Microsoft Word 4th of July Flyer Tutorial

Step 07: Edit Shape Fill

Now we will change the Fill and Outline Colors of each shape.

Select the Shape in the foreground and go to the Format Tab and select Shape Fill from the Shape Styles Group.

Microsoft Word 2010 Shape Styles Group - Shape Fill

This reveals a Color Options Menu.

Microsoft Word 2010 Shape Fill - More Fill Colors — Microsoft Word 2010
Shape Fill - More Fill Colors

There are a variety of Blues for you to choose from.

However, since the selection is not the best for this 4th of July Flyer, we'll create a Custom Blue.

Select More Fill Colors.

This opens the Colors Window which has Tabs for Standard and Custom Colors.

Microsoft Word 2010 Colors Window Standard Tab

In the Custom Tab set Red to 14, Green to 21 and Blue to 162 and click OK.

Microsoft Word 2010 Colors Window Custom Tab

Step 08: Edit Shape Outline

Now we need to make this change to the Shape Outline.

Select Shape Outline from the Shape Styles Group.

Microsoft Word 2010 Shape Styles Group - Shape Outline

Microsoft Word 2010 Shape Outline More Colors — Microsoft Word 2010
Shape Outline More Colors

In the Color Options Menu select More Outline Colors.

Change the figures for Red, Green and Blue, then click OK.

Now you have a Blue Top Layer of the Custom Ribbon Shape.

Microsoft Word 2010 Blue Top Layer of Ribbon

Next select the Middle Layer, and change the Shape Fill to White, which you'll find in the Theme Colors Section.

Repeat for the Shape Outline.

Now you have a White Middle Layer of this Custom Ribbon Shape.

Microsoft Word 2010 White Middle Layer of Ribbon

Now for the Bottom Layer, set both its Fill and Outline Color to Red.

Here we'll use the first Red Color in the Standard Colors Section.

The Bottom Layer of this Custom Ribbon Shape is now Red.

Microsoft Word 2010 Red Bottom Layer of Ribbon

Now you can use your arrow keys to make some minor adjustments to each shape so that they line up correctly with the page.

So you should have something that looks close to this.

Step 09: Group Objects

Let's Group these shapes so that they become 1 Shape.

Holding down your Ctrl Key, select each shape one at a time.

You'll know you have all 3 selected, when you see 3 of the Green Rotation Handles at the top of the shapes.

Microsoft Word 2010 Multiple Selected Shapes

Go to the Format Tab and select Group from the Arrange Group.

A little drop down menu appears.

Select Group.

Notice there will only be 1 Rotation Handle as this is now 1 Shape.

Step 10: Free Font

Next we can add the Title Text to the flyer.

For the 4th of July Indepence Day Flyer Title, the Font used is Impact which is a Font that I believe comes standard with the Microsoft Windows Operating System.

If you don't have this Font, you can download it at FontZone.net

The remaining Text on the Flyer uses the Desyrel Font by Apostrophic Labs which was downloaded from Fontsquirrel.com.

(Note for a newly downloaded Font to be usable on your machine, you must first install it. Any Font installed while Microsoft Word is open, will not be visible in the Font List. To correct this, you must first restart the Microsoft Word program after Font(s) installation.)

For more information on Fonts and how to properly install them, visit the FlyerTutor Blog.

Step 11: Insert Text

Let's add a layer of Text above this Ribbon. We'll do this by drawing 3 separate Text Boxes for each word.

To Insert Text go to the Insert Tab and select Text Box from the Text Group.

Microsoft Word 2010 Text Group - Text Box

At the bottom of the Built In Window select Draw Text Box.

Microsoft Word 2010 Built in Window Draw Text Box

Draw a Text Box on the page.

Type '4th'.

Of course, the Text will be small.

To format the Text, select it, and go to the Font Group of the Home Tab.

Set the Font to Desyrel and the Font Size to 56 by typing this figure in.

You can't select this Number from the drop down list.

Now select the Text Box (not the Text) by clicking anywhere along the Border.

On the Format Tab set Shape Fill to No Fill.

Microsoft Word 2010 Shape Fill - No Fill

Repeat for the Shape Outline.

Microsoft Word 2010 Text Box with No Fill

You will now be able to see through the Text Box to the Color that's behind it.

Microsoft Word 2010 Text with No Outline

Step 12: Text Fill & Outline

Next we'll change the Text Color so that it's more visible on this Blue Background.

Select the Text and go to the Format Tab.

Microsoft Word 2010 WordArt Styles Group - Text Fill

In the Wordart Styles Group select Text Fill.

There you will select White from the Theme Colors Section.

Select the Text Outline and set it to White as well.

Microsoft Word 2010 WordArt Styles Group - Text Outline

Microsoft Word 2010 White Text Fill & Outline — Microsoft Word 2010
White Text Fill & Outline

Now the Text appears to be more legible.

To make this process a little easier, instead of creating new Text Boxes for the remaining 2 words, we can just copy the current Text Box and make 2 Duplicates.

Repeat Step 06 for Duplicates.

Move the Text Boxes into their desired spot on the Flyer, then edit the Text.

The Text should look like this:

Microsoft Word 2010 Custom Ribbon Shape with Text

Next we will do the Flyer's Title using 2 separate Text Boxes for each word.

So go ahead and draw 2 Text Boxes with the word 'Independence' and 'Day'.

Set the Font Name to Impact and Font Size to 48, then move the Text Boxes to their correct position on the flyer.

Set the Text Fill for both words to our already used Red and Blue colors respectively.

Next remove both the Shape Fill and Shape Outline from each Text Box.