Infographics, or information graphics, have become the iconic combinations of data and imagery that we see across the web and social media these days, but the best free infographic creator is worthless without some underlying thought to data and design.

Creating an infographic is not so much tied to a particular tool, as it is tied to your ability to describe a discrete set of data. One could argue that excel or powerpoint, combined with an image editor offer as much fine control as you need to create infographics. It all comes down to how you choose to represent your dataset.

Charles Minard gave us a prime example of data visualization with his chart showing the dramatic decrease in Napoleans army as it marched across the country, in what has become the quintessential example of a well thought out information graphic. With his one hand drawn graphic, he shows us the path on the map that the army followed and the size of his army was illustrated by the thickness of the line.

So how can you replicate his knack for good design and clear information presentation with your infographics maker? Before you go searching for the best free infographics creator, you have to simplify your data. For the sake of example, lets look at the cost of gasoline over the past 5 years. Do we have to go back 5 years? Could we focus on increments of 1 month or 6 months at time? Its hard to say, but you may have to stay flexible as you continue in order to create the most impact from your data.

Once you have your data fairly locked in, what icons or images can you use to make it a visual message? The obvious examples might be gas pumps, but what else could you use to show the dollar fluctuation over time? It might be an iconic representation of a car or a gas can instead. This is where you establish the value of the best free infographic creator by adding your creativity to the design.