How to Make Your Own Icons in PowerPoint! 🔥[PPT TRICKS!]

In this step-by-step tutorial you'll learn how to make your own custom icons by modifying icons from PowerPoint's built in icon library, ungrouping them, and working with the merge shapes menu on the Format Shape ribbon. This is the PERFECT thing to do when you've found a few perfect icons and you want a few more that have the same look at feel. Give it a try and let me know how you use this trick in your next report or presentation!
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⌚TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Ahoy!
00:34 Insert Icons from PowerPoint
01:16 Noun Project PowerPoint Add-In for Icons
02:07 Create a Custom Icon from a combination of two others
06:44 Save Custom Icon as SVG image file
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[@squareggs]

I love the noun project, I have the add in so easy to use. Thank you again for this great tutorial.

[@SpotlightImpact]

Yay! I’m so glad you liked it, and ditto on loving the noun project! I hope you’ll share and subscribe 🙏🏻

[@robertfrey6265]

Hello Nick, I am working with PowerPoint 365 on a presentation for my business. and used the union feature to combine two SVG shapes into a single icon. My problem is that now I cannot return them to the original images. In fact, that option is now greyed out. Any suggestions?

[@SpotlightImpact]

Yep, I think once you merge two shapes with union you break the SVG properties (so it won’t let you break it up into shapes by u grouping any longer). I’ll have to ally around and see what I find, but best bet would be to keep copies of the icons - always make copies then you can union the copies until you get the perfect union you’re after. Will let you know if I find anything more on this

[@jimbrookhyser]

Thanks for the video. Nice and simple, and very useful. I see when I do this, the new icon I made doesn't have the same border of empty space like the one I started with. I'm wondering if I should care. What is that empty space for? Is there a way of using icons that depends on that kind of border?

[@SpotlightImpact]

That's a great question and observation, I've noticed that too and have no idea why that is the way it is 🤣. I don't think you should care, it doesn't really make a difference for the image so that's the good news. My hunch is that it's because PPT wants each icon to be the same dimensions, in this case those icon borders are always perfect squares - try inserting different icons with different shapes - I think they all insert as squares which include those blank borders. So, it could be a way for you to have more consistency in icon sizing especially if you're using multiple icons in the same design.

[@jimbrookhyser]

@@SpotlightImpact I think that's right. I added a transparent square background to my icons and it did in fact help me lay them out better. Aligning multiple icons was made far better when I placed the icon in its box the way I wanted. Pasting the icons into word documents in-line with text provided marked improvement in my ability to format them too.
It would be nice to know how the icons come in with the extra space, but don't decompose with an extra box like mine do.

[@SpotlightImpact]

Are you grouping the icon and extra box you add and then saving that as an SVG image? (Not PNG or JPEG)… saving as SVG - which you can do in PPT should give you a clear image without much decomposition.

[@jimbrookhyser]

@@SpotlightImpact yep. I am saving as SVG. What I mean is that when I insert my SVG image and then ungroup it, the transparent box is there. Not too surprising, but converting the icon to a shape doesn't reveal a transparent box.
There was one other thing too. The icons come with "alt-text," an accessibility feature so people without sight aren't excluded from using documents produced using the icons. I can add alt-text to my icons in PowerPoint, but when I save them as .SVG and reload them, the alt-text is not preserved. Maybe Microsoft thinks of accessibility as a premium feature 😒

[@SpotlightImpact]

Ah I see. Yeah it’s interesting the transparent box isn’t there for the stock icons when I grouped. Are you able to add your own alt text to the new icons you create? Should be able to right-click and add alt text to any image you insert.