Create a pictorial chart and discover important patterns and trends

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Pictorial charts are often used to compare the number of units, size, or progress. A pictorial chart is a great choice when comparing a few categories with clear differences. Pictorial charts are very common in business communication and media (for example, in news articles or infographics).

Pictorial charts are a great pick whenever you want to make your data stand out and become more memorable. When designed effectively, pictorial charts will make a great addition for:

1. News articles

2. Reports

3. Infographics

4. Presentations

5. CVs

Infogram's chart creator allows you to quickly make a pictorial chart in just 5 steps:

1. Log in to Infogram

2. Select the pictorial chart type (the classic pictorial chart, size comparison, or pictorial bar)

3. Upload or copy and paste your data

4. Customize the labels and icons, then adjust the design by changing the background, colors, and fonts

5. Download your pictorial chart, add it to your report, infographic, embed it on your website, or share it on social media

Infogram is super easy to use and made with non-designers in mind. Even if you don't have any programming, coding, or design experience, you'll be able to make pictorial charts in just a couple of steps. 

We did all the technical work for you. Now, all that's left to do is start creating.

Here are some general tips to keep in mind to make a pictorial chart like a superstar:

1. Find the right icon. The power of pictorials is in their familiar shapes, so try to find icons that represent your categories. 

2. Avoid using very detailed icons. That way, the reader will be able to understand your chart at a glance. Try to think of the simplest picture that represents the data.

3. Avoid large data sets. Using a pictorial chart for large data sets will make it hard to count the values.

The origins of the pictorial chart can be traced back to the history of civilization. Early written symbols were based on pictographs (pictures that resemble what they signify) and ideograms (symbols which represent ideas). Ancient Sumerian, Egyptian, and Chinese civilizations began to adapt such symbols to represent concepts, developing them into logographic writing systems.  

The idea of the universal language of pictorials was best developed by an Austrian social scientist Otto Neurath and a German designer Gerd Arntz in the late 1920s. Together, they were the perfect fit to develop an ISOTYPE (International System Of Typographic Picture Education) – a set of 4,000 pictograms that could express almost anything.

Learn more about the history of the pictorial chart here.

You can customize any pictorial chart to your liking. Pick the right color palette and font, adjust the labels and icons, and even add animations. To edit your chart, click on it, then go to Settings and make the necessary changes.