I saw a post on the Future Ready Librarians Facebook group asking about creating an infographic like this one on the right from the Framingham Public Library: https://framinghamlibrary.org/mcauliffe-branch. I decided to recreate something similar with six different software platforms. They are linked here to the right. Each one has a link to a copy or template you can copy and edit for your school.
Next level! Learn how to make your infographic interactive and automatic-ish with Google Looker Studio.
Canva is great, and seems to just get better and better. One thing I was missing with Canva was Noun Project, but now they have a partnership! I also love how easy it is to share a template (force copy) version of a design.
Pros:
Intuitive editing
Good collection of elements with the education version
Exciting new AI features
Cons:
Sometimes it's difficult to tell which elements I'm aligning
The preciseness of edits (getting better, though)
Link to portrait infographic template
Here is a horizontal layout of this same Canva template.
I've added a couple more options below...
I've loved Adobe products for as long as I can remember. Adobe Express (previously Spark) is a great set of tools and is free for teachers and students, like Canva for education.
Pros:
Love the color/theme mix-up options
Has some great templates
Firefly AI Image Tools
Auto-collage feature
Has great animation and video editing features
Cons:
Can't think of many... missing a "color mix" option
Here is a horizontal layout of the infographic.
I've added a few more template links below.
Genially is not as well known as some other platforms, but it is a fun and versatile tool, especially for creating digital designs. Here is a link to their education page. The interactivity options are sweet!
Pros:
Intuitive interface
Great "continuous" animation options
Love the alignment guides/assist for objects
Cons:
Fewer design elements (icons/photos)
Not the best option for creating designs to be printed
Google Slides is familiar, and great for collaborations. Although adding images is intuitive, I don't love having to search the web for random photos and icons.
Pros:
Easy to use similar colors
Collaboration
Sharing
Cons:
Difficult to align things compared to other platforms
Lack of image gallery
Honestly, I've not used PowerPoint in forever... I gave the Office 365 online version a go though. It was useable, but compared to the others, just not easy to get this design the way I wanted it.
Pros:
Icon library (clipart)
Somewhat familiar
Cons:
Not easy to align elements
Editing size and color of text is rough
Adobe Illustrator is my favorite piece of software in the Creative Cloud suite. It does take a little longer to learn, but it gives the most precise control over every design aspect compared to the other options. (
Pros:
Precise and powerful
Icon library (Noun Project plugin)
I love it 💙💙💙
Cons:
Not as intuitive as some of the online options (but there are lots of tutorials out there)