One of the biggest benefits of creating an infographic is that readers love the instant gratification. They can quickly grasp the concepts and share it with their colleagues. Infographics, along with other images, are the most shared content on the web. For you, a the benefit of infographic creation is that it garners more attention than a simple blog post. However, it’s a big more difficult than a blog post. You have to find meaningful data and plug it in to a visual format.
The Anatomy of an Infographic
An infographic has three components:
- Visual – The colors, design, layout, and images
- Content – The actual data presented, which can be facts, figures, tips, resources, or any other type of content.
- Knowledge – Your own comments, ideas, advice, and personality helps to set your infographics apart from others’
Creating an Infographic
The first thing you need to do when starting an infographic is decide on its purpose. Know why you are creating it and how it fits into your overall content strategy. Also, before making any infographics, it’s a good idea to surf the web to look at other infographics to get ideas and see what resonates with your community.
If you’re creating a data-based infographic, find statistics or other to use. Put the content into a logical order, just as you would if you were writing an article. Add your own commentary. In other words, explain to your audience what these facts and figures mean and why they should care.
Create an introduction, and bullet points for each item. You can also add a conclusion that wraps everything up.
Designing Your Graphic
You can create infographics yourself or you may choose to outsource them. There are several online tools that allow you to create your infographic by choosing a template and design features and then plugging in your content. We list some of them below for you to experiment with.
Hiring Help for Your Infographics
Creating basic infographics is a task that’s often outsourced. If you outsource your infographic creation, you need to create a rough outline for the designer to follow. The outline helps them to understand your idea for the graphic.
If infographics are a central component of your content creation strategy, you may want to hire a professional. It’s often easier to get your ideas across to someone you’ve been working with on an ongoing basis. The price of creating an infographic varies greatly. Decide how much you can afford before you go searching for designers.
Make It Sharable
When you publish your infographic, make sure it’s sharable. Include all of the social media buttons, links to embed, and anything else that would help your audience pass your infographic on to others.
Here are some of the tools that you can use to create great looking infographics. Make sure to experiment. You may find that one tool is easier to use or suits you better. You’ll probably need to spend a little time when you get started, but the effort is well worth it.
Piktochart has a variety of templates all set to help you create quality infographics. With free and paid version
Filled with features and templates, Canva isn’t just for infographics. Use it to create social media posts, presentations, posters, and more. Free, with options to purchase images
You can create and share visual ideas online using vhemes – visual themes. Free
An easy to use online service that lets you create, share, and discover infographics and online charts. Free
Visual.ly infographics and data visualizations tell your story, drive traffic, and amplify your social media presence. Free
Tableau’s free data visualization tool can help you create an interactive viz and embed it in your website or share it. Free
Allows users to create free timelines online. With free and paid version
Venngage takes the work out of insights so that you can run analytics and draw insights faster. With free and paid version
A tool from IBM that helps you create data visualizations, along with best practice tips. Free
You can create flowcharts, diagrams, floor plans, technical drawings and more. Free
