4 Design Software
Table 3 lists some software that can be used to design infographics.4,10,15,39 These tools continue to evolve rapidly. A group developed a web tool for making public health infographics.39 One of us (JT) used Microsoft PowerPoint to make the infographic at the start of this manual. Beware copyright issues if you use an online service or other software to generate images and other content.
Accessibility. In addition to the suggestions we offer in Table 3, see Roussey (2024) for a list of software designed to help make infographics accessible (indicated in Table 3 with an asterisk).18
Artificial intelligence (AI). Be careful using artificial intelligence. It can be useful to help think about a topic, but the technology is still very early in development, as are guidelines about its use. Check with your educational institution or organization regarding their policies. Some authorities do not allow A.I. to be cited as a primary source or used as a co-author. Authors are responsible for the accuracy and biases of content in products they produce, regardless of their sources.40
Table 3. Examples of design software.
| Software | |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Word* | Word processor. Use gridlines, text boxes paragraph marks and text wrap to lay out the elements before entering content. Insert images from MS Designer. Tricky to line up elements on the screen: MS PowerPoint is easier. MS Word has accessibility features. |
| Microsoft Designer* | https://designer.microsoft.com/home Online tool works with MS Copilot to help user make images. Free version has some limitations. |
| Microsoft PowerPoint* | Common presentation software that can provide basic infographic structure to which text and graphics can be added. Third party templates are available, but it is easy to lay out the elements manually for custom designs. Set paper size to letterhead, turn on gridlines and snap to grid, make text boxes and paste images, then drag them around to set them in place. Much easier for infographics design than MS Word. See extensive online self-help information. |
| Canva* | https://www.canva.com Popular online website that can be used to design infographics from templates. Free and paid versions. |
| Florence | Public health informatics tool for communicating information to the public. |
| Piktochart* | https://piktochart.com Online infographic design software. |
| Venngage* | https://venngage.com Infographics software. |
| Genial.ly | https://genially.com/create/infographics/ Animated and interactive infographics. |
| Adobe Suite* | Professional software, expensive, steep learning curve. Includes Photoshop, InDesign and Adobe Spark. |
| Figma | https://www.figma.com/ Low cost, steep learning curve. |
| Infogram* | https://infogram.com Free and paid versions. |
| Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo, and Affinity Publisher | Relatively inexpensive and easy to use software packages for designing on Apple computers. |
*Software identified by Roussey (2024) as having accessibility design features. Other software in this table might also have accessibility features.18