Infographics

Infographics are tools for understanding and for providing a visual representation of quantitative and/or qualitative information. They should take into account what the reader's mind will attempt to do with data and be formatted accordingly. They are an exciting way to tell a data-driven story in a visually appealing and easy-to-understand format.

There are multiple online resources that can be utilized to create infographics. I recently explored three of them: easelly, piktochart, and infogram.

Easelly is a free infographic maker. You may customize provided templates including timelines, reports, processes, resumes, and comparisons without creating an account or register to create a free account in order to start with a blank template. Free access has some limitations in the number of templates, images, fonts, and charts available for use. But, of course, there is the option to update to a Pro account for $4 per month if you'd like. For teachers and librarians, I'd suggest beginning with the free account and then upgrading if necessary.

Using easelly was extremely easy and very intuitive. After choosing a template to begin with, you simply double click on the text in order to change and format it (change font, size, color, alignment) as you would in a word processing document. When starting with a blank template, you are able to customize the size of the infographic. The menu bar at the top of the screen is user-friendly and enables you to drag-and-drop objects into the document. The only difficulty I encountered was removing a line after I'd placed it and moved on to something else. I wasn't able to figure out how to remove it retroactively. There is an online chat feature, though, to help you if you run into complications while creating your masterpiece.

Piktochart also has the choice of creating a free or paid account. Educators can gain access to additional templates and features for $39.99 per year. There is also a Pro Team option for $199.95 per year which includes a collaboration feature. I suggest starting with the free option and adding the additional features only if necessary. 

Once you set up an account by entering your name, email address, and creating a password, you must activate the account by clicking on the link sent to your email address. After you sign in for the first time, you will be asked a few questions so that Piktochart can provide tips and templates that are most applicable to you. I love that you can specify that you are a teacher, student, or librarian! You can also decide if you want tips sent to your email address or not. Teachers and librarians receive a plethora of email regularly, so I appreciate having the choice and ability to say, "No, thank you."

Piktochart provides three steps for creation: pick a template, design your infographic using the drag-and-drop editor, and share your work. Carrying out these steps was extremely easy and very intuitive. I did not feel as though there were a large number of useful templates to begin with in the free option. However, there were tons of ways to customize a template or create one from scratch. Color schemes can be easily changed and there are some really cool photographs, shapes, and icons offered. Some of the unique features I was drawn to include the ability to adjust the opacity of a picture/photo and the line spacing as well as height of text.

If you find that you are having difficulty while creating, there is a Need Help? feature at the bottom of the screen. I found it easy to use when I encountered a question. A search bar opens up and you can type in a term to access frequently asked questions and answers.

Infogram offers both free and paid accounts. The Pro version is $19 per month, Business level is $67 per month, and a Team account is $149 per month if you pay on an annual basis. The price is higher if you want to pay monthly. Yikes! Special prices are available for educators and students, but an online form must be submitted before the price is revealed. Definitely try the free version to see if it meets your needs before upgrading.

Only an email address and password are required to set up an account. Afterwards, you will be prompted to enter your name and role (educator and student are options). You may then choose a template to start with including eight infographic options.

Overall, I found infogram pretty simple to use. However, the options offered with the free plan were very limited and basic. In addition, instead of using the drag-and-drop method, items are added by clicking. The object then appears randomly on the page which I found a bit irritating.

My verdict: Piktochart

By Chris Potter (Flickr: 3D Judges Gavel)
[CC BY 2.0  (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)],
via Wikimedia Commons

Infogram was my least favorite tool. It wasn't hard to use, but it required a bit more work to get the desired effect. Its free account was the most restricted and frustrating. Upgrading to a paid account may offer better options, but I prefer free stuff and I expect that you do too!

Easelly would be my second choice because it offers some amazing templates. In fact, if one of the templates fit my need, I would use it. I recommend that you do as well because it would be quick to customize and would provide an excellent result.

Piktochart is my top choice for creating custom infographics. In my opinion, the templates are more limited than easelly's. However, Piktochart's free account offers the most shape, icon, color, font, and photo options. The drag-and-drop feature is extremely easy to use and has some unique features. Of the three utilities that I tried, it was the simplest to navigate. Piktochart will enable teachers and librarians to quickly create custom colorful and unique infograms for presenting information in a visually appealing way to students, parents, and the learning community.

View my infographic created with Piktochart here.

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Silver, L., & Johnson, C. (2018, October 09). Internet seen as having positive impact in Sub-Saharan Africa. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewglobal.org/2018/10/09/internet-connectivity-seen-as-having-positive-impact-on-life-in-sub-saharan-africa/