Visual.ly – Become an Infographic Pro

Visual.ly is a tool that virtually anyone can use to find and create professional, polished, and completely custom infographics that represent all types of important research data. An online community for people obsessed with data visualization, Visual.ly gives designers, advertisers, and publishers access to tools they can’t find anywhere else.

Publishers who are interested in using Visual.ly to create stunning infographics for their websites and blogs can sign up for a free account using their names, email addresses, and website URLs. Once they’re signed up, publishers can begin searching through Visual.ly’s extensive collection of indexed infographics, each organized by keyword and type. When you find an infographic, interactive visualization, or motion graphic that fits in with the story you’re trying to tell, you can grab the free embed code and place the graphic directly on your site. You can also upload visualizations you’ve already created or commissioned into the Visual.ly system as a way to promote your designs and encourage other people to use your branded infographic images on their websites.

In addition to offering ready-made infographics and motion visualizations, Visual.ly provides its users with an extensive array of data from government agencies, non-profit groups, and other research organizations. This data can then be used to help publishers, journalists, and other interested third parties create stylish infographics of their own, without any design experience or expensive software required.

Practical Uses:

• Find a stylish infographic to help readers visualize your story
• Promote your design work to publishers online
• Create a motion visualization that reflects a certain data set
• Help your blog attract readers by posting infographics that people want to share

Insider Tips:

• Users can customize the infographics other designers have already made
• Visual.ly offers a collection of more than 2,000 ready-made infographics
• Users must connect to Twitter or Facebook to authorize Visual.ly’s Create app
• People can upload infographics that aren’t their own

What we liked:

• Anyone can create a professional looking infographic
• Publishers can search through thousands of indexed files
• Visual.ly uses data from Twitter and Facebook to create useful infographics
• Designers can use Visual.ly to gain exposure

What we didn’t like:

• Visual.ly users can’t upload files larger than 7MB

Alternatives:

• easel.ly – http://www.easel.ly
• Wordle – http://www.wordle.net

Company Info:

• Launched: July 2011 (Public Beta)
• Privately Held
• Headquarters: San Francisco, California
• Founded by: Stew Langille and Lee Sherman
• Web site: http://visual.ly

Costs:

• Free