How To Create An Infographic In PowerPoint [+Free Templates]

To create professional-looking infographics and captivate your viewers, you possibly can profit from studying the way to create your personal infographics in PowerPoint.

PowerPoint generally is a marketer’s greatest buddy in the case of visible content material creation, together with infographic design. 

However it may be intimidating to create your personal infographic if you don’t have a design background. You might all the time fee an company or rent a designer, however that may get expensive quick.

So you might be considering, the place do I begin? We’ll information you thru the way to create your personal infographics and even provide you with examples of various varieties you possibly can work with utilizing our 15 fabulous infographic templates without cost inside PowerPoint.

Use Circumstances for PowerPoint Infographics

PowerPoint infographics are a strong software to current data-heavy info in an accessible, digestible format — irrespective of in case you plan to disseminate the infographic digitally or in particular person. You can too merely use PowerPoint as an infographic maker if it’s your most well-liked design software program.

Listed below are a few of the methods you need to use PPT infographics:

1. Presenting a Case Examine

Designing a wonderful, readable case research is not any simple job. You possibly can create a PowerPoint infographic that showcases the key facts of your case study, similar to the issue your buyer skilled, the answer you served, and the result. You possibly can embrace lovely graphics, in addition to dynamic typography — one thing you might not be capable of embrace in a conventional, one-page case research.

2. Presenting Analysis

PowerPoint infographics are a superb medium to current information, traits, and analysis. You should utilize all the information visualization choices PowerPoint affords to current your information in a digestible manner.

Because the infographic can be bigger than a typical slide, you might be as descriptive as you’d like. However in case you’d prefer to reuse the identical info, you solely want to repeat it into a brand new PPT presentation.

3. Presenting a Pitch

You possibly can PowerPoint infographics to current a pitch to stakeholders or potential consumers. You possibly can embrace information factors, testimonials, anticipated outcomes, and even descriptions of the prospect’s downside to emphasise the significance of buying your resolution.

Photos and graphics might be more practical than simply phrases, and because you’re in PowerPoint, you possibly can create an infographic of any measurement, together with the horizontal 16:9 dimensions.

4. Presenting a Multi-Step Course of

Whether or not you’re onboarding a brand new group or informing stakeholders on a brand new course of, a PowerPoint infographic is an efficient medium to speak your message. PowerPoint comes filled with loads of “course of” graphics, similar to text-filled arrows, cascading charts, and grids.

5. Presenting an Announcement

A sophisticated firm announcement — with many shifting components or elements — deserves an infographic to make it simpler for stakeholders to learn and perceive. You possibly can create one proper in your PowerPoint presentation and embrace all pertinent info in a single handy slide.

Alternatively, you need to use PPT as a design software and easily obtain your infographic for straightforward saving and sharing.

Infographics are an oft-used kind of content material advertising. And it’s plain to see why. Entrepreneurs who align the subject, content material, and elegance of their infographics with the wants and preferences of their goal audiences discover success amongst their viewers.

Now, let’s stroll by the way to make a easy timeline infographic in PowerPoint so you possibly can reap these advantages.

1. Obtain HubSpot’s free infographic templates.

Download This Free Template (and 10+ More) Here

In the event you’d prefer to skip a few of the steps beneath, obtain a package of free, premade infographic templates you possibly can edit proper in PowerPoint. Select from information infographics to image-heavy templates to timelines, then customise the colours and fonts to replicate your model.

Plus, the package consists of Adobe Illustrator variations in case you favor enhancing your infographic in Illustrator as an alternative.

2. Determine the aim of your PowerPoint infographic.

Previous to sitting down and designing the infographic, take into consideration what your viewers ought to take away from it first. Do you purpose to share analysis, ship a pitch, or clarify an idea? Will or not it’s included in a presentation, or will you need customers to obtain it?

Relying in your objectives, you’ll select totally different designs and typographic components that can greatest convey your message. As an illustration, in case you plan to current the infographic in particular person, it is best to purpose to make use of a bigger font for straightforward studying. In the event you purpose to incorporate information, it is best to first collect all of the numbers and create the charts in a more sophisticated tool such as Excel.

Now, let’s get into the tutorial.

3. Create a brand new PowerPoint file.

First, open up PowerPoint, faucet Clean Presentation within the Residence or +New display, and click on Create.

If PowerPoint is already open, faucet File within the high menu bar, then click on New Presentation.

4. Change the Slide measurement to your most well-liked dimensions.

To start making an infographic from scratch, it’s a must to readjust the scale of the PowerPoint Slide to present you extra space to work with.

Start by opening a brand new PowerPoint, within the high navigation bar, click on on Design and choose Slide Measurement.

Then within the drop-down menu, choose both one of many predetermined sizes or click on Web page Setup.

Enter your most well-liked width and peak dimensions and click on OK.

5. Browse SmartArt choices from PowerPoint’s library.

To make a timeline graphic in PowerPoint, appropriate for any infographic, open PowerPoint and click on Insert from the highest navigation bar, then choose the SmartArt icon beneath the navigation bar, the place you may discover a number of classes of graphics to select from.

6. Select the precise SmartArt graphic that matches your information or message.

There are two classes of graphics that make efficient timelines. The primary is the Course of class. Click on this selection to increase the graphics menu proven beneath.

Creating Graphics for Timelines

In the event you’re working to create a timeline infographic, we have highlighted in crimson a number of of essentially the most becoming timeline-related graphics.

Except for the Course of menu of graphics, you may additionally discover a viable timeline graphic within the Image class. Choose this class and you will find the Alternating Image Circles possibility close to the middle of the graphics menu. We have highlighted it in crimson, beneath.

7. Add or take away components from the SmartArt graphic.

We’ll use the Alternating Image Circles graphic from the Image menu. As soon as you’ve got inserted this graphic into your first PowerPoint slide, you possibly can add or take away round icons to match the kinds of information and inputs you’re presenting.

8. Insert your information factors and edit the textual content.

At this level, the scale of your timeline graphic ought to match the quantity of information you have got. Start to fill your timeline with the data you propose to report on utilizing this timeline and discover PowerPoint’s wonderful drag and drop options to assist prepare graphics as obligatory.

As with the opposite graphics out there in PowerPoint’s SmartArt, you possibly can edit the textual content and the photographs related along with your timeline to your liking. As you possibly can see beneath, we have edited the years and the photographs to higher signify what occurred at every time limit.

To insert pictures into your timeline graphic, right-click the sq. panorama icon, choose a graphic From File and add a picture out of your laptop onto your PowerPoint slide.

To inform your story, you possibly can replace the time durations within the middle circles, substitute the placeholder textual content, and alter the visuals and colours to your liking. For these latter changes, you possibly can select Insert > Form in PowerPoint so as to add in numerous visuals and use the paint bucket (a.okay.a. Colour Fill) icon to alter the colours of various components.

9. Add your emblem, desired pictures, and background colours.

You now have the proper bare-bones infographic, however to actually make it pop, you’ll want so as to add extra imagery and background colours. Doing this from scratch can appear daunting, however even altering the slide coloration from white to a light-weight yellow can instantly make your design look extra polished and cohesive.

Previous to taking this step, assessment color theory to decide on the precise palette. You also needs to add your emblem, in order that if folks obtain the infographic alone, they are going to know the place it comes from. (In the event you’re presenting it in particular person, it is best to nonetheless do that in case your viewers takes footage.)

10. Obtain your infographic or create a slide-friendly model.

Now that you’ve your infographic readily available, it’s time to put it aside to your laptop computer. To take action, faucet File within the high menu, then click on Save As. Make sure you save solely the infographic slide, and never all the presentation.

Alternatively, on this step, you might select to create a 16:9 model of your infographic that you would be able to simply combine into any presentation. You could even divide the totally different components of the infographic into a number of slides. This may be helpful if you wish to “zoom in” to totally different sections as you current.

In the event you’re in search of one thing extra handy, you possibly can obtain our infographic templates that open straight in PowerPoint so you will get to creating sooner.

PowerPoint Infographic Examples

1. Information-Centric Infographic Instance

Infographics and information visualization are the peanut butter and jelly of the visible content material world.

When you have got new information to divulge to the world, you need to use an infographic to show that information as a part of a cohesive, visible narrative. And that is precisely what the Information Geek template is for.

We have loaded this template with quite a lot of totally different charts and graphs, which you’ll simply replace with your personal information. (Excellent-click on a graph, select Edit Information, and you’ll customise the values in an Excel spreadsheet.)

What to Add to a Information-Centric Infographic

• Column chart: Use for evaluating totally different classes or for displaying adjustments over time (from left to proper).

• Pie chart: Use for making part-to-whole comparisons. (Observe: They work greatest with small information units.)

• Line graph: Use for displaying information that adjustments repeatedly over time. Very best for displaying volatility, traits, acceleration, or deceleration.

• Doughnut chart: Use a pie chart. This stylistic variation permits you to put a quantity, graphic, or different visible within the middle of the chart.

• Bar chart: Use a column chart. (The horizontal bars make it simpler to show lengthy class names.)

2. Timeline Infographic

Telling the historical past of a specific business, product, model, development, or tactic generally is a nice subject for an infographic. And whereas there are a selection of various methods that you would be able to visualize time — together with in a circle, which is what we did with our Google algorithm updates infographic — the timeline is by far the commonest and best design technique to make use of.

Timeline Infographic Finest Practices

• Analysis. Analysis. Analysis. One of the best timeline infographics aren’t simply superbly designed — in addition they inform a terrific story primarily based on in depth analysis. So earlier than you begin the design section of your infographic, put within the time to floor one of the best info doable.

• Slender the scope: Timelines that cowl tons of or 1000’s of years can definitely be fascinating, however they’ll additionally require weeks or months of analysis. To maintain your sanity, keep on with shorter time durations.

• Maintain your copy concise: Infographics are purported to be visible. If you end up writing 100+ phrases for every date in your timeline, a weblog put up often is the higher content material format.

3. Fashionable Design Infographic

For this infographic template, we needed to do one thing that mirrored fashionable design traits, together with utilizing banners and arrows.

When it comes to content material, we supplied loads of area for each stats and duplicate. There’s additionally a column chart on the backside. However bear in mind, you possibly can all the time add totally different charts and graphs to the template wherever you see match. Simply choose Insert > Chart … and you will have a number of choices to select from.

Fashionable Design Infographic Finest Practices

• Experiment with new coloration palettes. There are tons of free coloration palettes on-line. Do not imagine me? Do a Google picture search of “Colour Palette”. If you discover a palette you want, drag the picture straight into your PowerPoint presentation. Subsequent, choose the Colour Fill bucket, select Extra Colours … and click on on the eyedropper icon. With the eyedropper software, you possibly can choose colours out of your palette and use them for components in your infographic.

• Take the time to control shapes. PowerPoint has an intensive library of shapes — together with banners, ribbons, and arrows — that you need to use in your infographic design. By clicking and dragging on the little yellow diamonds that seem on these shapes, you possibly can customise them. For instance, you can also make the sharp ends of a ribbon longer or shorter, or make the physique of an arrow thinner or thicker.

• 4. Flowchart Infographic

Whereas on the floor a flowchart infographic might seem easy and enjoyable, quite a lot of thought and planning wants to enter ensuring the totally different sections logically movement into one another.

In our flowchart PowerPoint template, we created a fundamental flowchart construction, with constructive responses guiding viewers to a conclusion on the backside left of the infographic and destructive responses guiding viewers to a separate conclusion on the backside proper of the infographic.

Flowchart Infographic Finest Practices

• Draw out the branches beforehand. Earlier than you dive into PowerPoint, get out a pen and paper and do a tough define of your flowchart. Take a look at for weaknesses in your logic by answering questions in each doable mixture and seeing the place you find yourself. For greatest outcomes, have a buddy or coworker run by the flowchart, too.

• The smaller the scope, the better the execution. The extra questions or phases you add to your flowchart, the harder it is going to be to create (and the more durable it’ll probably be for viewers to grasp). So attempt to slim the main target of your flowchart.

5. Picture-Heavy Infographic

Thus far, the infographic templates we have checked out have relied totally on illustrations that you would be able to create inside PowerPoint. However after all, there is no purpose why you possibly can’t convey exterior pictures and different pictures into your infographic design.

We have created this image-heavy infographic template for that precise objective. It is nice for evaluating totally different classes, concepts, or outcomes, and because you need not create or customise quite a lot of shapes, it is rather a lot much less work.

Picture-Heavy Infographic Finest Practices

• Use high-quality pictures. It is higher to scale down an enormous picture (e.g. 2,000 pixels by 2,000 pixels) than to scale up a small picture (e.g. 20 pixels by 20 pixels) to suit a specific area. The latter strategy will lead to pictures showing pixelated and grainy.

• Use borders. Including borders to your pictures will assist make them really feel like their a part of a cohesive design. In PowerPoint, you possibly can management the scale, model, and coloration of borders below the Format Image tab.

• Save your infographic as a PNG file. This can be a greatest observe for all infographics however is especially related when publishing an infographic that incorporates images. The PNG extension affords higher high quality than different choices. To save lots of your completed infographic as a PNG file, you merely want to decide on File > Save As … and choose PNG from the dropdown.

Make an Eye-Catching Infographic At the moment

The probabilities are limitless if you uncover the way to begin creating infographics. You’ll be capable of increase your expertise as a marketer and create extra elaborate content material that your viewers can be intrigued by and have interaction with. We hope you discovered this text helpful and that you simply’ll take the initiative to construct your personal infographics in PowerPoint.

Editor’s be aware: This text was initially printed in October 2020 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.