Why and how: Infographics, and the best tools to make them.
Which infographic software, or online service, is best for you? We've rounded up five great infographic aids to help you design eye-catching work, with a focus on ease and usability.
What is an infographic?
noun
a visual representation of information or data, e.g. as a chart or diagram.
"a good infographic is worth a thousand words"
"Infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge intended to present information quickly and clearly. They can improve cognition by utilizing graphics to enhance the human visual system's ability to see patterns and trends ." View more information on infographics via everyone's favourite shared information site: Wikipedia
How can I make them?
Below, we've compiled a list of great tools to create stylish infographics without much design knowledge or technical prowess required. We'll focus on the main options out there, and through in some further thoughts for extra options that may suit you.
1. Canva
Canva is growing in popularity due to the sheer ease of it. Whilst top end designers may swear by the Adobe Creative Cloud, Canva has opened the doors to the design world to people of all ability levels. Whether you need to create a flyer, a presentation, a brochure or beyond - Canva has an impressive array of features and a large library of icons, fonts, images and features available.
Of course, as it's listed here, it does have it's own infographic tool filled with free elements. The tool is free to use, but has various 'premium' items you can buy to make your design even more exciting. Don't worry though, it doesn't need to get expensive as items are available at as little as $1.
2. Piktochart
Piktochart is an excellent place to begin if you're not the most savvy with design. You'll find a heap of templates available to quickly slot your information in to, and the user interface is really easy to navigate. There's a free trial available, so you're able to figure out if this platform is for you before spending a penny.
It's all online, which is nifty, meaning it's ideal for shared projects or picking up from various computers.
3. Google
More precisely, Google Charts , this internet giant offers a free infographic generator with an accessibly easy interface to use. One great feature is that the charts/graphs made can connect with your data in real time, to update automatically on your website.
4. Infogram
Infogram sounds like a brother of the hugely popular image sharing social media platform - but we understand there is no link.
Yet again, you can use this tool for free and access all sorts of charts, maps and graphs to help create your infographics. Using a spreadsheet format to enter your data, Infogram can turn your input into a visually appealing output.
If you fall in love with it, you might want to upgrade from the free (basic) platform to one of their monthly price packages.
5. Biteable
We've got a solid appreciation of Biteable . The focus here is on video infographics, and they're particularly powerful due to the wave of Millennials and generation Z consumers that thrive off of short digestible video content.
Again designed to be easy to use, this software can turn your facts, figures and stats into some meaty content that pops out as it plays.
There are loads of templates pre-made, like the above clip, to speed up your project - and there's many free features available to get you started.
From online to offline
Whilst the video feature is a nifty tool that we won't really go near - we will offer our assistance with the rest.
Once you have created your stylish infographic, you may want to display it nice and boldly as a printed poster. Give your information a prominent position at a meeting, conference or event by putting it on a roller banner or perhaps a large 60x40 blue back poster.
At Glasgow Poster Printing, we offer same day printing services and an online store - whilst our online Glasgow PDC store has many banner options also available.
Not sure what solution works best for you? Get in touch with us and we'll help you get your project off the ground!
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