If you’re looking to elevate your presentation game and impress your audience with a visually stunning, interactive infographic, you’ve come to the right place. In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through how to create a beautiful modern animated infographic in PowerPoint — specifically, an isometric roadmap with floating 3D numbers and a moving square that follows the path. This tutorial is perfect for anyone who wants to add a fresh, professional touch to their slides and make complex information more engaging and digestible.

Whether you’re a beginner or an intermediate PowerPoint user, this step-by-step article will provide all the insights you need to craft an infographic PowerPoint presentation that stands out. Plus, we’ll share tips on adding clickable slide zooms to take your design to the next level.

Table of Contents

• Getting Started: Setting Up Your Slide
• Creating the Isometric Roadmap
• Designing Colorful 3D Cubes
• Adding Floating 3D Numbers
• Animating the Elements
• Making the Moving Square Follow the Roadmap
• Next Level: Adding Clickable Slide Zooms
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• Conclusion

Getting Started: Setting Up Your Slide

Before diving into the design, it’s important to prepare your PowerPoint workspace for precision and ease of use. Here’s how to begin:

1. Open a new slide: Start with a blank, fresh white slide in PowerPoint.
2. Enable guides and gridlines: Turn on the guides to see the center of the slide and gridlines to help with alignment and sizing. These tools will make it easier to create straight lines and evenly spaced elements.

By turning on these visual aids, you ensure that your infographic will be perfectly aligned and balanced.

Creating the Isometric Roadmap

The backbone of this infographic is the isometric roadmap — a path that looks three-dimensional and guides the viewer through the information. Follow these steps to create it:

Step 1: Draw the roadmap path with the Freeform Shape Tool

• Go to the Insert tab and select Shapes, then pick the Freeform Shape Tool.
• Click once on the left side of the slide to start your path.
• Hold down the Shift key while clicking to draw straight horizontal or vertical segments. For example, move two squares to the right, then two squares down, then two squares right again, and finally five squares up.
• Make a few more turns to create a custom roadmap shape.
• Double-click to finalize the shape.

Step 2: Format the roadmap line

• With the roadmap selected, open the Format Shape pane.
• Set the line width to 5 points for visibility.
• Change the line color to white to contrast with the background.
• Set the line joins and caps to round for smooth edges.

Step 3: Apply the isometric rotation

• Still in the Format Shape pane, go to 3D Rotation options.
• Apply the preset called Isometric Top Up to give the roadmap a three-dimensional, isometric perspective.

Step 4: Change the background color and add shadow

• Go to Format Background and select a solid purple color (you can use the hex code #5A2D82 for the same shade).
• Add a subtle black shadow to the roadmap with the following settings:
  • Transparency: 80%
  • Blur: 5 points
  • Angle: 135 degrees
  • Distance: 20 points

This roadmap sets the stage for the rest of your infographic elements.

Designing Colorful 3D Cubes

Next, create colorful 3D cubes that will serve as markers or milestones on your roadmap. Here’s how:

Step 1: Draw a perfect square

• Insert a rectangle shape and hold down the Shift key while drawing to make it a perfect square.
• Remove the outline and fill the square with a solid color (e.g., yellow for the first one).
• Set the exact size to 2 cm x 2 cm for consistency.

Step 2: Apply 3D effects

• Go to Format Shape and apply the Isometric Top Up 3D rotation preset.
• In the 3D formatting options, set the depth to 60 points to give the square a cube-like appearance.

Step 3: Duplicate and recolor cubes

• Use Ctrl + drag to duplicate the cube as many times as you want.
• Change the fill colors of the duplicates to create a colorful array — for example, light blue, orange, and bright green.
• Select all cubes and apply the same shadow effect used on the roadmap for consistency.
• Send the cubes behind the roadmap layer to maintain the design hierarchy.

These cubes provide a vibrant and dynamic base for your infographic content.

Adding Floating 3D Numbers

Numbers add structure and clarity to your roadmap, helping viewers track progress or steps. Let’s create floating 3D numbers above the cubes:

Step 1: Insert and format text boxes

• Insert a text box and type the number “1.”
• Choose a clean, modern font like Darker Grotesque and set the font size to 80.
• In the Format Shape pane, add a thin black outline to the text (line width about 0.75 points).

Step 2: Apply 3D rotation and depth

• Apply the Isometric Right Up 3D rotation preset to the text box.
• Add depth of about 10 points to give a subtle 3D effect.

Step 3: Position and duplicate numbers

• Place the number “1” directly above the first cube.
• Duplicate the text box for as many numbers as needed (e.g., 2, 3, 4).
• Adjust the numbers and position each one above its corresponding cube.

These floating numbers add a dynamic, engaging feel to the infographic.

Animating the Elements

Animation brings your infographic to life, making it more captivating and easier to follow. Here’s how to animate the floating numbers and the moving square:

Animating the Floating Numbers

1. Select the first number text box.
2. Go to the Animations tab and choose the Motion Path: Line animation.
3. Set the direction to Up and reduce the travel distance by dragging the red endpoint downward, so the movement is subtle.
4. Open the Animation Pane and set the duration to 1 second.
5. Set the animation to start With Previous so it begins automatically.
6. Enable Smooth Start and Smooth End.
7. Enable Auto Reverse so the number floats up and down.
8. Set the animation to repeat Until End of Slide.

Once you’ve set up the animation for the first number, use the Animation Painter to copy the same animation to all other numbers for a consistent floating effect.

Adding a Fade Transition to the Slide

To smooth the overall appearance, add a Fade transition to the slide. This subtle effect enhances the polish of your presentation.

Making the Moving Square Follow the Roadmap

A key feature of this infographic is a small square that moves along the road map path, visually guiding the viewer’s eye. Here’s how to create and animate it:

Step 1: Create the small square

• Insert a small square by holding down the Shift key to keep it perfect.
• Fill the square with white and remove the outline.
• Set the size to 0.7 cm x 0.7 cm for a neat appearance.
• Apply the same Isometric Top Up 3D rotation preset used on the roadmap.
• Remove any shadow effects from this square for clarity.
• Position the square at the start of the roadmap.
• Bring the square to the front so it appears above all other elements.

Step 2: Draw a custom motion path

• Select the small square.
• Go to Add Animation, then select Custom Path under motion paths.
• Click the center of the square to start the path.
• Click on each corner or turning point of the roadmap to trace the path exactly.
• Double-click at the end of the roadmap to finish the path.

Step 3: Adjust animation settings

• Open the Animation Pane.
• Set the animation to start With Previous for automatic playback.
• Set the duration to 10 seconds for smooth movement.
• Disable Smooth Start, Smooth End, and Auto Reverse.
• Set the animation to repeat Until End of Slide.

Now, when you play the slide, the small square will continuously travel along the isometric roadmap, reinforcing the flow of your infographic.

Next Level: Adding Clickable Slide Zooms

To transform this infographic PowerPoint presentation into a fully interactive experience, you can add clickable slide zooms. This feature allows viewers to click on elements (like cubes or numbers) and jump to related slides with more detailed information.

• This advanced technique is part of the PowerPoint Animation Mastery course available at pptskill.com.
• The course provides extended lessons and downloadable tutorial slides, guiding you through adding slide zooms and enhancing your presentations further.

Adding clickable slide zooms not only makes your presentation more engaging but also helps you organize your content efficiently for storytelling or data exploration.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is an infographic PowerPoint presentation?

An infographic PowerPoint presentation is a slide deck that uses visual elements like charts, icons, and graphics to communicate complex information clearly and engagingly. It often includes custom shapes, colors, and animations to enhance storytelling.

Why use an isometric roadmap in a presentation?

Isometric roadmaps provide a 3D-like visual that helps illustrate processes, timelines, or journeys in a clear and aesthetically pleasing way. They guide viewers through steps or phases in a logical flow, making the content easier to understand.

Can I create these animations in older versions of PowerPoint?

Most of the animation and 3D rotation features used in this tutorial are available in PowerPoint 2016 and later versions. Some features, like slide zooms, require PowerPoint 2019 or Microsoft 365.

How do I ensure my animations run smoothly during a presentation?

Practice running your slide show multiple times to check animation timing and transitions. Use the Animation Pane to fine-tune durations and delays. Also, avoid overloading slides with too many simultaneous animations to keep performance optimal.

Is it possible to customize the colors and shapes used in the infographic?

Absolutely! You can customize all colors, shapes, and sizes to match your brand or presentation style. Using consistent color schemes and design elements enhances professionalism and visual harmony.

Conclusion

Creating an infographic PowerPoint presentation with a modern animated isometric roadmap is easier than you might think, especially when you break it down into manageable steps. From designing the roadmap path and 3D cubes to adding floating numbers and smooth animations, each element adds to a cohesive and engaging visual story.

By following this step-by-step tutorial, you can create a slide that not only looks professional but also captivates your audience and clearly communicates your message. And if you want to push your skills further, consider exploring clickable slide zooms for an interactive experience.

Remember, the key to a successful infographic PowerPoint presentation is combining clean design, clear information flow, and subtle but effective animations. With practice, you’ll be crafting eye-catching slides that your viewers will remember long after the presentation ends.

Ready to start creating your own infographic PowerPoint presentations? Dive in, experiment with colors and animations, and watch your slides come to life!