How-To

How to Insert a Pyramid into a Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation

By Michael Bryant

Last Updated on May 20, 2021

To Insert a pyramid into a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, you can add some visual appeal and tell a story with fewer words. It’s a SmartArt graphic.

A Microsoft PowerPoint presentation always looks better with objects such as SmartArt graphics. When you insert a pyramid in your design, you can add some visual appeal and tell a story with fewer words. Further, a pyramid is typically used in presentations to show a hierarchical relationship of concepts. The different levels might show different proportional roles or steps in a process or procedure. The largest component resides on the top or bottom level, depending on your preference.

With SmartArt graphics, Microsoft makes it possible to quickly create high-quality visual representations of information with no graphic design knowledge in just a few steps.

About SmartArt Graphics

SmartArt graphics are an available option across Microsoft 365 apps, including PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and Word. You can copy and paste SmartArt graphics as images in other apps. With SmartArt graphics, you can make design adjustments using effects like shadows, reflections, and soft edges. Third-dimensions effects are also available, like bevels and rotations.

When selecting a layout for your SmartArt graphic, there are essential points to consider. You must ask yourself what you want to convey and how you want to information displayed.

As Microsoft explains:

As part of this process, when you create a SmartArt graphic, you are prompted to choose a type such as Process, Hierarchy, or Relationship. A type is similar to a category of SmartArt graphic, and each type contains several different layouts.

Because you can quickly and easily switch layouts, try different layouts (from different types) until you find the one that best illustrates your message.

Insert a Pyramid

To get started, you’ll want to open your presentation in Microsoft Powerpoint. From there, ideally, you should start with a blank slide.

Next:

1. Click on the Insert tab in PowerPoint.
2. Choose SmartArt.
3. Select a pyramid template.
4. Choose your pyramid among the templates.
5. Click OK.

Customing Your Pyramid

Right now, you have a basic slide without any text or other information. That’s about to change. Once your SmartArt gets inserted, you can modify the graphic using the SmartArt Design tool that’s now on the PowerPoint menu bar. From here, you can change the interactive pyramid’s layout, colors, and style.  Hover over the main choices to preview your pyramid’s changes.

After editing your pyramid, click on the object to edit each text box to suit your needs. Choose Format on the PowerPoint menu bar to make text design changes.

There’s much you can do with PowerPoint that you might have never considered. For example, did you know you can make a PowerPoint presentation read-only or that you can convert a Word document to a PowerPoint presentation?

You can find Microsoft PowerPoint inside the Microsoft 365 suite. For home use, the Microsoft 365 suite is currently available in three varieties, including a Family, Personal, and Home & Student plan. The first is $100 per year (or $10/month) and includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook for Mac, and is useful for up to six users. The Personal version is for one person and is $70/year or $6.99 per month. The student plan is a one-time purchase of $150 and includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Business users can select from Basic, Standard, and Premium plans, starting at $5 per user/month.