Prior to this blog, I had not made an infographic before. Looking through Pinterest made the task seem a bit intimidating, but I looked through three different webapps that can be used to create infographics: Easel.ly, Piktochart, and Infogr.am I am going to discuss the similarities and differences between them, before letting you know which one was my top pick!
All three webapps offered a free option, although they each limited some options, trying to sell you an upgraded account. The sign up itself was relatively quick and easy. Looking at each one, they all provide free templates that can be modified to suit your needs. I found that Infogr.am had the fewest free options. All of the most visually appealing templates were only accessible through the pro upgrade. Easel.ly had the most free templates, with Piktochart not too far behind. Infogr.am's editor was easy to use, but I thought their templates looked a bit boring. I wanted something that was bright, but readable. This site was just too basic for my tastes.
The two remaining sites, Easel.ly and Piktochart, both offered media uploads which is a great option to make your infographic interactive. Each of them were easy to navigate and provided a variety of options such as including images, text boxes, and themes. If you need help during the process, Piktochart has a tutorial video, but Easel.ly has a live chat option, which I loved! The ability to share your creation was present in both, but Easel.ly offered a pdf download, whereas Piktochart was a shareable link or image.
While Easel.ly had the most visually appealing templates, Piktochart offered more charts. For the purposes of my infographic, I found that Piktochart met my needs the most because I wanted more access to charts. Additionally, while the Easel.ly templates were more dynamic, I was drawn to the simplicity of the Piktochart templates. I didn't want a lot of distraction from the information. If you aren't planning on purchasing an upgraded account, I would suggest you consider your needs first before determining which site to use. In the future, I could see myself using both depending on the content. Take a peek at my first infographic, made with Piktochart!
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References
Kehaulani, S. K. (2015, February 19). The Skills Americans Say Kids Need to Succeed in Life. Retrieved March 09, 2018, from
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/02/19/skills-for-success/
Gray, D. (2007, April 06). What is an Infographic?. Retrieved
March 09, 2018, from
https://communicationnation.blogspot.com/2007/04/what-is-infographic.html
You made a very important point by mentioning considering the needs first before considering a tool for infographics since all three tools mentioned required an upgrade purchase after certain templates used or if wanting to use a certain image. I was thinking of my 3rd graders when I decided on Infographic to be the best tool for me. It is the easiest to use out of all three and the free images and templates that if used well can still make connections to content material.
ReplyDeleteI wish there was a mesh of all three sites! I agree about also considering the users when choosing what to use. While I might find one tool better for me, that doesn't mean my students won't gravitate more towards another. I like the idea of having students test out different tools and presenting them to each other, kind of like what we are doing with these blogs.
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