Infographics and the Creation of an Infographic

Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was someway to make textual information into a graphic?  Well, wait no more.  Infographic sites have been created to allow users to take information and convert it into graphics.  Let's go ahead and take a look at three infographic sites.



This infographic site was fairly easy to use and quickly caught my attention with the seemingly unlimited amount of templates ready to be used - whether they be left as they are or altered.  The tools tab was also not overwhelming and allowed a newbie like me to navigate like I was almost a pro.  It also set me up with some quick and easy to follow steps that gave me leeway to either use what was provided or delete it all and start on my own, which is an aspect that I like since sometimes sites can bombard new users with a how-to process and not allow them to get started until they've gone through all the steps.  It also has it's basic features like one of its sister sites, Piktochart, providing an undo/redo button, a save button (extremely important!), and others like allowing the user to 'lock' items together.  It also provides the users with a variety of options of how they would like to publish and/or share their newly created infographic.  The only negative aspect I found with the site is that unless you sign-up and pay for the Pro (which is only $3.00 a month), you have limited access to graphics and designs.  However, I felt Easel.ly is a great infographic site and will definitely meet the needs of those just needing to create basic infographics.  I will definitely be using it again.

The first thing that I noticed with Piktochart is that I had to focus on the how-to steps it was providing, which wasn't necessarily a deal breaker in the beginning.  Another plus to this site is that it has way more graphics available than Easel.ly.  As I began to mess around with the site, one thing that I noticed that Piktochart doesn't have that Easel.ly does is the option to 'Draw.'  Granted, that's not a deal breaker either, but it could put a damper on some who are steady with the hand and want to add their own personal touch (though Easel.ly's 'Draw' option isn't a free-for-all, it still allows the user to be creative with their infographic).  Lastly, the blank template that I was provided with to start seemed to be a bit too busy to me.  With Easel.ly, I was able to view the entire document as I was the one in control of how wide and/or tall I wanted my infographic to be.  But with Piktochart, the templates are broken up into sections and you won't be able adjust the document since they come set with dimensions already.  And though this might not be a deal breaker for some, it is a definite deal breaker for me.  I like having the freedom to be creative.  And a definite deal breaker for Piktochart is that if you want to have all access to what the site has to offer, you have to pay $39.99 for the year, while you can spend $3.00 a month with Easel.ly.  However, if you're the type that is going to be using this and investing quite a bit of time with creating infographics, then I definitely recommend signing up for Piktochart as it offers a wider range of already free graphics compared to Easel.ly.



The last infographic site that I took a look at was Infogram, and I quickly realized that this was not my cup of tea.  This site is specifically meant for business professionals or those working on a data driven presentation.  The templates offered are stricly structured and limited to being either an infographic, a chart/graph, or a map, which is when I realized the type of audience that Infogram was aiming for.  Even after I selected the option for having an infographic template, I was immediately shown other templates with graphs and charts on them and had no way to add visually appealing graphics (like Easel.ly and Piktochart).  Now, don't get me wrong, this site does offer graphics - but they are limited and have appear to have a professional finish to them.  However, one thing that I truly liked about this site is that it provides the user the option to upload and/or import data from places like OneDrive and Dropbox.  You can also make your infographics public or private, though to get the private option (as well as access to various other items made available) you need to pay either $19.99 a month for Pro or $67.99 a month for Business - both of which are billed yearly.  So, if you're going to be creating infographics for personal use or work use, then Easel.ly and Piktochart are for you; but if you're in a business, then you should probably be going with Infogram.



And last but not least, here is the infographic that I created using Easel.ly.