I cannot resize the text in Word Art visually (i.e., by the GUI) in Word 2016. When I resize the text Word Art by click and dragging the box corner, it only increases the outer box size and not text size. Please compare there before and after pictures:
[Click to see larger images.]
But when I open a file that was made on Word 2007, it works the way I want. Compare: 
How can I do that in Word 2016?
2 Answers
It is the default behavior in Word 2016. Resizing a WordArt object in the Word 2007 method only resizes the box the WordArt is in. The actual WordArt text behaves just like any other text in Word.
If you want to resize it simply select the text you want to resize and change the font size on the Home tab of the ribbon.
I learned from another forum that if you highlight the WordArt, click on Drawing Tools then Format, you will see a link for Text Effects. Highlight Transform (mine is at the bottom of the list) and then use the Warp effect. The WordArt will now change with the size of the box.
I'm still looking for a way to make this behavior the default behavior but this is a good workaround for now.
