The idea behind the infographic is simple; combine text, graphics and statistics to harness engaging information delivery. For small business, however, executing an infographic can be a bit daunting when you don’t have a graphic designer on staff. Here are three tech options that can help you put the graphic in infographics without hurting your budget.

1. A Small Business Digital Media Presentation of
Vermont Small Business Marketing Associates
@VSBmarketing | www.VSBMA.com

2. The idea behind the infographic is simple;
combine text, graphics and statistics to
harness engaging information delivery. For
small business, however, executing an
infographic can be a bit daunting when you
don’t have a graphic designer on staff.
Discover here three tech options
that can help you put the graphic
in infographics without hurting
your budget.
Example Infographic

3. Color Splash is a fun editing option for
giving photographs a bit of a twist.
With color splash technology, you can
make a regular picture into a black and
white picture, and then brush color
highlights back in.

4. Fotor.com’s photo editing
website offers a new color splash
enhancement feature that is quick
and easy. Access to the editor is
free and does not require an
account. All editing is performed
directly within the website, so you
do not have to download a
program to your computer.

5. Think about your infographic concepts
and imagine real-world objects that
could be representative of those
concepts. Shoot those objects with
your camera, and upload them to
Fotor.com.

6. Click a photo in the Fotor editor, and
select the ‘Effects’ tool. Click the ‘Color
Splash’ effect, and the Fotor editor will
automatically change the image to
black and white.
Original Black and White

7. Select an appropriate brush size, and
click and drag the brush over a part of
the image to bring the color back out.
Just brush over a part of the image
that is colorful so it highlights one
interesting aspect to capture the
viewer’s attention.

8. When you have highlighted part of the
image, crop if necessary, click save,
and you are done. The image will be
saved to your desktop, where it is
ready to be loaded into your
infographic.

9. You also can add a creative touch to your infographics by drawing
representative concepts with Art.com’s ArtPad website. If drawing is
not your best skill, that’s ok. Graphics do not have to be fancy – just
representative. When you strive to draw a perfect representation of
an object, you set yourself up for failure. Make it simple, don’t be
your worst critic, and have fun.

10. ArtPad is a very simple, realistic painting program housed within the
Art.com website. The program features a basic canvas, a few paint
brush sizes and a moderate color palate.

11. Use the largest paint brush to swipe on a bright background color.

12. Select a smaller brush size
and darker paint color to
draw the outline of an object
that represents a concept for
your infographic. If you want
to add a little highlight, select
another color, and brush it
on. Be sparing in your brush
strokes, and note that if you
draw over a line, the program
will give it a realistic bleed
appearance. In some
instances, this option can
lend to the overall effect.

13. When you are satisfied with
your image, use the ‘Print
Screen’ feature on your
computer (CTRL+PrtSc) to
capture the image. Open a
photo editor program on your
computer (e.g., ‘All Programs’
+ ‘Accessories’ + ‘Paint’).
When you paste the image
you captured, you should see
the art.com webpage with
your painting appear in the
photo editor.

14. Crop the image to
include just your
painting, and save it
to your desktop so it
is ready to load to
your infographic.

15. You also can give your
image a little more flare
by adding a border.
Upload your image to
the Fotor.com editor,
mentioned previously,
and add a border by
selecting the ‘Frames’
feature. Save the image
when you are done
selecting a border.

16. As an alternative, you can
insert the image into
PowerPoint, if you own it, and
give the image a border there.
Once you have inserted the
image into PowerPoint, make
sure the image is selected,
click the ‘Format’ tab, and use
the ‘Picture Styles’ feature to
select a border.
When you have picked a
border style that you like,
capture your screen again
(CTRL+PrtSc), and paste the
screen capture into the photo
editor. Crop and save to your
desktop so it is ready to load
into your infographic.

17. If you liked creating graphics in
ArtPad, you can take your
creativity to the next level
with the Inspire Pro app for
tablets that offers painting,
drawing and sketching
functionality. Inspire Pro can
be downloaded as a free app
from iTunes, and this edition
has many advanced features
that will keep you busy for a
long time.

18. Inspire Pro offers three
adjustable brush sizes and a
complete color wheel. You can
toggle the brush features
between realistic paint and
dry paint, and you can turn off
realistic paint for a more
precise and stylistic effect.
Additionally, the program
allows you to fill the
background of the canvas with
any color from the color
wheel.

19. You can export completed
drawings to yourself by e-mail
and download them to your
desktop. Once the image is
saved to your desktop, it is
ready to load to your
infographic, or you can add a
border, as discussed
previously.

20. Creating infographics that help you speak to
your target audience can be easy and fun
when you take advantage of the many
technologies available today and trust in
yourself. Try different approaches until you
find the one that works for you and your
business. Stick with your own style so that
your audience will begin to associate that
style with your brand.
Remember to have fun,
and that energy will translate
to your audience.

21. Visit VSBMA’s
Small Business Digital Marketing How-To Center
at www.VSBMA.com for more social media
and content marketing Tips ’n Tricks.