Infographic - Tools

Tools

Infographics can be created by hand using simple everyday tools such as graph paper, pencils, markers, and rulers. However, today they are more often created using computer software, which is often both faster and easier. They can be created with general illustration software, such as Adobe Illustrator or the freeware Inkscape. There are also a number of specialized websites and tools that can be used to construct infographics.

Diagrams can be manually created and drawn using Creately, which can be downloaded for the desktop or used online. It also includes a number of templates to get users started on their diagrams. Additionally, it allows users to collaborate on diagrams in real time over the Internet. Gliffy is a similar diagram creation tool that requires a paid subscription to use.

Tableau Public is a downloadable program that automatically parses datasets when users upload them. It then suggests visualizations of the data and allows the user to customize the infographic using a simple drag-and-drop interface. Users may also simultaneously make a number of infographics using different parts of the same dataset. It provides users with HTML of their infographic so that they can share it on the web.

ManyEyes is a project by IBM that allows users to create visualizations from either their own or other users’ uploaded datasets. They can then share their visualizations with all the other users, who can comment on and modify the visualization. It is meant as a sharing and collaboration platform for infographics, allowing them to change over time based on input from numerous people.

A wealth of global data from sources such as the OECD and World Bank are built into the website and desktop program Gapminder. Users can view and customize infographics of world data such as birth rates and GDP. It was built on a platform called Trendalyzer, which was sold to Google in 2007. This explains some of the similarities between Gapminder and Google Public Data Explorer, which is a large online repository of publicly available data from resources such as the U.S. Census Bureau, the World Resources Institute, and Eurostat. Users can also upload their own datasets. Users can select specific data from a set, and the site will create visualizations of the data in the form of different graphs, such as bar and line graphs. There are a number of options for users to tailor the visualization by changing the scale, axes, and other variables.

Piktochart is a site that allows users to create infographics using pre-defined themes that allow some customization. Users can export an image of their infographic when they are done. Free access is limited, but a paid subscription allows users to create more infographics and utilize many more themes. Infogr.am is a similar site that uses templates for infographic creation, but it is free and allows for easy upload to several social networks and the web. Easel.ly is another free infographic creation site utilizing themes. Users have a canvas that they can drag themes and customizable graphics onto in order to personalize the look of their infographic.

Visual.ly is a large infographics-sharing site that allows users to upload visualizations that they have created and explore other users’ visualizations by topic area. There are also several visualizations based on social network data that users can select and customize based on their own social network data.

There are also numerous tools to create very specific types of visualizations. The Photo Stats App and InFoto can be used to create a visualization based on embedded data in the photos on a user’s smartphone. Users can create an infographic of their resume using visualize.me or a “picture of their digital life” using Intel’s What About Me? The site Wordle allows users to provide text and create word clouds from it.