How to Create Infographics

How did Pinterest become one of the most popular social networks? One look at the site will tell you the answer: it is presented almost entirely graphically. It is picture-based. There are, of course, descriptions and titles, but for the most part, you click on a world of images. We process images faster than words; we respond to images more emotionally. When you have a great deal of information to share, an “infographic” can help you do it in a way that is interesting and digestible for readers. How can you create one (or many) for your website?

Great infographics are difficult to create, and it takes skills and a Mac to do it. But – and you’ll like this “but” – you can do it yourself using online tools. Here are a few to consider:

• StatPlanet. This tool focuses on interactive mapping, which can be incredibly useful. You can also create bar graphs, line graphs, and scatter plots. You can hide or reveal details, show changes over time, or zoom in/out to allow users to get comfortable with the information you’re providing.
• Tableau. Create interactive visualisations on anything from sports seasons to top 100 companies’ growth. You don’t need any programming skills; just download the software, and start creating.
• Visually. You bring the Facebook or Twitter data; they have the infographic to make it come to life.
• Creately. This implement offers tools to make visualisations using data sets or your own data. You can also add pre-existing visualisations from the site to your website or blog via a link option. Free and paid account options are available.

Creating infographics helps you build content that is not only highly relevant, it is also ideal fodder for sharing on blogs, social networks, and other sites. These tools mean you have no excuses not to turn all that information and data into great visuals.