How to make your Infographic Quickly and Professionally

February 5, 2018 2 minutes reading time

What makes infographics so popular?

Fundamentally, the answer is because many people are visual learners, or in other words, they interpret visual communication more quickly and efficiently than text. It also helps to know that Hubspot says that infographics are 30 times for likely to be read than a normal article.

Larger companies will most likely turn to their creative team or agency to create infographics, but smaller companies commonly don’t have that option available to them. That is why there are now many online tools that can help you to create infographics quickly and on budget.
 
Of course, there are many instances where using external providers for infographics is a viable route (like using our packages), however, there remain many examples of effective infographics that are produced by people that have little time or technical skills. With that in mind we have put together a list of the top 6 online packages that can get you started with infographics.

#1 Piktochart

Piktochart comes complete with pre-programmed themes, more than 1,000 images to choose from and 600+ templates ready to go. You can get familiar with it by using a free package, where you’ll be able to use the templates and 20 uploaded images, or pay up $15 (£10) a month for the Lite version, and $29 (£20) for the Pro which allows you to receive the full benefits, which include icons, privacy controls and 200 uploaded images.  
 
Pros

  • Themes and templates are of high design quality.
  • Intuitive.
  • Allows you to edit anything and everything with ease.
  • Create infographics, reports, banners and presentations.
  • Embed videos from Youtube and Vimeo in your design.

Cons

  • Limited selection of free templates.
  • Higher quality templates are available with a Pro account. $29 (£20) per month is a high subscription price compared to the others.

#2 Canva

Canva is a free, easy-to-use online tool that’s suitable for all manner of design tasks. It is a simple to use platform that contains hundreds of fonts and millions of images to incorporate into an infographic.

It features a dedicated infographic maker that you can use for free, with hundreds of free design elements and fonts at your fingertips. There are also many more premium elements that you can buy for up to $1 each. You can use it on your browser or download the Canva iPad app.

Pros

  • Excellent (and short) intro tutorial to get you started, and many more on advanced concepts.
  • Templates for social media, blogs, presentations, posters, business cards, invitations, and more.
  • Easy and intuitive to use.
  • Large library of images to choose from.

Cons

  • No editable chart objects.
  • You need to import your own data visualizations as images.
  • Have to pay for different image assets individually, instead of a monthly subscription.

#3 Venngage

Like Canva and Piktochart, you get a limited number of free features on Venngage like themes, templates, charts and icons. The themes include reports, presentations and posters. Images from the web or your own computer can be uploaded into the infographic as well. Here’s a look at a few of the templates you can use in Venngage:

Pros

  • There is a free version.
  • It has a simple drag and drop interface.
  • It provides lots of pre-made designs to choose from with options to start from scratch.

Cons

  • There is a premium version ($190 a year / £150).
  • You only get 5 charts in the free version.
  • Some of the image options (charts, maps etc) are only available in the Premium version.
  • You cannot export your design in the free version.

#4 Visme

Visme, which is trusted by brands like Microsoft and Symantec, allows businesses to create infographics with a plethora of images and templates. When tapping into the free version, you can make up to three projects, are given 100 MB of storage space and can publish or download infographics as JPGs.
 
For a small monthly subscription, you gain access to all charts and infograph widgets, premium support and 250 megs of storage.
Here’s what the inside of the Visme editor looks like:
 
Pros

  • Creates infographics, presentation, animations, ad banners, and custom layouts.
  • Insert and edit chart objects directly by changing the data values.
  • Large library of icons and images.
  • Embed YouTube videos directly into designs.
  • Special pricing for students & teachers.

Cons

  • The basic free version is limited.
  • Only 3 projects. Must include the Visme logo.
  • Limited access to charts and infograph widgets.
  • JPG download is still in Beta, with a few bugs.

#5 Easel.ly

Easel.ly is a great program, but lacks some of the guidance, and features, that come standard in other programs. Easel.ly lacks a “How-To” introduction section to their program, and just kind of throws you into the design process right away.
 
Their focus seems to be primarily based on infographic design. Whereas other programs offer a plethora of design project options. If you’re just looking to design an infographic, this program will work well. If you want more variety, you’ll have to utilize one of the other programs in this list.
   
Pros

  • Free.
  • Very basic design layouts and assets.
  • New charts feature allows some basic editable charts in your design.
  • Easy downloads for JPG and PDF versions.

Cons

  • Not a very large selection of themes, called “Vhemes”.
  • Small library of image assets.
  • You’ll want to upload your own images and icons.

#6 Infogr.am

Infogr.am has got the best charts. For illustrating data, there are more than 30 different types of charts to choose from. Anything from bubble charts and tree maps to simple pie charts.
 
Editing data can be easily done in Infogr.am’s built-in spreadsheet, or you can import your own XLS, XLXS and CSV files. Once your infographic has been edited and beautifully designed, you can save it to your computer as a PNG or PDF file with a paid subscription.
 
Pros

  • Ability to create and edit great charts by changing data.
  • Built-in Spreadsheet.
  • Can also import your XLS, XLXS and CSV files. Widest variety of available chart types.
  • Educational and Non-profit pricing plans available.
  • Embed videos from Youtube and Vimeo in your design.

Cons

  • Only creates infographics and charts .
  • Small selection of infographic templates.
  • No image library, you must upload your own image assets .
  • Download options require paid subscription.
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