your infographic.

A gradient is a gradual change from one color to another.

A gradient can soften your background or focus attention on a specific area of the page.

There are many default colors and gradients available in Google Drawings, but you can use any color in the color spectrum by creating a custom gradient.

To begin, edit your background.

Then, customize a gradient.

There are two types of gradients: radial and linear.

A radial gradient transitions from color to color around a point, like the center or corner of the page.

A linear gradient transitions from color to color along a straight or angled line.

Choose a gradient type.

Then, choose a center or angle for your gradient.

Finally, select colors for your gradient.

Experiment to create a custom background that complements your design.

Or, create custom gradients to fill shapes, text boxes, and word art.

Enjoy exploring custom gradients in all kinds of projects! Now, it’s your turn: Add a custom background gradient, Set the type and center or angle of the gradient, And select gradient colors.

In the main lesson, you moved objects in your infographic one at a time.

In this extension, you will select several items to create a group.

Grouping objects allows you to rotate, flip, move, or resize multiple objects at the same time as if they were one object.

This is useful when you want to apply the same changes to many objects at once, or if you want to move several objects the same distance while keeping the spacing the same.

For example, you might want to move multiple items in your infographic to add a new fact or add information to the middle of your graphic.

To begin, select two or more icons or text boxes that you want to group together.

Hold down the shift or command key and click on two or more objects to select them at the same time.

Then group them.

And move or edit the grouped objects.

To edit the items separately again, ungroup them.

Grouping and ungrouping can save you a lot of time and effort.

When you want to apply the same changes to multiple objects, try grouping.

Now, it’s your turn: Select multiple icons or text boxes, and group them, Move or edit the objects as one group, And ungroup the objects when you are finished.