Summary deck from our monthly JSI design-storm (design + brainstorm), highlighting the key features of Piktochart for designing visualizations to make information accessible.

1. Design-storm | June
Piktochart
Amanda Makulec
John Snow Inc.

2. visualization matters
In our world plagued with a
volume of data unparalleled
in history, the value of
visualizing data and results
effectively is uncontestable.
Transforming data (both qualitative and
quantitative) into beautiful visualizations
improves the odds that your information will
be consumed & used in a meaningful way.
Don’t let that hard work collecting and
analyzing that data go to waste: make sure
your final product communicates your
message with a punch!

3. Piktochart

5. Piktochart
Piktochart is a web-based infographic
design tool. While the program cannot
be downloaded, it is available to use
online. The main page contains link to
video tutorial, PDF guide, samples and
frequently asked questions.
When you start a new project on
Piktochart, you can use free or paid
themes and then customize to your
own specifications, including colors,
fonts, and images.

6. free versus professional
Free license Pro account
No fee $39.99 annually (non-profit) or
$290 annually (standard)
Limited themes + create your own All themes available + create your own
Piktochart watermark at bottom of image Option to switch off the watermark
10 free image uploads 200 image uploads
Sizable library of icons and some graphics Free library + many more (over 4,000 graphics)
Low resolution image export High resolution image export
Publish for public viewing (or download) Extensive privacy controls for web publishing

7. using piktochart
• Add layout “blocks” with chart elements such as bar graphs, pie
charts, and line graphs
• Can add scalable icons from large library
• Go to graphics >“icons” in the left-hand menu
• Pick from different categories in the drop-down menu such as
“people” or “sport”
• Click the uploads tab to add your own images
* note: SVG files are scaleable, all others (jpeg, gif) will lose quality
when enlarged
• Click the object and use the bottom toolbar to edit opacity,
positioning and rotation

8. building charts
• To make a new chart, go to the side
menu and click “tools.” Drag and drop
the charts icon to the canvas
• Creates charts by manually inputting data
or uploading a CSV file (comma
separated value file) – this can be created
by saving as .CSV from excel
• Chooses chart types that best suit the
data – click each tab to view each
different type of chart (bar, dot, area,
line, pie, matrix, gradient, gauge, donut,
swatch)
• Go to advanced settings (at the bottom)
to change colors. Click on colors to pick
from the color grid
• Double click on chart to edit data and
chart type

9. download & publish
Your final image can be downloaded as a png
or jpeg, for web or print. With the free
version, the Piktochart logo will appear at
the bottom of the image, but can be edited
out as needed.
You also have the option to publish as HTML
(which places your infographic in the public
library) and also “unpublish” which makes
your infographic private again. Additional
advantages to creating infographics in
Piktochart include easy options for
producing an embed link for websites and
that your image is search-engine friendly
when published.

10. to remember
Using a free tool always has
caveats to consider.
Think about how public your data becomes
when you put it into a free tool. Unless you
click “publish” in Piktochart, your data stays
private—use the “download” option to
capture the image without sharing it publicly
(if that’s a concern).
Also, remember that designing your own
images in Piktochart shouldn’t replace
review by your communications team (to
ensure look and feel are consistent with
your project’s brand identify). Talk to your
KM and comms team!

11. Create custom
sized mini-
infographics for
social media or
presentations.
examples

12. Add logos with the
custom image
upload feature.

13. Create simple
maps using the
Map Tool, which
can generate filled
or solid maps of
various continents
and countries.

14. Transform long
narratives into
interesting visual
storyboards.

15. Bonus Tools

16. finding the right tool
Don’t just use a tool because it
seems fancy. Find something that
works for you and meets your
visualization needs.
Looking to create a spiffy, multi-page report?
Piktochart might not be the right fit, but maybe try a
Slidedoc approach.
Trying to create a snazzy header for a blog post?
Canva was built to make that magic happy, with
special templates and inspiration for that format.
With so many tools out there it’s easy to get
overwhelmed, but there’s also great opportunity for
improving our visual reports and presentations.

17. Canva (Beta)

18. Canva
Canva is a web-based design program very
similar to Piktochart, but with a number of
layouts and size templates built for social
media and web. It’s a great tool for building
banners, blog images and posters, and the
Editor looks identical to Piktochart with
many of the same features. It’s gotten rave
reviews from PC World and others.
Canva is currently in Beta (as of June
2014)—contact Amanda Makulec for an
invite if you’re not able to join.

19. SlideDocs
A slidedoc is a reporting format
formalized by Nancy Duarte. On the
website you can download templates and
primers on building great slidedocs,
making them simple to create. Plus, the
Diagrammer tool (next slide) is a delight
for anyone who’s tried to hack together a
graphic in SmartArt in the past!
Slidedoc (n.) a visual
document, developed in
presentation software, that
is intended to be read and
referenced instead of
projected

20. SlideDoc Diagrammer

21. Connect!
Datavizhub.co dataviz@jsi.com