Easy methods to create an infographic in PowerPoint [free templates]

As a former digital journalist and now a content material creator at HubSpot, I’ve designed all the things from breaking information graphics to viral memes — however infographics are the place actual impression occurs.

Whether or not it is a advertising funnel breakdown or a buyer journey map, a fantastic infographic makes advanced concepts easy and shareable.

Truthfully, I favor Canva for fast design, however on this information, I’ll stroll you thru how one can create an infographic in PowerPoint. I’ve been utilizing it since my faculty days and know all these little hacks to make it look good, circulate easily, and, in fact — stick in folks’s minds.

Even higher, I will throw in some useful ideas and offer you examples of various varieties you possibly can work with utilizing our 15 fabulous infographic templates free of charge inside PowerPoint.

Desk of Contents

Advertising and marketing Use Circumstances for PowerPoint Infographics

PowerPoint infographics are a robust instrument to current data-heavy data in an accessible, digestible format — irrespective of if you happen to plan to disseminate the infographic digitally or in particular person.

You may as well merely use PowerPoint as an infographic maker if it’s your most well-liked design software program.

Listed here are among the methods I like to make use of PowerPoint infographics:

1. Presenting a Case Examine

I briefly needed to write case research at earlier jobs, and let me inform you — they’re the bane of my existence.

Writing a phenomenal, readable case research is way from straightforward, so I recommend making a PowerPoint infographic showcasing the important thing info of your case research.

You possibly can embody essential data reminiscent of the issue your buyer skilled, the answer you served, and the result.

You possibly can embody aesthetically pleasing graphics and dynamic typography — one thing it’s possible you’ll not be capable to embody in a standard, one-page case research.

2. Presenting Analysis

Since I write for HubSpot’s Advertising and marketing Weblog, I typically current knowledge, traits, and analysis in my content material.

When you‘re in the identical boat, you’ll be pleased to know you should use all the information visualization choices PowerPoint provides to current your knowledge in a digestible means.

For the reason that infographic will likely be bigger than a typical slide, you could be as descriptive as you need. Nevertheless, if you happen to’d prefer to reuse the identical data, you solely want to repeat it into a brand new presentation.

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3. Presenting a Pitch

You should use PowerPoint infographics to current a pitch to stakeholders or potential consumers.

On this case, your infographics can embody knowledge factors, testimonials, anticipated outcomes, and even descriptions of the prospect’s downside to emphasise the significance of buying your answer.

Photos and graphics could 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.

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4. Presenting a Multi-Step Course of

Whether or not you’re onboarding a brand new crew 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, reminiscent of text-filled arrows, cascading charts, and grids.

5. Presenting an Announcement

A sophisticated firm announcement — with many shifting components or parts — deserves an infographic to make it simpler for stakeholders to learn and perceive.

You possibly can create one proper in your PowerPoint presentation and embody all pertinent data in a single handy slide.

Alternatively, you should use PowerPoint as a design instrument and easily obtain your infographic for straightforward saving and sharing.

Do you know you possibly can add your PowerPoint shows to HubSpot?

Simply head to Library > Recordsdata, click on Add recordsdata, and choose your PowerPoint out of your pc – or just drag and drop it in. As soon as uploaded, you possibly can add it as a downloadable hyperlink in emails, touchdown pages, or weblog posts.

Needless to say recordsdata are public by default, so if wanted, you possibly can alter the visibility settings in HubSpot.

Okay, now you recognize the totally different makes use of for PowerPoint infographics — time for me to point out you what you are right here for.

For higher comprehension, I’ll stroll you thru how one can make a easy timeline infographic in PowerPoint.

1. Within the Design tab, alter the Slide Measurement to finest suit your infographic.

To start making an infographic from scratch, you must readjust the scale of the PowerPoint Slide to provide 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 top dimensions and click on OK.

2. Choose SmartArt from the PowerPoint navigation bar.

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.

3. Discover a graphic that matches your knowledge.

When you click on on SmartArt, you may discover the choices from lists to footage. I picked the Matrix one for my wants:

4. Add or take away knowledge factors, time stamps, or different key data.

As soon as you’ve got inserted this graphic into your first PowerPoint slide, you possibly can add or take away icons to match the kinds of knowledge and inputs you’re presenting.

5. Insert your knowledge into the graphic.

At this level, the scale of your graphic ought to match the quantity of knowledge you have got.

Start to fill your graph with the knowledge you propose to report and discover PowerPoint’s wonderful drag-and-drop options to assist prepare graphics as essential.

6. Edit the textual content and imagery of your SmartArt graphic.

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.

I’ve added 4 phrases to signify every a part of the SWOT evaluation.

To insert pictures into my Matrix graphic, I right-clicked the sq. panorama icon and chosen “Format Form.”

Then I selected “Format Image” → “Image or texture fill” and uploaded one picture to every of the rounded squares.

Right here’s the way it appeared as soon as I uploaded all of them and highlighted the textual content.

To indicate you what you are able to do additional, I made a decision to create one other slide. I made up a model known as Inexperienced Fairy for this objective, pretending I wished to spotlight its strengths for SWOT evaluation.

HubSpot’s SWOT Evaluation Template helps you assess strengths, weaknesses, alternatives, and threats — plus, it features a step-by-step information, a real-world instance, and a customizable worksheet to show insights into motion.

Get it now to avoid wasting time on designing.

7. Regulate the colour scheme to match your story.

I went to SmartArt once more, however this time, I selected the Vertical Curved Record.

For the reason that unique had solely three fields, and I wanted two extra, I added them by right-clicking → Add Form → Add Form After.

Then I added textual content to every field, so it initially appeared like this:

Truthfully, I didn’t prefer it. One thing felt off. So, I right-clicked, went to Format Form → Fill, and switched it to inexperienced.

8. Use numbering to enhance visible circulate.

At this level, I wished so as to add numbers to the circles, so I went to Insert → WordArt and picked a mode I appreciated.

Now, it was trying higher, however I didn’t just like the blue coloration of the curved strains and circles, so I made a decision to vary them to match the remainder. I chosen the article, right-clicked → Format Form → Line, and picked a brand new coloration.

9. Add ending touches and polish the structure.

It was nearly excellent, however I nonetheless wished to fine-tune it as a result of the left facet felt empty and disconnected. I examined how it could look with some textual content there.

I went with WordArt once more, picked a font I appreciated, and added the phrase “Strengths” on the left to tie all the things collectively.

Mainly, you possibly can design your infographic nonetheless you need – including background colours, extra visuals, or different components to make it stand out. This was only a fundamental instance, however there are a lot of methods to refine it and make it look even higher, extra interactive, and extra catchy.

If these “design” issues are usually not your cup of tea, you possibly can obtain our infographic templates that open straight in PowerPoint so you can begin creating sooner and simpler.

PowerPoint Infographic Suggestions

1. Hold your infographics easy.

I am a really wordy particular person normally. I are likely to overexplain in common dialog, and typically, I’ve to remind myself to not use so many pointless phrases to elucidate easy ideas in my writing.

So, naturally, my infographics had been muddled with an excessive amount of data, photographs, and lengthy sentences after I first began making them early into my profession. Finally, I realized the worth of Ok.I.S.S. (Hold It Easy Sweetheart).

When designing your infographics, maintain sentences brief and solely embody essentially the most essential data. Imagery is useful, however do not go overboard. Ask your self if this picture or icon helps illustrate your level or whether it is simply distracting.

2. Use complementary colours.

Use a coloration scheme that includes greater than 3-4 colours that complement one another. Even higher, keep on with your model‘s colours so your infographic suits along with your group’s aesthetic.

Keep away from too many colours or ones that conflict. In any other case, your infographic will look too busy and can distract away from the knowledge you are making an attempt to convey.

3. Jazz it up with icons, borders, and fonts.

I do know I stated to maintain it easy, and it’s best to, however that doesn‘t imply you possibly can’t have a little bit enjoyable with icons, borders, and fonts.

You continue to need your picture to face out, so take into account incorporating these components (sparingly) to depart a long-lasting impression in your viewers.

See how efficient these strains are on the class slide in District #1’s presentation.

4. Emphasize numbers.

When you‘re presenting quantitative knowledge, use your coloration scheme to emphasise essential numbers. Use the boldest and/or brightest colours to attract viewers’ eyes to the numbers.

You might also wish to use shapes like circles or squares to additional spotlight the knowledge.

Are PowerPoint infographics helpful for entrepreneurs?

Completely. A well-designed infographic in PowerPoint could make an enormous distinction in how advertising knowledge is acquired.

From expertise, visuals assist lots with these three issues:

1. Presenting Outcomes & Pitching

A transparent, data-driven infographic makes price range requests less complicated to know – and extra prone to get authorised.

Really, persons are 30 occasions extra prone to provoke cost when prompted by visuals.

Additionally, when pitching purchasers and sending proposals, a compelling visible story typically wins over lengthy blocks of textual content. DemandSage analysis reveals that folks bear in mind 65% of information when paired with a related infographic.

2. Aligning Groups on Technique

Infographics maintain advertising plans from getting misplaced in translation throughout departments. Talking from expertise – laying out a technique with out visuals or a strong presentation is a waste of breath. Individuals hear it, nod, and overlook 5 minutes later.

And if we bear in mind that our brains course of pictures as much as 60,000 occasions sooner than textual content, it’s straightforward to see why infographics are such a robust instrument for communication and higher understanding.

Plus, when the crew hits a roadblock or blanks on one thing, they will at all times re-open this presentation and shortly discover what they want with out back-and-forth.

3. Inner Coaching & Onboarding

A fast visible information could be more practical than a prolonged doc when coaching new crew members.

Dr. John Medina says we overlook 90% of what we hear after three days. However throw in an image, and all of the sudden, we bear in mind 65%.

Supply

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PowerPoint Infographic Examples

1. Information-Centric Infographic Instance

We have loaded this template with a wide range of totally different charts and graphs, which you’ll be able to simply replace with your personal knowledge. (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 exhibiting adjustments over time (from left to proper).
• Pie chart: Use for making part-to-whole comparisons. (Observe: They work finest with small knowledge units.)
• Line graph: Use this visualization to point out knowledge that adjustments repeatedly over time. Splendid 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 heart of the chart.
• Bar chart: Use a column chart. (The horizontal bars make it simpler to show lengthy class names.)

What I like: I like this infographic as a result of whereas it highlights numerous qualitative knowledge, all the things ties completely collectively because of its coloration scheme. It sticks to only three colours, conserving the infographic clear and uncluttered.

When to make use of: I strongly recommend utilizing an infographic just like the one above when it’s worthwhile to current a hefty quantity of essential knowledge as a part of a cohesive, visible narrative.

2. Timeline Infographic

Telling the historical past of a selected trade, product, model, development, or tactic generally is a nice matter for an infographic.

Whereas there are a number of various methods you could visualize time — together with in a circle, which is what we did with our Google algorithm updates infographic — the timeline is by far the most typical and best design methodology to make use of.

Timeline Infographic Greatest Practices

• Analysis. Analysis. Analysis: The most effective timeline infographics aren’t simply fantastically designed — additionally they inform a fantastic story primarily based on intensive analysis. So, earlier than you begin the design section of your infographic, put within the time to floor one of the best data potential.
• Slender the scope: Timelines that cowl tons of or 1000’s of years can definitely be attention-grabbing, however they will additionally require weeks or months of analysis. To maintain your sanity, persist with shorter time intervals.
• Hold your copy concise: Infographics are presupposed to be visible. If you end up writing 100+ phrases for every date in your timeline, a weblog submit would be the higher content material format.

Why I prefer it: Clearly marked spots for textual content and pictures make it straightforward to customise the infographic. Clear strains, a constant coloration scheme, and a balanced structure give it a cultured, skilled look.

When to make use of: When you’re seeking to clarify the historical past of a subject or predictions for the long run, a timeline infographic generally is a nice illustrative instrument

3. Fashionable Design Infographic

Right here, we centered extra on making the design really feel dynamic as an alternative of sticking to strict straight strains.

We didn’t add any charts besides for 3 circles in every part, however there’s loads of area if you wish to add your personal. Simply go to Insert > Chart and choose the fashion you want.

Fashionable Design Infographic Greatest Practices

• Experiment with new coloration palettes. There are tons of free coloration palettes on-line. Do a Google picture seek for “Shade Palette.” If you discover a palette you want, drag the picture straight into your PowerPoint presentation.
• Subsequent, choose the Shade Fill bucket, select Extra Colours, and click on on the eyedropper icon. With the eyedropper instrument, 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 should 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. You may as well make the physique of an arrow thinner or thicker.

What I like: This contemporary design is smooth, straightforward to comply with, and leads your eyes completely by way of the infographic to digest the knowledge. Plus, there’s extra room for creativity right here.

When to make use of: In case your infographic is an equal mixture of quantitative knowledge and textual content, this contemporary design will help you show each kinds of data seamlessly.

4. Flowchart Infographic

On the floor, a flowchart infographic could seem easy and enjoyable. However I guarantee you, numerous thought and planning wants to enter making certain the totally different sections logically circulate into one another.

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

There are additionally unfavorable responses guiding viewers to a separate conclusion on the backside proper of the infographic.

Flowchart Infographic Greatest 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 potential mixture and seeing the place you find yourself.

For finest outcomes, have a buddy or coworker run by way of the flowchart, too.

• The smaller the scope, the better the execution. The extra questions or levels you add to your flowchart, the tougher it is going to be to create (and the tougher it’s going to possible be for viewers to know). So, attempt to slim the main focus of your flowchart.

What I like: Colours and shapes are strategically used to distinguish between optimistic and unfavorable conclusions of the circulate chart. Discover the inexperienced circles used for “Sure” and crimson circles used for “No”.

When to make use of: I recommend utilizing flowcharts to map out totally different outcomes and conclusions to your viewers to assist them comply with/perceive processes and workflows.

5. Aspect-By-Aspect Comparability Infographic

We all know typically you want an infographic to exhibit a comparability. That’s why we created the side-by-side comparability infographic template to make it straightforward so that you can evaluate and distinction two various things.

Aspect-By-Aspect Comparability Infographic Greatest Practices

• Use acceptable knowledge. It is best to make use of knowledge that may simply be described in a chart. Use pie charts, graphs, or different knowledge factors to obviously and pretty evaluate and distinction.
• 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, fashion, and coloration of borders underneath the Format Image tab.
• Save your infographic as a PNG file. This can be a finest observe for all infographics however is especially related when publishing an infographic that incorporates pictures. The PNG extension provides 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.

Able to create your personal side-by-side comparability infographic? Obtain 15 free infographic PowerPoint templates to get began.

What I like: Each side of the infographic use complementary colours, which makes it much more interesting by inverting the colour scheme in each sections.

When to make use of: This infographic template is nice for evaluating totally different classes, concepts, or outcomes, and because you don‘t must create or customise numerous shapes, it’s lots much less work.

Make your slides converse louder than phrases.

PowerPoint is filled with so many options that provide help to current concepts in one of the best ways potential. My recommendation? At all times select the correct template. It’ll prevent effort and time because you received’t should construct all the things from scratch.

However if you happen to favor to start out from zero, a minimum of attempt to visualize your idea in your head or, even higher, sketch it out on paper. This manner, you received’t find yourself with cluttered slides that say lots but talk nothing.

Bear in mind: No person needs to take a seat by way of a presentation that appears like a nasty Wikipedia web page. PowerPoint infographics exist for a cause — to maintain issues clean, snappy, and truly memorable.

So, if you happen to’ve been pitching concepts or explaining methods with simply phrases and boring docs, it’s time for a change. Make it visible, make it participating, and for the love of all issues good — make it make sense.

Editor’s observe: This text was initially printed in March 2013 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.