Today we’ll see what an infographic is, what it is for, and how to get the most out of it. Infographics are an excellent tool to convey a complex message practically and straightforwardly. It is characterized by the presence of data in visual form, showing great potential for developing any marketing strategy.
Since their appearance, they have become an indispensable resource in communication. In addition, visuals are currently predominant, but if you want to know a little more about what an infographic is or what it is for, we invite you to continue reading.
What is an infographic?
An infographic is an image design representation of data that allows a message to be transmitted differently and dynamically, being a handy communication tool since the human brain has a better predisposition to remember and process images.
Similarly, infographics seek to synthesize content to be processed more easily and quickly, using a collection of images, graphics, and texts that produce a particular visual impact.
What is it for?
Infographics work to communicate content directly through different media, for example, the Internet, posters, social networks, and brochures, among others. I think you may be interested in knowing what this powerful tool is used for.
- To explain a complex topic or procedure.
- Capture the attention of users.
- To improve the marketing strategy.
- Increase the traffic of a website.
- Increase the visibility of your products or brands.
- Arouse interest in social networks.
- It can be used as a pedagogical resource or exposition of a topic.
- Create awareness about a situation or problem.
- Compare different processes.
- Show results of an investigation.
Types of infographics
There is a wide variety of types of infographics classified according to their use, and intention, among others. However, they can be grouped into three types:
Static: the information or compositions are presented fixedly, often showing all the information in a single block in an organized manner.
Dynamic: they are presented in video format.
Interactive: they seek to generate actions in users.
Elements of an infographic
The elaboration of an infographic requires having clear ideas. The perfect thing would be to establish an emotional connection with the reader or the public. For this, it is necessary to take into account some elements:
Content: it must be of quality and relevant to the public.
Title: it must encourage reading. It must be creative and original.
Brand: contact information, fonts, logos, among others.
Design: with a particular structure that allows the reader to understand and adapt to the different needs or audiences.
Tools to Create Infographics
In a context where the evolution of technology and the popularization of different devices give rise daily to hundreds of data, correctly interpreting them has become one of our essentials. A task in which, among others, those tools that help us interpret and visualize them most effectively are particularly relevant.
A purpose that, without a doubt, infographics achieve, some graphics for whose elaboration we currently have a series of handy tools. Some infographic makers will make it a little easier for us when presenting the information, allowing us to elaborate on everything from chronologies and camemberts to comparative bar graphs and tree maps. We are left with the following list.
Pictochart
If you’re looking for a top-tier infographic maker, Piktochart takes care of designing an infographic by providing you with easy-to-customize templates.
After you’ve uploaded your stats, you’ll be able to adjust the design and color scheme. Since infographics are a form of design, Piktochart is an extraordinary way to get to know the medium. There are a few pricing choices, including a free account that allows you to make up to five pictures. However, you’ll need to pay to dispose of the Piktochart watermark.
DesignCap
DesignCap is an easy-to-use free infographic maker. It has a wide variety of templates, icons, illustrations, images, and the ability to upload your own if you want. This tool can quickly add charts, tables, and maps to your infographics. You can even import data directly from XLS, XLSX, or CSV files to your design. Besides infographics, you can make other graphics like YouTube channel arts, business cards, posters, etc.
Visme
Visme is another excellent tool for creating presentations and infographics. Its interface is like the others: drag and drop, straightforward and intuitive. In this video, you can see the possibilities it offers.
Visme is a multipurpose tool that offers the possibility of creating presentations, reports, web content, or even infographics, starting from a series of aesthetically beautiful templates, all through its website, although with an offline editor that you can download. It has a free version that you can unlock with a paid premium account to add new features and a specific price plan for the educational sector.
Canva
Canva is another exclusive feature that will allow us to create our infographics with more than decent results. Its system is also based on selecting the element, dragging it, and dropping it on a canvas. A free service for whose start-up you will only need to register on the platform. Something possible to do with your Facebook or Google Plus account. It is suitable for all kinds of creative tasks, from brochures to presentations. It also offers a vast library of images, icons, fonts, and features.
One of its notable virtues is that it has a blog where you can find all kinds of tips and tricks and other information to get the most out of it. It even has video tutorials like the one at the top of this section. In addition to infographics, with it, you can create banners, headers for social networks, and even covers for electronic books—one of our favorites.
FlexClip
Although FlexClip is a more general tool about video editing, it also offers us the possibility of creating an infographic video. It is similar to the one shown in the video that precedes these lines and goes beyond the static ones. It is a service focused on slideshow as well.
Its interface is also easy to use; it allows us to drag different elements, just as some previous ones do. In addition, on its website, we will find tutorials and practical advice regarding giving life to our creations.
Easel.ly
Easel.ly is a program to make infographics that offers multiple options, either to create a work from scratch or to adopt many more than 100 graphically very suggestive templates, colors, fonts, and images. According to their data, more than three million people have created infographics with this tool, allowing you to download the final result of your creative effort in the main formats, share it or even allow another person to edit the same document.
RawGraphs
RawGraphs is not a pure infographics tool, but it allows you to create attractive graphs intuitively, even with data of a certain complexity. It is developed in English, although it is not a barrier for those less experienced in mastering this language, and it is used without having to create a user or log in. You can also download the final graphics in editable formats.
Infogram
Infogram is an extraordinary free tool with a wide assortment of graphs, tables, and maps, as well as the capacity to upload pictures and videos to make incredible infographics. You enter and alter the information that makes up the infographic in an Excel-style tool, whose content is reflected in your creation. The tool will naturally change the vibe of the infographic to represent your information.
When you’re done creating your infographic, you can publish it on the Infogram website for everyone to see, embed it on your website, or share it via social media.
The pricing structure has five tiers: it starts at Basic (free), and you get a 24% discount on paid options if billed annually. Climb the ladder with Pro ($19/mo), Business ($67/mo), Team ($149/mo), and Enterprise (price on request).
Adobe Spark
Adobe Spark is for you if you need a tool to quickly and easily create infographics for social media. It has over 10,000 templates to choose from and thousands of free, unlicensed images to enhance your design.
Spark uses a drag and drops editor that starts with a default template. Browse through the templates to get the one you want and start editing. You can add your background, change the text, add an image, insert an icon, and include your logo. When you’re done, this infographic maker lets you resize your infographic to fit the social network you want to upload it to, and all you have to do is download the infographic, which will go viral.
Last words
Infographics are a vital complementary resource, as they allow you to visually present a large amount of data and information to bring knowledge closer to your visitors.
Currently, infographics have reached the most diverse media for marketing, informational, entertainment, and, of course, educational purposes.
In case you love to take advantage of this trend to facilitate your students’ learning, try these free tools. They are easy to use and have advanced design options that will allow you to make the most of the graphic resources.
Do not forget to try them and tell us what you think.