How to Make an Infographic With Free Tools

Visuals speak louder than words, and infographics prove it. Whether you’re explaining a process, comparing ideas, or showcasing statistics, infographics make your info easy to digest and hard to forget.

The best part? You don’t have to be a professional designer to create one. With a clear plan, little creativity, and the right tools, anyone can learn how to make an infographic.

So let me show you how.

1. Define Your Goals

The very first step in how to make an infographic is to get a clear picture of what you want to achieve and who you’re speaking to. It will include:

Objectives – Do you want to inform, persuade, compare options, or drive an action (e.g., sign up, share)?
Audience- Are they complete novices or industry professionals? What questions do they have?
Key Message- What is the one takeaway you want people to remember?

For example, a local bakery might set a goal, “Educate customers on why our sourdough uses natural fermentation?” (key message), targeting foodies (the target audience) who value artisanal methods. That focus will guide the tone (warm and authentic), data points (fermentation times and health benefits), and a CTA (visit us for a free test), which is the objective.

Pro Tip – Writing down a single sentence that defines your infographic’s purpose helps keep every design choice aligned.

2. Research, Gather & Organize Content

Now we need to build a strong foundation by collecting reliable information and organizing it into a clear structure. This step is essentially storyboarding your infographic, and it includes the following:

2.1 Collecting Data & Facts

Find information that we need for the infographic from reliable sources such as industry reports, internal metrics, surveys, or reputable websites. Also, remember to save these sources along with the date for reference, especially when using statistics.

2.2 Outlining Narrative Flow

An infographic should look like a mini story. It needs a rough sketch sequence:

Introduction ➡️ Supporting Points ➡️ Conclusion/CTA

The introduction establishes the context by explaining what the infographic is about and why it matters to the viewer. While the supporting points present key ideas, facts, or steps in a logical sequence, guiding the viewer through the information.

Lastly, the conclusion or call-to-action (CTA) wraps things up with a clear takeaway, recommendation, or prompt, such as visiting your website or downloading a report.

2.3 Writing the Copy

You need to create short, impactful copy at every level to make infographics concise and to the point. Here’s what to focus on:

Headlines- Use punchy titles with not more than 3-7 words. Keep them bold, direct, and engaging.
Body Text- Limit your explanation to 1-2 sentences, or a brief bullet for each section. Think of summarizing a paragraph into a few powerful words.
Data callouts- Highlight significant numbers with minimal text. For instance, instead of saying “92% of marketers believe that video content is the most important type of media,” just say “92% of marketers say video is key.”

2.4 Collecting Assets

Now, are you thinking, how do I make an infographic truly irresistible? Then you need to start by gathering the right visual elements to support your copy. You’ll need to find and organize:

Icons- They help represent ideas visually. For example, a light bulb icon represents ideas, and a clock represents time.
Logos – If you’re creating infographics for your brand or client, make sure you have a high-resolution logo file ready for your campaign.
Color & Fonts- Collect color codes and fonts you need to match the brand’s identity
Photos or illustrations – Find supportive visuals if needed, but always check the usage rights.

If you need help in collecting assets, check out our curated list of the best free icon and royalty-free illustration websites.

3. Select Your Tools

If you aren’t a professional designer, don’t worry – there are plenty of free infographic maker tools that I’ve covered to make the process hassle-free. Here’re our top picks to help you get started:

Canva

Canva is an excellent tool for making infographics, especially for beginners and professionals. It offers a massive library of infographic templates, categorized by purpose (timeline, comparison, etc.), which you can fully customize. You can even browse them to get inspiration and create something from scratch.

Visme

Visme is a great choice for creating data-heavy infographics, offering advanced charting tools and access to millions of icons and stock images. It can also be used for creating animations, clickable links, and hover effects, exporting in high-resolution PNG, PDF, or even HTML formats.

Digifloat

This is a hands-free approach to creating custom infographics without relying on templates. Our team of in-house designers can deliver tailored and professional visuals that perfectly match your brand.

Just sign up and get your first draft back within 24 hours.

Adobe Express

Adobe Express offers polished, professional-looking designs with simple drag-and-drop options, making it suitable for beginners. It features brand kit integration just like Canva and free access to Adobe Stock images, with the added advantage of syncing across Adobe.

Piktochart

Piktochart shines for those who need strong data visualization. It enables uploads of images, fonts, and other elements, and includes built-in tools such as a chart maker and a map generator, with export options for sharing infographics smoothly.

4. Craft a Layout

You know what makes a good infographic? It’s the layout! This is something that organizes the information visually, guiding readers smoothly from one point to the next.

Considering this, let us walk you through five layout options that will give your infographics a well-structured look.

Type 1: Timeline Layout- Great for showing events or progress over time

Type 2: Comparison Layout- Ideal for ‘this v/s that’ scenario

Type 3: List Layout- A simple way to present grouped

Type 4: Flowchart Layout- Used to explain complex steps

Type 5: Data-Driven Layout- Best when highlighting numbers and stats. For example, pie-charts, graphs, etc.

Once your layout is in place, the next step is to organize the content within it. This is where alignment and spacing play a significant role.

Alignment and Grid- You must snap elements to an invisible grid. It will help maintain balance, especially in multi-section layouts like timelines and comparisons. Then, line up your text boxes, icons, and charts to maintain order. In this way, your infographics will look more polished and professional.
Spacing – Maintain clear and consistent line spacing to enhance readability. Single or 1.15 spacing works best for infographics, keeping the text compact without making it look cluttered. Use enough spacing between headings, body text, and data points to visually separate sections and guide the viewers through the information naturally.

5. Build an Effective Color Palette

Colors do more than just make your infographic pretty. The color palette guides attention and mood. How can you use them in your infographics?

The number one tip is to make sure you use 2-3 primary colors: one for the background or large sections, another for primary text and icons, and the last for accents and callouts. If you have predefined brand colors, use them to maintain consistency.

Also, consider color psychology – blue suggests trust, green conveys growth or health, and red signals urgency or excitement. You can learn more about this from our color psychology for branding article.

Pro tip: Make sure your text meets accessibility standards with at least a 4.5:1 contrast ratio, using tools like WebAIM Contrast Checker to confirm readability.

6. Choose & Pair Fonts

Typography sets the tone and legibility. Your next step is to see how your font size for heading and body text should be. And how will you line up your subheads and keywords without losing uniformity? By conforming to the two font rule, which states that you should use no more than two typefaces – one for headings and one for body text. It helps maintain a clean, consistent look that’s easy to read and visually balanced.

Pro tip– Avoid using any decorative scripts for body text. They look nice, but hamper legibility.

7. Integrate Visual Elements

Icons, texts, and charts transform text into a visual story. Let’s discuss how to integrate these into your infographic:

Icons and Illustrations- Use vector icons. Keep them uniform in style and size.
Charts and Graphs- Use bar graphs for comparison, line charts to show trends, and pie charts to show part-to-whole relationships.
Images and Photos- Use high-quality photos that are relevant to the content. You should use overlays or duotone filters so that the text remains readable.
White Space and Grouping- Surround each group with padding so the elements don’t overlap each other, and be mindful of the white spaces.

8. Review, Refine & Export

You’re almost done! Now, it’s time for a quality check to ensure everything is top-notch. Here’s how to make an infographic that stands out:

Proofread

Check spelling, grammar, and numerical accuracy.
Verify data sources and dates.

Test legibility

Zoom out. Make sure the content makes sense.
Share with a colleague or friend for fresh feedback.

Optimize file size

For web sharing, export it as a PNG or compressed file.
For printing, export a high-resolution PDF.

Include branding

Add your logo and website URL in a footer or header.

Accessibility

Provide alt text or a summary alongside your infographics if posting online.

Once you’re satisfied, your infographic is ready to be embedded in blog posts, social media posts, or included in newsletters.

Summing Up: How to Make an Infographic?

In a world full of digital content, a well-crafted infographic can make all the difference in how your message is received. By focusing on the above steps, you can not only make it informative but also visually compelling.

If you’re looking for a more hands-free approach, you can check out our unlimited graphic design services. We have a team of experienced in-house graphic designers who can create custom, on-brand infographics tailored to your exact needs. Just sign up & get started.