These days, visual content is all the rage. And considering the fact that people are naturally drawn to pictures, images, and other visuals, it's no wonder it's become such a dominant force in the marketing world. Just think about how much more prominently visuals get featured in social networks like Facebook and Google+. And what about the rise of visual-focused networks like Pinterest, Instagram, and Vine? There's no denying it -- visual content is here to stay, and marketers who can learn how to master it will have a leg up on competitors who can't.
When most marketers hear the term "visual content," the first type that comes to mind is usually the infographic. But how can those who don't necessarily have a design background -- or budget to commission an agency, hire a dedicated in-house designer, or purchase expensive design software -- create professional-looking infographics that enable them to leverage the power of visual content? We're so glad you asked! Here's a little secret: You can do it right within software you likely already have loaded on your computer. That's right! PowerPoint can be your best friend when it comes to visual content creation. And to help you get started, we've created five fabulous infographic templates you can download for free and use to customize your own infographics right within PowerPoint -- as well as some helpful tips and tricks to help you learn how to use PowerPoint to its full potential.
In this post, we'll highlight some PowerPoint infographic creation basics as well as four of the infographic templates from the download that explain how to easily create infographics in PowerPoint (how meta, right?). Just be sure to download the PowerPoint templates for yourself so you can easily customize the designs you see below!
Tip: Don't strain your eyes ... click on each infographic below to enlarge. HubSpot will not reimburse you for LASIK surgery ;-)
PowerPoint Infographic Creation Basics
How to Create a 4-Color Infographic
How to Create an Infographic With Alternating Font Sizes
How to Create a Data-Comparison Infographic
How to Create a Pinterest-Inspired Tile-Themed Infographic
What are you waiting for? Grab your free infographic templates so you can start customizing fantastic-looking infographics of your own!
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Maureen 1:36 PM on February 26, 2013
Wow! This is great-looking forward to making my first infographic!
Nathan 1:37 PM on February 26, 2013
I feel silly, but how do I open these templates? I can't access them from PowerPoint, and can't open them with IE. Thanks!
Max 1:44 PM on February 26, 2013
This is awesome! I will def utilize this in my presentations. Keep'em coming!
Ayudos 1:52 PM on February 26, 2013
Love infographics. They're a great way to share valuable information. Always wanted to create one but never knew where to start.
Bobbi Jo Woods 1:57 PM on February 26, 2013
YO DAWG, I HEARD YOU LIKED INFOGRAPHICS, SO I GOT YOU SOME INFOGRAPHICS SO YOU CAN INFOGRAPHIC!
john tegner 2:11 PM on February 26, 2013
Nice article! Here's a link to an infograph of an iPhone. It's in PPT.
https://www.box.com/files/0/f/0/1/f_6548464483
Have fun!
john tegner 2:36 PM on February 26, 2013
Sorry bad link to the iphone infographic. Here's the right one.
https://www.box.com/s/yqhhdxq02jd15kxo13k3
Pamela Vaughan 3:28 PM on February 26, 2013
Nathan: It may have been that you are using an older version of PPT. We just updated the offer to be compatible with older versions, so can you try accessing them again? Thanks for your patience!
Lillian Leon 3:42 PM on February 26, 2013
Wow this is great for us rookies! Awesome design tips for the non designer too!
I'm sharing this. Thanks v much! :)
Rusty 4:22 PM on February 26, 2013
As usual great content. I just rediscovered PPT. Not be a graphics design person (heck I can barely draw stick figures). I've surprised myself on how easy it is to make really cool graphics.
Thanks to this post I have a whole new slew of ideas. Great stuff!
Weird, I never thought power point would be my favorite design tool.
FJ 4:27 PM on February 26, 2013
Really fun post... Pandas are so flexible.
Kellie 10:31 PM on February 26, 2013
Just when I thought I knew everything in Powerpoint - along comes HubSpot.
Thank you.
PS looking forward to when the puppies take over!
dave 10:46 PM on February 26, 2013
Simple--never, never use IE again....
Adam 11:13 PM on February 26, 2013
Fantastic tips! As someone just starting out in this field, any great ideas like this one are always welcome! Keep 'em coming!
Nancy Wee 1:08 AM on February 27, 2013
Love this! i am bonafide infographics designer and I thought I knew everything about it and along came this great article.
Jamil 1:30 AM on February 27, 2013
Didn't even think making infographics using powerpoint was so easy. Well infographics really help to Konnect with people and explain your brand easily.
Neal 5:15 AM on February 27, 2013
It's a shame the text looks awful when exported to a PNG. Is there a way around this?
Sean 5:27 AM on February 27, 2013
Appreciate what this is trying to accomplish, but in my opinion you can't automate compelling infographics. It's not about putting pretty pictures next to data - the point is to bring out something about the data that a viewer couldn't understand or engage with if it wasn't visually represented. Take a look at our work and notice the enormous difference from automated templates - http://daguardian.tumblr.com/
Webdesign Stuttgart 6:10 AM on February 27, 2013
Your Service are get better and better, Infographics are a good chance to become new follower. Nice Idea !
Jan Hyde 9:41 AM on February 27, 2013
Thanks very much for this resource. I made my first infographic following the last article you wrote on this subject and it's on my website now entitled 'How to find a job using Twitter' I can't wait to have another go at making one and will look forward to using these new resources.
Novita Dewi 9:43 AM on February 27, 2013
That is great and very useful! Thanks!
Nikki 11:45 AM on February 27, 2013
There is a typo in one of your infographics...
J.D. 11:57 AM on February 27, 2013
Not sure why, but I'm seeing how you make the slides longer than a typical PPT slide. What am I missing here?
Desmond Wong 12:59 PM on February 27, 2013
Hey J.D.
Are you looking to customize the size of your slides? If so, you'll find the option under the "Themes" tab in the top menu bar. Once you've located that, you'll notice an icon in the right hand corner called "Slide Size". Click that and you're ready to rock. Adjust your slide to what ever dimensions you would like.
Michael 1:43 PM on February 27, 2013
I can not load site. error popping up. Please direct me to proper site.
susan 1:44 PM on February 27, 2013
The download link returns and DNS error. :(
Pamela Vaughan 1:45 PM on February 27, 2013
Sorry folks! We're currently having some technical difficulties on the website. We'll keep you posted when things are back up and running. Sorry for the inconvenience!
Pamela Vaughan 1:55 PM on February 27, 2013
Hey everyone. We're back up and running again. So sorry for the inconvenience! Now go grab your templates :)
Rob 2:08 PM on February 27, 2013
NOW how am I supposed to pay my student loans for design degrees?
Linda 2:52 PM on February 27, 2013
Love your info, but it's "too much white space" not "to much white space." Unless, of course, you want us to head toward a great deal of white space.
Search Decoder 3:09 PM on February 27, 2013
Amazing! Big thanks for sharing
Desmond Wong 3:16 PM on February 27, 2013
Nikki and Linda, you're totally right. Thanks for catching those. Maybe we can play this off as a chance for you to download the templates and make some edits of your own ;)
Lillian 5:21 PM on February 27, 2013
This is fantastic! Thanks for this. I can't wait to try it.
Laura Pazzaglia 6:49 AM on February 28, 2013
Looking forward to using your new templates. Used the last one to a very successful inforgraphic (also credited Hubspot for the template):
Pressure Cooking Saves Time, Energy and Vitamins!
http://www.hippressurecooking.com/2013/01/pressure-cooker-infographic.html
My biggest challenge was finding appropriate icons, and stringing the template together - I like that the new ones are already one continuous slide!
Ciao,
L
P.S. Would love to see everyone's infographic. Maybe HubSpot can do a gallery?!?
Digital Key Design 9:08 AM on February 28, 2013
Sweet....thanks for sharing these!
Deb 12:13 AM on March 02, 2013
I can't download
Nina 12:24 AM on March 02, 2013
Thanks for teaching us how to create infographics using powerpoint
Ejidayo 5:28 AM on March 04, 2013
This is a really useful tool and will be using it for my corporate presentations. Thanks so much
Bit Breakers 6:35 AM on March 05, 2013
Great to create infographics with such simple usages