Infographics for the total novice
April 8, 2015 8:04 AM Subscribe
I have some library statistics that I need to turn into an eye-catching 1 page infographic. I have never done this. I need recommendations for effective, reasonably intuitive tools to get the job done.
Bonus points for free / low-cost and Linux compatibility.
Bonus points for free / low-cost and Linux compatibility.
Best answer: Everyone I know uses Canva for this purpose.
posted by Bella Sebastian at 10:18 AM on April 8, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by Bella Sebastian at 10:18 AM on April 8, 2015 [5 favorites]
Best answer: +1 for Canva. It's wonderful, easy to use and spits out great looking graphics DESPITE me being a total klutz.
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 10:47 AM on April 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 10:47 AM on April 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I've heard good things about Canva.
I personally love using Google Slides for both quick-and-dirty work and extensive document creation. To me they're like customizable, flexible workspaces more than PowerPoint emulators, and the drawing + shape editing + font library + image tools are decent if you push it to the limit.
For something slightly more advanced but still more user-friendly than Adobe Illustrator (especially if you're familiar with the general purpose/function of vectors), you can consider Sketch app.
p.s. If you need free vectors/illustrations/icons to use, try freepik. Good luck!
posted by doctordrey at 11:59 AM on April 8, 2015
I personally love using Google Slides for both quick-and-dirty work and extensive document creation. To me they're like customizable, flexible workspaces more than PowerPoint emulators, and the drawing + shape editing + font library + image tools are decent if you push it to the limit.
For something slightly more advanced but still more user-friendly than Adobe Illustrator (especially if you're familiar with the general purpose/function of vectors), you can consider Sketch app.
p.s. If you need free vectors/illustrations/icons to use, try freepik. Good luck!
posted by doctordrey at 11:59 AM on April 8, 2015
A very late answer, but I was watching this question and finally took a little tour of free online infographic-making services today ... posting in hopes this helps someone in future!
Canva didn't appear to me to have any tools for making charts (which I think is implied in "infographic"). It seemed to be targeted toward making slides/social media memes/Facebook cover images.
Infogr.am was the quickest and easiest for actually making infographics, but I quickly hit a wall in terms of its layout and customization limitations. (And other weird limitations, like their world map is missing New Zealand.) I found the product ... not professional looking.
I got a good-looking infographic out of Venngage, and that would be my recommendation if you have some familiarity with desktop publishing. It is definitely the most customizable (though it also has its own weird limitations). And once you start working with it, if you do have desktop publishing experience, you may wonder why you're not just using Photoshop/InDesign (ugh, why can't I group things? why can I only change the width of an object from the right side? why can't I use keyboard shortcuts?).
I haven't tried Piktochart yet, but it looks similar to Venngage.
The model of all these services generally seems to be that it's free to make basic infographics (which you have to share publically), then you pay to be able to download/print/white label/share privately.
posted by teditrix at 3:39 PM on April 26, 2015
Canva didn't appear to me to have any tools for making charts (which I think is implied in "infographic"). It seemed to be targeted toward making slides/social media memes/Facebook cover images.
Infogr.am was the quickest and easiest for actually making infographics, but I quickly hit a wall in terms of its layout and customization limitations. (And other weird limitations, like their world map is missing New Zealand.) I found the product ... not professional looking.
I got a good-looking infographic out of Venngage, and that would be my recommendation if you have some familiarity with desktop publishing. It is definitely the most customizable (though it also has its own weird limitations). And once you start working with it, if you do have desktop publishing experience, you may wonder why you're not just using Photoshop/InDesign (ugh, why can't I group things? why can I only change the width of an object from the right side? why can't I use keyboard shortcuts?).
I haven't tried Piktochart yet, but it looks similar to Venngage.
The model of all these services generally seems to be that it's free to make basic infographics (which you have to share publically), then you pay to be able to download/print/white label/share privately.
posted by teditrix at 3:39 PM on April 26, 2015
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posted by royalsong at 8:26 AM on April 8, 2015