Building an infographic without being a graphic designer

[reegs]

Is there any way to create an effective infographic without being a graphic designer?  I've got some great content on "What type of decking material is best for you?" and wouldn't want to waste it on a sub-par design DIY infographic.

I was thinking of outsourcing it to a local design company.  Although, I was wondering if anyone has been in my position and succeeded? Some tools/guidelines that helped them along the way?

Thanks

[perfectweb]

If you're not a graphic designer (or have good design skills) I would 1005 outsource this to a graphic designer. You could use someone locally ot you could outsource to a designer on the web. Usually outsourcing locally costs more but has the benefit you can meet face to face and discuss ideas, whilst outsourcing over the internet can often be (a lot) cheaper, with comparable (if not better) results, but lacks in the face to face communication side of things.

If you go the internet route, sites like www.elance.com and www.odesk.com are probably good places to start. I have used odesk before and got good results.

Either way, I would recommend ensuring you have a good brief to give the designer.Look at some infographics you like the look of, create a unique theme that fits along the topic of your infographic, and try and find some imagry that you would like to see within the infographic (or at least examples of the types of imagery). All of these will help you get a result in line with what your expecting.

[moldybacon]

The cheapest option?

Scritplance.com / freelancer.com

Say you need someone to clone an infograph with your content, you will get brillant, cheap results. Make SURE you ask for demo before they bid.

[KeriMorgret]

Blueglass has produced some good infographics, and has also blogged about what makes a good infographic a couple of times. This can be helpful when thinking about ideas for how you want it designed.

http://www.blueglass.com/blog/what-makes-a-good-infographic/

http://www.blueglass.com/blog/foundational-infographic-elements-for-link-baiters/

SEOmoz also has an extensive post on the infographic development and marketing process at http://www.seomoz.org/blog/how-to-build-links-with-infographics.