Infographics and Tools to Make Them

    Inforgraphics are a visual way for representing information.  Using them is a good way to draw the eye to information you're trying to get across, and is handy in summarizing information.  There are lots of tools available online that one can use to create one.  Here I will review a few of them and then show you an infographic I made using one of the tools.
      First up is Easelly. One can access this tool by visiting https://www.easel.ly/  and creating an account. The basic account is free, but one can upgrade to a pro account if they wish to gain access to additional resources.  The infographic creator is pretty simple to use.  You can start out with a pre-made template and edit how you want.  There are options in lettering, graphs, charts, and media.  You can import your own graphics or even embed items from the internet like Youtube videos. When you are finished, you can download your product as as a picture file, like a jpg, or as a pdf.  If you need some inspiration, there is a public visuals section in which you can see millions of examples created by other users.  Overall, a pretty good tool.  It is easy to learn and use, and makes attractive visuals.
       Next up is Piktochart.  You can access Piktochart at http://piktochart.com/ .It too has a free account option. The first time you log in you have to take a short survey on what your purpose in using the program is.  I believe this is so they can send you e-mails on information personalized to you.  There are a few more options in Piktochart than Easelly.  In addition to Infographics, there are options for reports, posters, flyers, and presentations.  When I created my first project, a popup appeared with a tutorial video.  Piktochart has much of the same features of Easelly, like importing your own graphics or using theirs.  Piktochart has a multitude of free to use images that you can put into your product.  When finished, You can create an image file or pdf of your project.  You can also embed it, or publish it so that it creates a link to your project that you can use.  I really like Piktochart, and can see myself using it in the future.  It is easy to use, and has many options, so the potential for different projects is great.
      Lastly, I will be looking at Infogram.  Found at http://infogr.am, the experience starts much the same.  You sign up for a free account, and then enter some of your information.  Something that immediately strikes me as different though is the fact that infogram limits you on how many projects you can make using their free account.  Like Piktochart, Infogram has multiple options on template types.  I like how the templates are labeled by what their purposes are (Timeline, Scheme, Poll Statistics,...), because it helps me to choose a template type that suits me.  The tools are detailed and not too different from those I've used in other programs.  After playing with it for a little while, I had no problem figuring out how to do things.  The options for your finished product are much the same as the last two programs, you can create an image file, embed, it or publish a link to it.  A nice tool overall, but not quite as intuitive as the others.  If it had a how-to lesson like Piktochart, it would help.
       After visiting each site and working with the tools in each, I decided my favorite was Piktochart.  So I created a project based on information I found in an article by the Pew Research Center.  It's called Gaming and Gamers, by Maeve Duggan.  The article is about American Adults viewpoints on video games.  It is slightly dated (2015), but from my experience the information still holds true.  My infographic will sum up some of the information in the article.


Duggan, M. (2015) Gaming and gamers. Pew Research Center. retrieved from 
          https://www.pewinternet.org/2015/12/15/gaming-and-gamers/