Information graphics, or infographics as they are more often called, are a great way to convey complex information clearly and concisely. Infographics can be anything from annotated maps, timelines, flowcharts, graphs, Venn diagrams, size comparisons, charts, or data presented with snazzy typography to a gorgeous amalgamation of several of these techniques. They add visual interest to your blog and are passed around more often than ordinary images or text.
If you have a design background or are fortunate enough to have some artistic skill, you can create your own infographics from scratch. If you're like most of us, you'll need a bit of assistance; fortunately, there are plenty of helpful resources online. Here are a few:
- Visual.ly is like a search engine for infographics, so if you're looking to use a graphic created by someone else (with permission or by Creative Commons and with attribution, of course), you may well find what you need here among the thousands of beautiful options that have already been created. They're also working on a tool that will allow bloggers and others to create their own infographics using a plug-and-play system.
- IBM's Many Eyes gives you access to libraries of data and the ability to upload your own. It's straightforward and yields professional looking results.
- Google Public Data allows you to use publicly available data to create attractive infographics in a variety of forms.
- Wordle makes it extremely easy to turn text into eye-catching word clouds with customizable fonts, colors, and designs.
- Stat Planet lets you create interactive maps and data visualizations using simple browser-based tools and built-in data from sources such as the World Health Organization, CIA World Factbook, Wikipedia, and more.
- If it's simple, elegant, easy-to-customize charts you're looking for, Hohli might be your answer.
- Creately is a good option if you're working with flow charts...
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