Last week I introduced you to a tool that took a concept as familiar as image-editing, and transformed it into an experience that non-creative people (me) can use, and be somewhat good at. 

When The Tech-Letter was in its early years (well, weeks; this newsletter isn't even a year old yet), I spoke to you about Canva: a lovely drag-and-drop tool that lets you design logos, business cards, and graphics in general. Since then, I've shared many media-apps/websites to help you express yourself through design; from Photoshop alternatives to content-aware image editing, background removers, and so much more.

Today's tech-tool falls under the same umbrella (or Parasol, if you're a character in Mario Kart), but encompasses a lot more. I can't believe I'm about to use an expression that I vowed to never use, but this is the swiss-army of design tools. 

Long story short, Visme is a design tool that combines features you're already familiar with, and then some. Before you go "Oh, this is obviously another tool for expert designers who do this full-time!", you're wrong; because if I can do this, then so can a 5 year old (speaking of, 5 year olds are way smarter now than when I was 5). 

Visme comes with a selection of pre-made designs and slides you can choose from, or even start from scratch; whether it's for work, infographics, social media, or... well, anything, there's a whole lot you can do. 

After using it for some time, I'd say the main difference (or most appealing one) between this and something like PowerPoint is the ability to not only download your final results, but even publish your work online, share as a private URL, and drag and drop everything (even yourself if you try hard enough).

For starters, let's pick a template.

Remember that templates are optional. You can choose a category, create your own custom size (start from scratch), or even upload already-made PowerPoint presentations (!!!) which, if anything, is an unfair advantage. 

In previous tech-letters, I've used media applications to show you the common design options. You've seen me make logos, business cards, concepts for social media, and more; so I won't spend much time going over that, since Visme does all of it. The one appealing feature I want to cover is the use of data.

After picking a pre-made template, here's what my screen looks like (a.k.a. where the magic happens). 

On the far left, you have all the categories of content you can add; from changing layouts, to adding actual videos, or even audio. Absolutely everything you see on my screen is editable; and I mean more than just manually replacing the numbers on that pyramid chart. 

I know for a fact that some tech-letter subscribers are big into data, whether that's using Excel, Python, or Tableau. Take a look at how Visme lets you combine data and design without needing programming languages or special apps. 

The first image above shows the pre-made template I chose + the different apps you can use to import your data directly into Visme. If you already have an Excel sheet or SurveyMonkey survey with data, feel free to import it and let Visme automatically update the graph for you.

Starting from scratch? Take a look at the second image.

Not only was I able to change everything you normally would expect to edit (background, text, shapes and colours), but I was also able to:

1. Change the graph itself (note the top row where you can choose between bar charts, pie charts, and other charts),
2. And manually enter data. This is more than simply adding text on your presentation. Whatever information I entered on the left hand side of my screen (the spreadsheet), automatically updated my chart on the right.

The third image shows a much more attractive example of mixing data and design. 

Other than the very-appealing data integration, Visme currently has over 500 animated illustrations, characters, and gestures to choose from; the ability to import or export GIF and video files, collaborate with a team (whether that's for work or school), and other handy tools.

Visme is free to use, with optional premium tiers that make your experience a lot more rewarding. 

The Tech-Letter is all about tools that can make your digital experience easier; whether that's for work, or fun. If you're someone who designs, Visme doesn't have much of a learning curve (and honestly, even if it did, it has enough pre-made templates to make your life much easier). 

As I explained when today's email started, I've covered a lot of media-apps where you can add or remove content (images, shapes, colours); so even though today's tech-tool does all of that, I figured it was best to explain what made it different and more appealing (to me); specially since so much of the work we do today deals with data— figured it could be useful to some of you.