As a seasoned social media and digital marketing strategist, I often advise my clients on visual best practices to capture reader attention in a crowded online space. One creative yet powerful approach I recommend is strategically using vertical text orientations amid more conventional horizontal passages.
But how exactly can you transform run-of-the-mill left-to-right text into eye-catching vertical statements in your Google Docs projects? By leveraging drawing tools to expertly rotate text boxes, anyone can easily unlock this engaging technique for reports, ads, posters, and beyond.
In this comprehensive guide, you‘ll not only learn the step-by-step process to make text vertical in Google Docs, but also gain deeper perspective into the why and how behind maximizing visual impact with vertical writing.
Why Use Vertical Text: A Strategic Advantage
Before jumping into the tactical how-to, it‘s important to level-set on why vertical text deserves a spot in your design repertoire, whether for documents, presentations, websites, or campaigns.
Vertical text disrupts the expected horizontal flow our eyes follow on a page – this functions similarly to bold fonts or all-caps by commanding reader attention with the element of surprise. Studies show rotated text elicits stronger emotional response and recall.
It provides ample whitespace savings for other elements – longer vertical passages preserve precious real estate for additional visuals and information. This allows content "breathing room".
It delivers ample creative possibilities to diversify layouts – vertical text, when used intentionally alongside conventional horizontal passages, creates visual rhythm and hierarchy that pleases the eye.
Major brands are recognizing these benefits, strategically incorporating vertical text into 2021 marketing campaigns across social media, digital ads and print materials. As digital saturation increases, standing out demands continual innovation.
Now let‘s get into the step-by-step instructions to unlock vertical text for your own Google Docs projects!
Rotating Text Boxes in Google Docs
Through the drawing editor, we can add an ordinary text box then rotate it to instantly transform horizontal writing to vertical orientation without any copy/paste gymnastics. Simply follow these expert steps:
1. Insert a Blank Drawing Canvas
Click "Insert > Drawing > New" to open a blank area for our text box. Think of this as a sandbox for creativity!
2. Place a Text Box
Click the text box icon, then click-drag to size and place appropriately on the canvas. I recommend a shorter, narrower box.
3. Populate Text
Click inside the text box and type your chosen vertical text. Short passages tend to work best based on principles of visual hierarchy.
4. Rotate 180 Degrees
Here comes the magic! Click the rotate pin icon atop the box, then drag 180 degrees clockwise to stand the text right up. Beautiful!
5. Align Horizontally
Use Google Docs alignment tools to left/center/right justify your vertical art on the page.
And with that quick 5 steps, you‘ve leveled up from horizontal text to visually striking vertical statements!
Maximizing Vertical Text Impact: Expert Tips
Now that you know the straightforward process, I want to equip you with some pro design tips and best practices:
Keep passages short – vertical text works best in small yet mighty doses through pull quotes, captions, event details etc.
Avoid thin fonts prone to illegibility when rotated. Lean towards simple, medium weights instead.
Pair colors and highlights to draw the eye and contrast. Soft backgrounds also prevent busy textures.
Use multiple text boxes to create visual columns for guided flow. But mind the balance!
Experiment with imagery and icons to complement vertical text in ads and social posts.
While no universal formula exists, these expert pointers will springboard your strategic exploration of vertical text across documents, websites, campaign assets and beyond!
Closing Thoughts
As digital spaces evolve to favor visually actionable messaging in mere milliseconds, sometimes the most innovative approaches are sitting right in front of us – merely turned on their side. Through thoughtful and selective use of vertical text, creators of every kind have an easy yet highly compelling way to guide the reader‘s eye down a pioneering path.
Now that you‘re equipped with both strategic and tactical expertise around vertical text in Google Docs, my challenge is for you to find one small way to turn typesetting tradition sideways in your next project! Just be sure portrait mode is not enabled on your phone when showing off your vertical creations!
