Tools+for+Making+Infographics

In order to create a good infographic, there are several different tools that can be used. Here are the names of a few user friendly and free online applications. The link is attached below: 1. Wordle 2. Visual.ly 3. Creatley 4. Tagxedo 5. Visualize.me 6. Adobe Illustrator


 * Explanations and uses: **

1. **Wordle:** In order to use this tool, users needs to come up with a specific subject and a list of words that describe this subject. The outcome is a "word cloud." You can change the font, color, and shape of the cloud so that it is unique to you. The following is a created word cloud using the site:



2. **Visual.ly:** This tool can use of large amount of data as well as more general data. The outcome can be a variety of different things such as graphs, charts, diagrams, or visualizers. The following is an infographic about different bankruptcies from the site's gallery:



3. **Creately:** This tool can also be used for large amounts of information, but the information is usually more specific (e.g. a certain time period). The outcome is an organized flowchart including images that correspond with the information. The picture below is a snapshot of the tools that are used to create a flowchart in the site:



4. **Tagxedo:** This tool uses word clouds created by you (similar to Wordle) but forms the information into the shape of your topic (e.g. if your topic is skyscrapers, you could have your word cloud be in the shape of a specific building like the Sears Tower). It is easiest to use this tool if you have a specific subject. The following is a word cloud in the shape of Harry Potter:

5. **Visualize.me:** This tool uses a lot of information. The outcome can be either graphs, charts, diagrams, or visualizers, similar to Visual.ly. The picture below is an infographic from the site about the social media:



6. [|Adobe Illustrator] A lot like Adobe Photoshop, this tool uses precise software to allow uses to create infographics with a large amount of data. The ending result can be anything from a graph or chart, to a greatly designed infographic with images, shapes, and titles.



For more information about creating infographics, please visit the following site from this site (most has been adapted from this source): http://oedb.org/blogs/ilibrarian/2011/5-free-online-tools-to-create-your-own-infographics/