There are many different ways to make visuals: cut and paste from magazines, jot down words and images, use Boardmaker, use power point…

For each method there are different pros and cons and a lot can be said for something that’s just plain easy to use.  I also don’t think there’s anything wrong with a visual that has been made quickly- if it gets the message across, it doesn’t have to look nice.

But sometimes it is important for for a visual to be ascetically pleasing- and I wanted to share a free tool that’s available for making infographics (what marketers and advertisers call visual supports).  It’s not particularly easy to use and it takes more time, but in the end you have a nice looking product.  I would use this I wanted to make something I could use over and over (it’s worth the time) or if I was working with someone who thinks my regular visuals are “babyish”.  You have to be careful about resisting the temptation to over clutter.  There are several different generators, but for no cost, this one has the most flexibility and is relatively easy to use.  http://www.easel.ly/

This visual goes along with the “What Should I do?” exercise we did during the workshop.  You can download this visual as a PDF.