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Summary deck from our monthly JSI design-storm (design + brainstorm), highlighting the key features of Piktochart for designing visualizations to make information accessible.
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Design-storm | June
Piktochart
Amanda Makulec
John Snow Inc.
visualization matters
In our world plagued with a volume of data unparalleled in history, the value of visualizing data and results effectively is uncontestable.
Transforming data (both qualitative and quantitative) into beautiful visualizations improves the odds that your information will be consumed & used in a meaningful way. Don’t let that hard work collecting and analyzing that data go to waste: make sure your final product communicates your message with a punch!
Piktochart
Piktochart
Piktochart is a web-based infographic design tool. While the program cannot be downloaded, it is available to use online. The main page contains link to video tutorial, PDF guide, samples and frequently asked questions.
When you start a new project on Piktochart, you can use free or paid themes and then customize to your own specifications, including colors, fonts, and images.
free versus professional
Free license Pro account
No fee $39.99 annually (non-profit) or $290 annually (standard)
Limited themes + create your own All themes available + create your own
Piktochart watermark at bottom of image Option to switch off the watermark
10 free image uploads 200 image uploads
Sizable library of icons and some graphics Free library + many more (over 4,000 graphics)
Low resolution image export High resolution image export
Publish for public viewing (or download) Extensive privacy controls for web publishing
using piktochart
• Add layout “blocks” with chart elements such as bar graphs, pie charts, and line graphs
• Can add scalable icons from large library
• Go to graphics >“icons” in the left-hand menu
• Pick from different categories in the drop-down menu such as “people” or “sport”
• Click the uploads tab to add your own images * note: SVG files are scaleable, all others (jpeg, gif) will lose quality when enlarged
• Click the object and use the bottom toolbar to edit opacity, positioning and rotation
building charts
• To make a new chart, go to the side menu and click “tools.” Drag and drop the charts icon to the canvas
• Creates charts by manually inputting data or uploading a CSV file (comma separated value file) – this can be created by saving as .CSV from excel
• Chooses chart types that best suit the data – click each tab to view each different type of chart (bar, dot, area, line, pie, matrix, gradient, gauge, donut, swatch)
• Go to advanced settings (at the bottom) to change colors. Click on colors to pick from the color grid
• Double click on chart to edit data and chart type
download & publish
Your final image can be downloaded as a png or jpeg, for web or print. With the free version, the Piktochart logo will appear at the bottom of the image, but can be edited out as needed.
You also have the option to publish as HTML (which places your infographic in the public library) and also “unpublish” which makes your infographic private again. Additional advantages to creating infographics in Piktochart include easy options for producing an embed link for websites and that your image is search-engine friendly when published.
to remember
Using a free tool always has caveats to consider. Think about how public your data becomes when you put it into a free tool. Unless you click “publish” in Piktochart, your data stays private—use the “download” option to capture the image without sharing it publicly (if that’s a concern).
Also, remember that designing your own images in Piktochart shouldn’t replace review by your communications team (to ensure look and feel are consistent with your project’s brand identify). Talk to your KM and comms team!
Create custom sized mini- infographics for social media or presentations.
examples
Add logos with the custom image upload feature.
Create simple maps using the Map Tool, which can generate filled or solid maps of various continents and countries.
Transform long narratives into interesting visual storyboards.
Bonus Tools
finding the right tool
Don’t just use a tool because it seems fancy. Find something that works for you and meets your visualization needs.
Looking to create a spiffy, multi-page report? Piktochart might not be the right fit, but maybe try a Slidedoc approach. Trying to create a snazzy header for a blog post? Canva was built to make that magic happy, with special templates and inspiration for that format. With so many tools out there it’s easy to get overwhelmed, but there’s also great opportunity for improving our visual reports and presentations.
Canva (Beta)
Canva
Canva is a web-based design program very similar to Piktochart, but with a number of layouts and size templates built for social media and web. It’s a great tool for building banners, blog images and posters, and the Editor looks identical to Piktochart with many of the same features. It’s gotten rave reviews from PC World and others.
Canva is currently in Beta (as of June 2014)—contact Amanda Makulec for an invite if you’re not able to join.
SlideDocs
A slidedoc is a reporting format formalized by Nancy Duarte. On the website you can download templates and primers on building great slidedocs, making them simple to create. Plus, the Diagrammer tool (next slide) is a delight for anyone who’s tried to hack together a graphic in SmartArt in the past!
Slidedoc (n.) a visual document, developed in
presentation software, that is intended to be read and
referenced instead of projected
SlideDoc Diagrammer