Infographics are one of the Top engaging formats of content but of course it is very difficult to design them alone without any prior knowledge.If you can not afford paying for designers you have to consider using online applications that ease the whole process.
Piktochart offers you Templates and a Dashboard with Tools to Create Infographics on your Own
Website: PiktoChart
You can choose from
Infographics (long form graphics perfect for the web)
Presentations (fixed ratio slides for online presentations)
Posters (eye catching ads and banners)
Reports (Two-page visual reports)
The Free membership opens 10 graphic templates , fully editable and customizable.
Of course you can create a design from scratch on an empty canvas , using the elements and graphics of the app.
Piktochart Material
Upon signing I received 4 e-books full of valuable information on the use and real importance of infographics.
The Untapped Potential
On the 1st pdf you can find topics like “How big brands are using infographics to tell stories.” or “Generate ideas for killer content that your audience will love” and many many more.
But what exactly are infographics?…Of course are not just scattered numbers and pictures all combined in a long image.There is more to that.
They are data visualisations that present complex information quickly and clearly.
Additionally they offer a catalogue of authoritative sites where you can obtain data for your visual creations.It is important to back-up your graphics with real information.
Create your first Infographic in 15 minutes
The 2nd pdf analyses the whole process and the use of the app.Even if you are a complete beginner this guide will help you create graphics on your own.Everything you need to know about their tools is included inside.
- Pick a template and get started – Insert graphics – Visualise data
- How to cut , copy , paste or delete elements – How to upload an image
- Customization settings – Save – Download – Print – Pulbish
The 3rd pdf walks you through some extra features and secrets as concerns infographics and the application’s usage.
The 4th pdf is very important as it highlights marketing methods that you may apply in order to get your infographic shared.Techniques on social media and other tricks to make your graphic stand out and go viral.
Let’s create an Infographic
Step by Step
- Data for the Infographic – I was reading an article the other day on Health about the most depressing states in the U.S so I thought it would be a good deal for my design.Besides that article was not using any graphic at all.Just images.
- Picked a template (one with a map inside).I chose the USA map.Additionally you can find maps of (World , Europe , Asia , South East Asia , Africa , South America , North America , Australia , Oceania).
- When you double click on a map it opens the “Preview” where you can see the areas and countries separated.The great thing is that every area can be customized according to your colour needs.
- I double clicked on the map and picked a similar colour for the states mentioned in the article.Then I added 2 letter abbreviations for each state using the Text option and moved them easily with my pad.
- The Infographic is divided into separate blocks.By clicking once in an area you choose with which block you want to work on.
- You can upload your own images and design elements into the application…Just fantastic..! … I uploaded my logo and inserted it on the top.
- I changed the background colour for the 1st and 3rd block but left the middle untouched.
- Changed the colours of the secondary texts and columns.
- I picked a graphic for the 3rd block , the teacher on the board.
- Added important parts of the article as texts
- Finally I removed the 4th block and my graphic is finished.
Download – Publish
Restrictions on downloading – With the free account you can download the graphic as image only.If you want a PDF version you need to upgrade.
There are 2 sizes to select from (original and medium).Moreover you can choose whether you want the image in PNG or Jpeg format.You can download the blocks separately.
And in order to remove the Piktochart watermark you need to upgrade.
There is an option to Publish the graphic and get an HTML code to embed it anywhere you want.Premium members can choose to share it only with their friends and networks or to keep the graphic published by private.
Another superb feature is that your graphics are saved on their website as well in case you need to edit them in the future.
I will demonstrate both the Template and my graphic in order to observe my changes
Original Template (reduced size – click to enlarge)
My Infographic (full size)
Let’s create one more graphic – I will go with the poster
The dashboard graphics
- Shapes & Lines
- Icons in a wide variety divided into categories like (animals , arrows , business , finance , fashion , food & drinks , landscapes , politics , sports , social media) and many more.
- Photos – plenty of them again in categories
- Photo frames – you can drag and drop your photos onto these frames to customize their look….Superb feature , was not waiting something like that.
All these features can be accessed in the Infographics panel as well.
Step by step
- I chose a template and removed the main photo.Then I picked a photo frame , selected a photo from Piktochat collection (lifestyle category) and inserted it onto that frame.
- Opened the graphics section , the decorative elements sub-category and selected a banner.Placed it on the top and entered the text (Hotel – Anna Maria).
- I decided to keep the graphic elements in the middle of the poster (car , button , airplane).But I removed all the other remained and added new from the “Entertainment” sub-category.And kept the graphic with the father and the baby.
- Removed any text and added mine
- Made a few changes on the background and the poster is ready.
Original Template (reduced size , click to enlarge)
My Poster (full size)
Company , Mission
On their footer they say …“We are a bunch of passionate people of different backgrounds and origins joined together for one mission … to help people around the globe tell visual stories , beautifully.”…
Absolutely true
In 2011 .. Ai Ching and Andrea founded Yet Another Studio , a graphic design agency in Penang (exotic Malaysian island).Quickly realised that infographics became a buzzword and that every company looking for great visual content would create infographics sooner or later.
4 people were working hard day and night in a small Penang warehouse and a DIY (do it yourself) infographic platform was born.After 3 years Piktochart serves over 3 millions users , growing every day.
Important Clients
Tech Crunch , Survey Monkey , Forbes , The Guardian , Booking , MOZ are among their customers.
I have seen many “Map” driven infographics at Forbes and of course they are fabulous.
There is more to Piktochart – Careers
Because we need you for the revolution of design
Open positions
- UI designer , UI developer (HTML , CSS) , UX researcher , Web designer
- Front End – iOS developer , Javascript developer , Javascript intern
- Blog editor
- Candidate Happiness
- Officer (recruitment)
What to Expect
Monthly hangouts , Workcations (working while in vacation … I guess) , Wednesday dine-ins , Company trips , Work from home Fridays , Online training…
If you want to apply for any of the positions offered they will give you an online test followed by a technical interview.Then you will have the opportunity to chat with the CEO , CTO or CPO…No pressure on that , it’s a friendly chat.
Final Words
I am excited using this application.Not only runs fast and the edit mode is a piece of cake but there are so many icons to choose from that you can leverage and create anything you want.
Infographics , presentations , posters or reports , all professional looking.
Beyond the graphic elements all the tools in the dashboard are awesome.
The free membership is a goldmine.But the premium option has way more templates and other functions that are ideal for companies and organisations or designing and marketing teams.
Premium Packages
Lite – Monthly recurring payment – $15 / month (all templates and icons)
Pro – Annual payment (one time) – $29 / month (all features plus removal of watermark , pdf export , privacy options , slideshares , higher resolution)
Special packages for Non Profit Organisations and Educators.
The Piktochart app can really save much of your time and is a tool that can help people with no design background.The pdf guides can get you started in the right direction if you are willing to study them.
The support includes a live chat where you can ask your questions.
IMPORTANT NOTICE : There is a special section where you can insert , charts , maps or even Videos (both from You-Tube and Vimeo)
But I will leave the Video option for another day as a new post.
Related Resources
Other Free design tools
- DaButtonFactory
- Fotojet – Create Beautiful Collages
- Canva
- SmartGraphicCreator
- E-book cover creator
- Chartico
- Cooltext
- Picture Quote Maker
- BeFunky
- Ribbet
- Snappa
- Online Logo Maker
I hope you enjoy Piktochat , it is a great application.Don’t wait another day , get over and grab the pdf guides and study the basics.Visual content is more important than ever before….Waiting for your comments and thoughts.Till next time , your online partner…
Make your Photos stand out from the Crowd – with BeFunky
Hi Tasos,
Thank you for this review, it was very timely! I have an idea for an infographic that I’ve been pondering and I wasn’t sure where to go in order to create it. Thanks to you, I think I’ll try Piktochart! Thank you for the details and demonstration as well. It allowed me to make a decision on the spot without wasting a lot of time trying it out. You rock!
~Kris
That is awesome Kris , you are very kind.I am so glad you enjoyed this resource.Piktochart can really save your time.Additionally it will help you create something beautiful without being a designer.
Go on and test it , good luck with your graphics.I’d like to know your results.
It was a pleasure seeing your site. I am happy for the information and also to know that these resources are available. You are kind. Its free.
I have bookmarked the page for further use. This is truly an ideal spot especially for those who need to have certain things done.
However, I am a novice to some things. It is not quite clear to me what are ” long form graphics” and “fixed ratio slides”
Nevertheless, I think I should be learning that soon as I get more involved.
Welcome Pansy , so great to find out you got value from my post.Piktochart free membership is just awesome , you won’t regret it.You did a nice job in bookmarking them , it is a starting point in infographics.You should invest a little time in practising and to learn some basics on design.
Long form graphics are those that have longer length.They exceed normal pictures dimensions to include many elements and to offer information.Now the latest trends show that designers started to compress their dimensions even further.
The “fixed ratio” slides is a technical term , and I think you don’t have to worry much about.But if you ask about what slides are , these are pictures shown one by one in a board , like slides you’ve watched at school or college.Can be used parts of infographics in a slide show and it is an alternative entertaining way in presenting a study.
As you said , you should read more about when you get involved into this direction.Thank you for this visit and for your interest.I wanna wish you good luck with your projects.All my best.
Brilliant!
Just what I was looking for, great review and a lovely mini tutorial. Should be able to bang out eye catching infographics in no time.
Great thing about info graphics is people tend to share them giving your site more exposure and tend to read them when on site mover average view time.
Welcome Derek , so glad you enjoyed my article and I wish you love what Piktochart has to offer.Even people with no design background can create beautiful graphics with their tools.And you are not left in the dark , they give their best to guide and help along the way.
Infographics are popular and everyone should invest a little time on this direction.Thank you for this visit , your kind words and for taking the time to express your opinion.All my best.
I really like these step-by-step programs and something I can’t wait to try. I have often in the past gotten so frustrated with trying to figure out with what goes where that it makes me feel like I need a college course to do a simple layout.
This will be a great resource to have in my toolkit!
Thank you
Welcome Benjamin , this is why programs like Piktochart come into play.For those that have no design experience and those having a hard time in creating something from scratch.I really wish you will find their tools and guides useful.
It is a great resource , you won’t regret it.Thank you for visiting my blog and for your participation in the discussion.Good luck with your infographics.
I have been looking around in the infographics market, and this service seems to be one of the more interesting one that I could find in the internet.
I will definitely try and create some infographics for my company with this tool, as we are definitely in need of some new materials.
Thanks for the share.
Alex
Welcome Alex , so glad you enjoyed this resource.I absolutely love this application , I believe you will be amazed too.
Thank you for visiting my blog and for taking the time to drop by with your comment.Good luck with your infographics.