Adding Color and Styles
A flowchart is much easier to read if it has been color-coded, and it is also more pleasing to look at.
Begin by choosing a Theme. Themes are sets of coordinated colors that are applied to the entire diagram. They overwrite any previous coloration so that everything on the Work Area complements each other. In the Home tab, click the down arrow in the Theme group to view the gallery of sixteen themes, and select one. For our flowchart, let's choose Shrubland.
Changing Themes
It may look like not much has changed—we just exchanged one shade of gray for another. However, what has changed is the selection of Quick Styles. Clicking Quick Styles on the Home tab reveals a gallery of the colors shown in the Shrubland theme icon, along with font types, line styles, and effects such as gloss, shadow, or glow.
The Quick Styles Menu
The reason that our flowchart is all gray is that all of the boxes are Style12. When we changed themes, they changed from the Littoral (default) theme's Style12 to the Shrubland theme's Style12. Let's add some of these Quick Styles to our flowchart.
While holding the Shift key, click on the start and end processes (the ovals) to select them both. Then, click the Quick Styles button and choose Style7. Using the same procedure, make the processes (the rectangles) Style10 and the decision (diamond) Style9.
The Flowchart with Quick Styles Applied
That looks much better! But let's say you decide this isn't the right theme. Try Benthic instead. Notice that the Quick Styles you applied are not lost; instead, they are changed to a parallel Quick Style that corresponds with the new theme. However, this is not true if you simply applied a fill, line style, or effect using those controls on the Home tab. Everything but Quick Styles is overwritten by a new theme.
The Flowchart with the Benthic Theme
Now all that's left to do is to share your masterpiece.