(Submitted by Kimberly Roush, Program Assistant, Ohio Cooperative Development Center and Business Development Network, OSU South Centers)
So what is an infographic? Infographics are defined as a visualization of data or ideas in a picture or graphic format that conveys complex information to an audience in a manner that can be quickly consumed and easily understood.
At present, interest in infographics is growing rapidly. According to a Google survey in 2013, searches for infographics had increased by more than 800 percent in just two years, and it continues to grow in popularity today.
So why should you use infographics? Internet users have a diminishing attention span. Infographics have the ability to use visually appealing and easy to understand pictures and tables to grab a reader’s attention as well as “get the point across” before interest is lost. Neuroscience studies explain why these infographics have taken the world by storm. Based on research from the 3M Company, 90% of information transmitted to our brains is visual and visual images are processed 60,000 times quicker than text
Tips to create great Infographics:
• Keep it simple
• Stick to a color theme
• Use interesting facts and statistics from your data or research
• Create a visual story that supports data comparison
• Make it fun, informative, and entertaining
• Keep in mind, it’s about quickly conveying meaning behind complex data
Use graphs, charts, and other templates for displaying data:
• Timelines
• Flow charts
• Maps
• Graphs
• Venn diagrams
• Size comparisons
There are numerous applications that can help generate key pieces (bar graphs, pie charts, flow charts, word graphics) to include in your infographic. I have listed a few free applications with templates to make creating an infographic a snap:

Infogr.am:
If you use a lot of charts and graphs, then this is the application for you. Infogr.am turns boring charts into fun visuals for your visitors to view! (Create a Log in. Free.) http://infogr.am/
Piktochart:
This site uses a simple drag-and-drop method that could benefit anyone new to the world of infographic creation. (Create a Log in. Three options: Free Forever Free with limited options, Monthly Professional User, and Annual Company Pro.) http://piktochart.com/

Easel.ly:
This site has some great themes and fun colors to make your infographics unique and interesting. (Create a Log in. Free)
http://www.easel.ly/