---
title: General shapes
description: The general shapes section provides basic design elements that can be used to construct diagrams. By inserting icons such as arrows, circles, and text boxes, you can visually represent concepts, relationships, and processes in a clear and structured manner.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/application-portfolio-management/eaw-modeling-general-shapes.html
release: australia
topic_type: reference
last_updated: "2026-03-12"
reading_time_minutes: 1
breadcrumb: [Shapes to create a modeling diagram, Exploring Enterprise Modeling and Visualization in the EA Workspace, Exploring Enterprise Architecture Workspace, Enterprise Architecture Workspace, Enterprise Architecture]
---

# General shapes

The general shapes section provides basic design elements that can be used to construct diagrams. By inserting icons such as arrows, circles, and text boxes, you can visually represent concepts, relationships, and processes in a clear and structured manner.

You can add a shape to the canvas by either selecting the shape or by dragging the shape from the **Shapes** palette to the canvas.

You can also adjust the size of shapes by selecting a shape and then drag any of its edges or corner handles. Pulling outward increases the shape's dimensions, while dragging inward reduces its size.

|Shape|Name|
|-----|----|
|\[Omitted image "icon-actor.png"\] Alt text: Actor|Actor|
|\[Omitted image "icon-arrow.png"\] Alt text: Arrow|Arrow|
|\[Omitted image "icon-chevron.png"\] Alt text: Chevron|Chevron|
|\[Omitted image "icon-circle.png"\] Alt text: Circle|Circle|
|\[Omitted image "icon-cylinder.png"\] Alt text: Cylinder|Cylinder|
|\[Omitted image "icon-diamond.png"\] Alt text: Diamond|Diamond|
|\[Omitted image "icon-double-ended-arrow.png"\] Alt text: Double ended arrow|Double ended arrow|
|\[Omitted image "icon-eight-pointed-star.png"\] Alt text: Eight pointed star|Eight pointed star|
|\[Omitted image "icon-five-pointed-star.png"\] Alt text: Five pointed star|Five pointed star|
|\[Omitted image "icon-half-eclipse.png"\] Alt text: Half eclipse|Half eclipse|
|\[Omitted image "icon-junction.png"\] Alt text: Junction|Junction|
|\[Omitted image "icon-octagon.png"\] Alt text: Octagon|Octagon|
|\[Omitted image "icon-parallelogram.png"\] Alt text: Parallelogram|Parallelogram|
|\[Omitted image "icon-pentagon.png"\] Alt text: Pentagon|Pentagon|
|\[Omitted image "icon-rectangle.png"\] Alt text: Rectangle|Rectangle|
|\[Omitted image "icon-speech-bubble.png"\] Alt text: Speech bubble|Speech bubble|
|\[Omitted image "icon-square.png"\] Alt text: Square|Square|
|\[Omitted image "icon-sticky-note.png"\] Alt text: Sticky note|Sticky note|
|\[Omitted image "icon-text-box.png"\] Alt text: Text box|Text box|
|\[Omitted image "icon-triangle.png"\] Alt text: Triangle|Triangle|

**Parent Topic:**[Shapes to create a modeling diagram](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/application-portfolio-management/eaw-modeling-shapes.md)