Whether you work in marketing, research, education, or the non-profit sector, infographics are likely a part of your everyday life. Even if your sector hasn’t jumped on the infographic bandwagon, it is likely that you see infographics as you scroll through social media and blogs.

Despite how widespread infographics are, there is still confusion about what exactly qualifies as an infographic.

Definition of Infographic

According to Merriam Webster dictionary, an infographic is defined as:

A chart, diagram, or illustration (as in a book or magazine, or on a website) that uses graphic elements to present information in a visually striking way.

If we go by this definition of an infographic though, then virtually all types of visual information would be considered an infographic.

Even signs like the one below would be considered an infographic.

 

While useful, we generally now appreciate infographics to be more detailed and complex than a simple sign.

Wikipedia expands on the definition of infographic by saying that,

Infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge intended to present complex information quickly and clearly.

The key term here is complex information. Hence why street signs aren’t considered infographics by modern standards.

I also like how Venture Beat defines infographic as a “Picture painted with data. Take a quick look and a story emerges from numbers. Look more closely, and a complex narrative emerges from dense clusters of information.”

Key Features of Infographics:

• Goal is to make large amounts of data immediately understandable.
• Information can be quickly digested.
• Visually striking.
• Engaging.

All Infographics Contain:

• Content Almost all infographics use some text to get the message across. However, there are some infographics – such as the IKEA stick figures – which convey the message without any text.
• Visuals: The visuals need to be striking and clearly convey the information.
• Knowledge: The goal of an infographic is to convey information. Without knowledge, then it is just a graphic and not infographic.

Types of Infographics

There are a lot of design and marketing agencies that have broken down infographics into types.  However, it is hard to find a consensus amongst them.

As one designer points out, the breakdown of infographic types depends on how you define the different between data, information, and knowledge.  These terms are highly subjective, which explains why we still don’t have a widely-agreed upon definition of infographic, nevertheless the types.

The Harvard Business Review guide Good Charts lays out four types of infographics: declarative, conceptual, exploratory, and data-driven. In this classification system, the types overlap each other, such as declarative-exploratory.

However, I prefer the simpler breakdown of infographic types by Column Five Media.  They define three main infographic types: Data visualization, information design, and editorial infographics.

As a consumer, understanding the types of infographics can help you better gauge the value of the information presented.

You’ll be able to ask yourself questions like how many data sets are being presented, and is the infographic trying to elicit a response from me?  Considering that infographics have long been used as a propaganda tool, this insight can help you avoid being manipulated with data.

Data Visualization Infographics

Many of the early precursors to infographics, such as line graphs and charts, are types of data visualizations.  The difference is that today’s data visualizations often present huge amounts of information.

Key Features:

• Illustrates numbers/amounts
• Delivers information
• Is objective
• Usually created for a specific niche
• Not narrative – focus on the numbers
• Tend to be more “numbers heavy” than graphic

There is a lot of debate about the difference between an infographic and data visualization.  Some would argue that they are completely different things.  However, the common consensus is that data visualizations are a type of infographic, but not all infographics are data visualizations.

Example of Data Visualization Infographic

 

Information Design Infographics

With these information design infographics, the data is not specific numbers.  Rather, the data is concepts which are visualized. Some examples of these information design are timelines, how-to steps, flowcharts, comparisons, hierarchical, and anatomical illustrations.

Key Features:

• Illustrates concepts rather than numbers
• Include more than one set of data or info in order to tell a larger story
• Typically aimed at a mass market
• May not be objective

Example of Information Design Infographic  

 

Editorial Infographics

It used to be that text-based editorials were found in newspapers and magazines to supplement the objective news reporting.  Now, there is a growing trend towards editorial type infographics.

Key Features:

• Are not objective
• Have a distinct call to action
• Often used by non-profits and activist groups
• Use various data sets to support viewpoint

Example of an Editorial Infographic:

 

Why Infographics Are So Powerful

Long before humans invented alphabet systems, they communicated with visuals.  The human brain is hardwired to process visual information, and it does it much more efficiently than it processes text information.

Source

Shortening Attention Span

Another reason that infographics are so powerful in today’s era of the internet, is that they capture attention.  Our attention spans have drastically shortened because of the constant stimulus we receive.  In this era of goldfish brains, learning needs to be micro.

Infographics are one of the best ways to present huge amounts of data in small bites, thus making them a very powerful learning tool.  They are also great for marketers who want to get their message across as quickly as possible.   Color visuals increase comprehension, learning, and retention by over 73%.  The appeal lasts: Eye tracking research on news pages has shown that 87% of people who saw an infographic also read the accompanying text, whereas only 41% read the text of a typical page with heading and text.

Shareability

The key to having content go viral is to make it shareable.  Your readers see the content and believe that sharing it makes them look good.  They then want to share it with their friends, coworkers, and grandparents.  Visual content is 40X more likely to get shared on social media than other types of content (Buffer, 2014).

 

Infographic History Timeline

Prehistory and Early Civilization

We humans are visual thinkers, so it is no surprise that infographics have been around since even before civilization.  The earliest examples of infographics are arguably cave paintings which many experts believe were used to communicate information about animals and hunting methods.  There are also prehistoric examples of constellations maps and land maps.  However, the combining of data and art didn’t develop until the 1600s.

 

1600s:

Maps had been around for long before the 17^th century, but this is when the principles of measuring and marking distances as well as special geometry were laid down.  As a result, we see a huge jump in the quality of maps during this century.

Christoph Scheiner is usually credited as the person responsible for making the first modern infographic.  His map of sunspots was printed in 1626.

 

1786

The end of the 18^th century in Europe was a Golden Age for sciences and arts. The date 1786 stands out as when a Scotsman named William Playfair published his work “Commercial and Political Atlas.” The work contains the first examples of a bar chart. Playfair also is credited with inventing the line, area, and pie charts.

 

1800s

The 1800s was the era of charts. Many government offices started using visual charts for statistical analysis.  The popularity of charts led to major innovations in their types and styles.

Suddenly, we had more attractive charts as well as new types like bubble charts, contour plots, and 3d charts.

Infographic charts also started to influence history. 

If it weren’t for John Snow’s 1841 cholera map (which showed cholera outbreaks linked to a common water source), he probably wouldn’t have been able to convince public officials that cholera is spread by water.  Thanks to his visualization, the well pump was removed.

In 1860, a map of slavery influenced the course of the Civil War.  By seeing which areas held slaves, the Union was able to determine which areas would fight harder to keep slavery – and which ones might switch sides.

One of the first infographics to combine multiple data sets was made in 169 by designer Charles Minard. He visualized Emperor Napoleon’s 1812 invasion of Russia, showing the number of forces, distance traveled, temperatures, and rivers crossed.

 

Florence Nightingale was amongst the first to use infographics for activism.  Her 1858 infographic of mortality of British army was used to convince the Queen to provide better medical care for soldiers in the Crimean War.

 

 

1900s

Up until this period, infographics were mainly used to convey data within scientific circles and niche audiences. The booming 1900s found infographics being adopted by mainstream media.

People were moving to cities during this time and public transportation was getting complex.  Infographics were made to help the public navigate.  The first few attempts at mapping the subway systems in NYC were far from ideal.  It wasn’t until 1967 that subway routes were given their own color on maps.

 

1990s to Early 2000s

Computers and software finally became affordable and small enough to make it into homes. Design software suddenly made it possible to visualize data quickly without having to hand-draw visualizations.

The result were infographics which were much more complex, such as network graphs, dendrograms, sunburst charts, and chord diagrams.

2000s

Now is the era we are familiar with.  With the huge demand for visual content, everyone from marketers to government agencies to nonprofits have adopted infographics.

The push towards visual content also means there’s been a surge in bad infographics.  It got so bad that a 2011 article in the Atlantic called the infographic trend a “plague” and “endemic in the blogosphere.”

By the end of the decade, marketers realize that they can’t make an impact simply by putting content in visual form.  Consumers are demanding more to capture their attention.

 

The Infographic Today

Living in the information age means we are getting inundated with huge amounts of data daily. A Telegraph report found we consume the equivalent of 174 newspapers per day – which is five times more information consumed daily in 1986.

That statistic was reported in 2011. Since then, the amount of information overload has only increased.

With so much information overload, people have become very picky about what they consume. Content doesn’t even stand a chance without a visual strategy.  

Thus, there is a huge push to transform content into visual form.  In an article about how infographics jumped the shark, Flowing Data creator Nathan Yau comments on how infographics are replacing the blog post format.

 Infographics have gotten longer to fit into the blog format. Posts that used to be long lists of favorite things and best methods have shifted to something more visual.

We’ve also seen more infographic trends like interactive, 3d, and motion infographics.

Infographics have grown to great lengths, quite literally.  Keep scrolling..

Online users have also gotten immune to the visual pull of infographics.  Without a good story throughout the infographic, people get bored.  

Thus, it is no surprise that infographic design best practices include making a narrative flow.  When done well, the narrative will engage consumers as they scroll down the infographic.  The message is clear and there is a strong visual focus.

The final piece to pull it all together is a Call To Action or conclusion.  Because, without a CTA guiding you in how to react, what was the point of consuming the infographic?  Data only becomes knowledge when it can be put to use!

Naraka Bladepoint not only has caused a massive stir in the battle royale community with its innovate gameplay, it has sparked a light of joy and hope in the hearts of a lot of arcade fighting game lovers that were subconsciously waiting for a game like this to hit the market and your prayers have finally been answered!

The ever-popular arcade fighting games have a massive loyal fan-base that has now turned to this new battle royale game without guns! More and more players are starting off with a new Naraka Bladepoint cd key from Gamecamp every single day. But this innovation surely comes at a cost of having to learn the new concepts that were hidden to the world of gaming.

But in this article, I will be going over all the popular weapons in the game and their combos that can change the whole game for you! 

 

All Weapons Combo

There are a number of weapons in the game each with their own unique characteristics that makes it stand out than the rest and lets the player decide which one to go with depending on their playstyle.

And these weapons also happen to have some sort of unique combos that make them deadly in their own way and before we dive into each of the individual weapon combos, there is a basic combo we need to learn that works across all the weapons.

So, most of the weapons in the game have a 123 combo which is a combination of 3 horizontal or vertical attacks, each of them mostly works in the same way and with the same damage rate. Players can use this to execute 3 horizontal or 3 vertical attacks on the enemy!

Long Sword Combos

Starting out with a long sword which is one of the most damaging weapons in the list but costs us some precious time as it is heavier than the rest. But the combos are pretty easy to pull off with the long sword and the first one that we are going to talk about is the aerial combo which throws the enemy into the air making him vulnerable.

So, the first thing you need to do is close in on your opponent and begin with a horizontal strike, followed by an uppercut. Once the opponent is in the air, rapidly execute several air horizontal attacks while holding the “w” key. This will keep the enemy floating in the air ahead of you, giving you ample time to execute another row of quick regular attacks until the enemy lands.

Spear Combos

The next weapon is the spear and this one is a perfect choice for those who like to keep a little distance from the enemies as it has a long range. 

The combo for the spear is pretty much aerial like any other that you’d find in the game. You need to stand closer to the enemy button and start with a horizontal strike followed by an uppercut attack. You must now perform a mid-air horizontal attack followed by another horizontal attack as a strike while the adversary is in mid-air.

This also gives no room to the opponent to be able to attack you back or dodge the attack as they’ll be floating in the air most of the time, which makes them vulnerable.

The Katana Combos

Because the Katana is a short-ranged weapon, it has a faster attack rate than most of the other weapons, which makes it great for combos. Katana also features some of the easiest combinations for a novice to follow, that we are going to be diving in.

So this combo consists of four attacks: a regular horizontal attack followed by a vertical uppercut, which will throw your opponent into the air, rendering him completely vulnerable, and then you must wait for your opponent to hit the ground before performing another horizontal attack followed by an uppercut.

On to the more advanced form of this combo which is quite popular in the game and deals a great amount of damage to the opponents. In order to execute this combo, just like the previous attack, stand close to your opponent and begin with a horizontal attack, followed by a vertical uppercut that will throw your opponent into the air; however, instead of letting your opponent land on the ground, perform two horizontal air attacks while holding down the forward button. 

You’ll be able to execute this twice before the adversary falls to the ground, and even if he does, you’ll be able to counter with two more attacks, which makes it one of the best combos in the game.

Dagger Combos

Dagger has been the best weapons in the game for a lot of reasons and one of them being that dagger has some of the best combos, because of its super fast speed and attack rate that lets you deal a great amount of damage to the enemies. And learning these combos might just change the game for you, especially if you are a beginner.

You need to start with a horizontal attack followed by an uppercut, then execute two mid-air horizontal strikes while the adversary is in the air, and as soon as your opponent hits the ground, make a brief leap followed by the basic three attack combination.

But this is still somewhat easy to pull off than the one I am going to tell you now, which is kind of like a hack in this game but it’s actually not, this is known as the Yoto Hime combo based on the players’ name and it has got some serious damage and attacks leaving the enemy completely vulnerable.

Let me teach you how to do it. you start off with a dual left attack, followed by the uppercut slash, and once the enemy is in mid-air, do another couple horizontal attacks, followed by two focused attacks in the air, and then wait for the enemy to hit the ground, then do a little jump, followed by the same two horizontal attacks, and finally fina.

I know it’s difficult, but once you master this combo, your opponent will have no chance against you! To pull off these combinations, though, you’ll need a lot of practice.

These attacks take a lot of skills and practice and that takes a lot of time. Make sure to spend some time trying to play around with different techniques and you might just come up with a technique of your own which can be super cool.

Smartphones have become an integral part of our everyday life. Of course, they have a lot of benefits that make our life better. However, the excessive use of phones may result in huge problems with health.

The first thing to do is to have more free time spent without a smartphone. If you lack free time, you can try to write my paper with the help PaperWriter service. Furthermore, look through the list of working techniques to get rid of phone addiction and change your life for the better.

Why is Phone Addiction a Serious Problem?

Smartphone addiction is a serious problem because it has a lot of negative effects on both physical and mental health:

• Aggravating short-time memory;
• Less emotional recovery;
• Increased feeling of loneliness and depression;
• Poor quality of conversation;
• Adverse impact on the quality of sleep;
• Increasing obesity;
• Relationships problems;
• Increased anxiety;
• Problems with studying;
• Poor academic performance;
• Problems with eyes;
• Frequent headaches.

This list of the most frequent outcomes of phone addiction shows that the problem affects health and quality of life. That’s why it is crucial to find the best solutions to overcome phone addiction and improve your wellness.

Simple Tips For Getting Rid of Phone Addiction

Getting rid of phone addiction is a chance to change your life for the better. After trying these simple tips, you will see that you get a lot of free time, improve the learning process, and have a good mood.

Customize the Notifications

The first step to solve the problem of phone addiction is to customize the notifications. Thus, the surveys show that people cannot ignore notifications that result in the excessive use of smartphones.

You need to limit the notifications, especially when you are at college or busy. This way, you won’t have an additional reason to turn on your smartphone and look through the messages. After some time, you will feel less stressed because nothing will disturb you from important things.

Delete All Unnecessary Apps

The next important thing is to delete all unnecessary apps. For example, if you need to study a lot, social media apps will be the main reason to be distracted. Thus, try to delete them for some time, and you will see how much free time you get.

Also, look through all the apps installed on your smartphone. Maybe, you will find a lot of unnecessary apps you will never use. Delete them, as they can send notifications that are too disturbing.

Create a Plan to Use a Smartphone

One more good idea is to create a plan for your smartphone usage. If you feel that you are too addicted to smartphones, you need to write down how many apps you use during the day and for what purpose. It will help understand why smartphone addiction is a great problem.

With the new plan, you will start to control the usage of smartphones. Also, you will have a detailed schedule for the day. Undoubtedly, it will make your college life easier and well-organized.

Take a Holiday

Specialists recommend taking holidays without any gadgets. It is a nice way to detox your mind from social media and tons of information. For example, you can go on a trip or camping for the weekend. Spending time close to nature has a lot of benefits, such as a good mood. Furthermore, such a holiday will also be useful for both mental and physical health.

If you think your relatives and friends will worry about your long absence online, notify them about your short holiday.

Do Not Use Smartphone Before Going to Bed

The next working suggestion is not to use smartphones before going to bed. Thus, the specialists have already found out that the blue light of the display negatively affects the quality of sleep.

Furthermore, people often do not control how much time they spend with smartphones in bed. It starts with several minutes and ends with almost half of the night scrolling through Instagram or Facebook. So, if you want to sleep well and feel good in the morning, get rid of your phone for 3-4 hours before bed.

 

Use Apps to Limit Phone Usage

 

We talked about the negative effects of unnecessary apps at the beginning of the article. But there are also useful apps that help limit phone usage during the day. If you want to stay healthy and have a lot of free time, try this effective way to get rid of smartphone addiction.

Such apps as Rescue Time or AppDetox will become your best friends during the day. The main advantage of these programs is in controlling the time period you spend on a phone.

Try to Use a Feature Phone for Some Time

In case of serious phone addiction, it is recommended to use a feature phone for some time. The main benefit of this phone is the absence of social media apps. Thus, you will use it only for its direct purpose—to call someone if necessary.

After several weeks of this experiment, you can get back to your smartphone. If you see that you can control the time spent on social media, you will overcome your addiction.

Replace the Bad Habit

Experts recommend trying to replace the bad habit with the good one. In case of phone addiction, you can search for a new hobby to overcome this problem. Try to read books before going to sleep instead of surfing the Internet. This way, you will spend time with pleasure and get new knowledge.

Change Thinking

Finally, you need to change your thinking to overcome the addiction. Try to analyze your life to find out the main reason for excessive use of the smartphone. Maybe, the main cause for it is feelings of loneliness, depression, or some life problems. After you realize it, you will solve this issue faster.

Key Takeaway

To conclude, it is vital to find working solutions to overcome the problem of phone addiction. If you feel that you spend too much time on the phone, it is the right time to try at least one of the tips from this list. Always remember that a smartphone is a tool but not the thing that can control your life.

If you keep a daily journal,  you can benefit from it a lot by just adding a few new pages on a regular basis. This routine helps you to understand yourself better and watch your personal evolution. You might notice how you change and grow. It’s actually a very therapeutic habit that helps to connect with your true self.

By the way, have you ever thought that writing makes your thinking better? In order to write, you must first have an idea of what you want to say. Hence, you need to order your thoughts and put them into a logical chain. While producing ideas and arranging them into a well-ordered sequence, your thinking clarity improves. What’s more, writing requires you to do proper research on the topic. By reading different sources, you become smarter.

As you can see, writing is very beneficial. However, we usually avoid writing activities if they are not related to our work or studies. Typically, writing is a kind of professional or learning obligation. And it requires mastery. But what to do if you are not really good at it? Let’s find it out!

1. Use a Professional Web Editor

You might have noticed that most text editors have a built-in proofing tool that corrects basic spelling and grammar. But the problem is that such free tools miss a lot of errors and don’t teach you about the mistakes you’ve made. Hence, you should focus on professional online editors like Grammarly and Hemingway instead. These tools do not only help you identify your errors but also explain how to correct them.

2. Read Classic Literature

It’s not a secret that the best writers are keen readers. In fact, regular reading is a great way to enhance your writing skills. But if it’s not about blog posts on the web. To become a better writer, you should choose more challenging material. Additionally, you need to pay special attention to sentence structure, word choice, and how the content flows.

3. Practice every single day

When it comes to refining any type of skills, you must be disciplined. Practice writing on a daily basis and make it a habit. There is no need to create something complicated, easy-to-read blog posts and short articles would be enough. You can also commit to Morning Pages, writing down a stream of your consciousness by hand.

4. Start Writing Essays to Improve Your Writing

Another great way to boost your writing skills is essay writing. If you don’t know what to begin with, then choose a topic you are interested in and create a series of essays about it. Most importantly, pick a subject you are really passionate about, so you will enjoy this activity. By the way, in case you want to get feedback on your work, you can go to https://gradesfixer.com/fix-my-essay/ and ask experts to fix your essay. This way, you will see your mistakes and learn about your areas of improvement.

5. Read Your Texts Out Loud

A good final test for your content is reading it out loud. Even though you have written everything absolutely grammatically correct, your text might sound unnatural. If any part of your writing is difficult to say out loud, you should improve it for better clarity.

6. Visit a Workshop

Joining a writing workshop can be very exciting. But apart from having fun, you will definitely learn new things there. To attend such events, you don’t need to have an unfinished novel. There are a lot of content marketing meet-ups nowadays, so you can benefit from them as well.

7. Imitate your favorite writers

Imitation doesn’t mean that you should plagiarize someone. It can have bad consequences for you, so never rip off anyone’s work. But you can identify what you enjoy about others’ work and use it in your own writing.

8. Don’t Make Edits while Writing

Don’t even try to make your text perfect at once. Editing while writing is a huge mistake as being obsessed about spelling, word order and outcome can ruin your creativity. The only thing you should focus on is getting your thoughts out on paper. However, if you can’t stop correcting the mistakes, use some dictation software.

9. Create a Set of Templates

If you are writing for commercial purposes and your content always has a similar structure, create templates for it. They are not only timesavers but also very effective tools that can boost your productivity. Besides, your text will look perfectly organized.

10. Find a Writing Buddy

As human beings, we all need support in everything we do to achieve extraordinary results. Although writing is usually thought of as a solitary activity, it’s better done in a team. Find somebody who also wants to hone their skills and help each other. You can ask your partner to set interesting tasks for you and give comments on your work. This will provide you with a fresh view, which is a must for self-development.

An organized kitchen can be the most appealing and satisfying thing. Sales are around the corner and there is an extensive list to buy. If you are waiting for a long time to have all that you want then the right time is approaching. You’ll find this storage wishlist to be useful as you will find all that you need.

I find organized storage to be oddly satisfying. The beautiful arrangement of colors and best utilization of spaces to be calming. But to make my storage essential purchases budget-friendly I wait for this time at the year-end to restock all the necessary storage items from the best Homestore through Ashley Furniture Promo Code.

When it comes to home essentials I completely trust Ashley as they provide premium quality material at their best price.

When we step into the kitchen we feel like entering into a whole world of colors and objects. To arrange them you need a diverse as well as an extensive range of containers to store them.

Fridge Organizers

You will find a wide variety of fridge organizers to store different products. The most amazing one which I like the most is the beverage organizer as you can easily grab your drink without disturbing or dislocating items from your fridge.

• Storage Baskets
• Plastic boxes
• Eggs holder
• Vegetable and fruits baskets
• Milk container
• Silicon lid covers

By making an arrangement that is clean and appealing not only relaxes your mind while the advance of technology makes the food stay longer as the containers help to slow down the ripening process and you get greater utility in consuming them as food stays fresh for a longer period.

Currently because of technical advancement companies have also made improvements and made fridges that keep food fresh for longer and have built-in storage containers to give the customer complete ease. But if you don’t have such a fridge, you can also get the best containers in the black Friday sale!

Kitchen table with Storage

The most useful amazing thing that I have found on the internet in 2021 is this kitchen table that has storage along with it. I get stressed out while stocking drinks and beer bottles on the shelf as they easily get broken while taking them out. By having this table they can keep glasses, drinks, bottles, and any other thing I desire to have while having any meal. Easy, quick, and handy!

In my friend’s opinion, it’s the best thing while partying as anyone can make the drinks at ease. The crockery below it provides the comfort of not getting interrupted while having food with the family.

Wooden Storage box

Keeping the environment in concern and switching towards eco-friendly products is the need of the hour. If we want our future generation to get all the resources and facilities we have today, then we need to adopt eco-friendly products so that our generation can enjoy the life we are enjoying.

Wooden storage boxes look very attractive and are safe to use. According to a survey natural cedar, teak wood and redwood containers are safer to use in comparison with other container materials.

Storage Ottoman

Ottoman storage can be the most modern yet antique way of storing things as they can be utilized for seating purposes as well as storage purposes at the same time. They look so beautiful in the living lounge and easily fit in any part of the house. You can pick them in a plain solid color or beautiful abstracts or traditional ottoman prints. I usually keep kids’ toys and playing items in the ottoman so that they can easily play with them and wind it up once done.

Lockable storage box

There are many things that we desire to keep in the lock. It can be anything. Most of the time we try to save our shoes when we are traveling as being barefooted is the most troublesome. Coming summer I am planning to travel abroad and I badly need to have lockable storage boxes as they are multipurpose. I can keep shoes in these, I can keep my makeup in them so that my expensive makeup might not get ruined. Moreover, I can keep liquid bottles such as contact solutions, shampoo, oiling bottles, makeup remover, and toner, or any other thing that might be prone to leak. I have found it to be most useful for many aspects.

Mini Fridge storage cabinet

The most useful and amazing thing that I found at my mate place you a mini fridge storage cabinet. The feature that I liked the most is that I can keep my food stock just along with the fridge so that I can keep a check when my supplies are running out. I can have what I want whether a chilled beverage or at room temperature. You can keep a microwave oven or toaster at the top. You can even make it a cutting place where you can easily chop your veggies by standing up straight.

Other than that you can store cereals, snacks, munchies, crackers, and all that you want. I have short-listed some of the places from where I will surely get a mini fridge storage cabinet for myself.

 Spices Mason Jars

Women find spices to be the most interesting as well as difficult thing to differentiate. Spices have their unique texture and aroma that is needed to be preserved so that whenever needed we can get the spices fresh and ready to use to make the meal delicious. Storing them in mason jars is the new thing and labeling them can make your daily cooking quick and convenient.

These were some of the items that I am surely going to buy this Black Friday Sale. If you are planning to create your wish list you can also add these useful and handy items to help you carry-out you’re your daily routine activities.

Emailing your customers continues to be an important way to connect with them. Even though there are so many ways to get in touch, you’d be surprised at how many businesses still win using email. You can email updates, offers, and more to interest and keep your audience.

But to do that you’ll need a solid email marketing platform.

Let’s take a peek behind the curtain of one of the newer email platforms Flodesk.

 

What is Flodesk?

Flodesk launched as an email marketing platform built by creators, for creators. Its founders, Martha Bitars and Rebecca Shostak, designed Flodesk as an affordable alternative for small businesses and bloggers who prefer a “design-first” approach.

Readers will appreciate the eye-catching email templates and easy-to-use UI (user interface). Flodesk even offers automation sequences to keep your readers engaged, customizable form builder, and detailed analytics.

And best of all, you can get started in just minutes – no coding required!

 

Flodesk Review: Main Features 

As a newer platform, Flodesk is fairly light on features, instead focusing on the design elements of email marketing. That said, with upgrades rolling out every few months and a robust framework in place, it offers plenty of perks already.  

Built-in Email Templates 

Currently, Flodesk offers about 30 email templates for subscribers. While they’re simple and modern, they’re also sleek, relying on pictures and block formatting for a flow-down-the-page feel. 

Using the drag-and-drop editor, you can customize each template to focus on images or text as needed. Or you can layer both together to build something new and exciting using your own fonts and colors. 

But if Flodesk’s templates aren’t enough, the company frequently partners with content creators to design more. Plus, you can use their blank-slate editor to build your own from scratch!

Automated Workflows

In this fast-moving world, software that completes repetitive (but essential) tasks can save you tons of time. Using Flodesk’s drag-and-drop editor, you can design workflows in seconds and shave hours off your week. And with four customizable templates to choose from, you can advertise, welcome, nurture, and convert with ease!

 

Flodesk Form Builder 

Eye-catching landing pages are an integral part of email marketing. And while Flodesk doesn’t provide designated landing pages, you can use their attractive form builder to create:

• Website pop-ups
• Embeddable forms
• Forms packed with all manner of fonts, colors, pictures, and links
• Your own call-to-action buttons

And all of this occurs in Flodesk’s minimalist, user-friendly interface. 

 

Simple – Yet Robust – Analytics

Flodesk also offers an analytics dashboard to tie the whole platform together. From here, you can look at an email campaign’s deliverability, opens, click-throughs, and bounce rate. Additionally, you can organize information by user device, check link performance, and resend unopened emails at the click of a button. 

 

Flodesk Pros

An email marketing platform is only as useful as its tools. While Flodesk is new, it’s also optimized for its target demographic: design-first entrepreneurs and small businesses. 

 

Clean, Code-Free UI

You can use Flodesk with ease whether you’re a computer expert or an email marketing newbie. And you won’t have to learn HTML or CSS to get started, removing a crucial barrier for many non-tech-savvy users. 

But just because you don’t have to code doesn’t mean Flodesk can’t produce a clean product – for you or your readers. Whether you focus on email creation, form building, or workflow design, Flodesk provides a slick interface packed with automations.

 

Gorgeous Templates

Flodesk prides itself on sleek, modern, conversion-driving emails. While its template library is limited, each is fully customizable with the drag-and-drop editor. 

And thanks to their image-focused block-style format, Flodesk emails draw your readers’ attention right where you want it. Rather than crowding out your emails with details, you can nurture leads with messages that are simple and gorgeous. 

 

The Flodesk Community

Flodesk provides plenty of assistance to guide entrepreneurs to success. 

To start, the Flodesk Help Center is jam-packed with information on setting up your account, creating workflows, email and form design, and more. If you have a question on a topic that’s not covered, you can submit a help ticket or peruse the Flodesk Insiders Facebook Group. 

But Flodesk doesn’t just want you to succeed at making attractive emails; they want you to succeed, period. That’s why they created Flodesk University, a community for professionals to share insights in short, information-packed videos. 

Continual Feature Rollout

Because of its pared-down approach, some creators find that Flodesk doesn’t offer enough tools for their needs. And, as a newer platform, Flodesk is still missing some features that even minimalists find necessary for their email campaigns. 

That said, Bitars and Shostak roll out new features and upgrades frequently, meaning that Flodesk’s punch gets more powerful all the time. 

For example, Flodesk reports that landing page functionality is coming soon. Plus, their content partners regularly create new templates for their library. 

 

Unlimited Everything – Forever 

Flodesk only offers one pricing plan: $38 per month, or $418 per year. According to Flodesk, this price includes “Unlimited everything, forever.”  That means that you’ll never have to worry about price hikes due to new features or your growing email list. 

 

Flodesk Cons

New toys are shiny and fun – but in Flodesk’s case, some functions are still under development. And while Flodesk is rolling toward becoming a full-service email marketing service, some features remain sorely lacking.  

Steep Price Entry Point

We noted Flodesk’s one price for life policy above. While you won’t face sudden price hikes, $38 per month is steep for minimal features – especially for small email lists. 

Lack of Advanced Features 

Unfortunately, though Flodesk has some plans in the works, their newness means that they lack some advanced features. 

For instance, there’s no dedicated landing page builder; you have to use their generic form builder. And if you need more advanced workflows, increasingly segmented email lists, or in-depth analytics, you’re out of luck – at least for now.  

Design Constraints

Flodesk offers nearly three dozen templates and a blank slate to design your own emails. But you’ll still have to work within the limitations of their platform, including their limited color palette, a mere handful of fonts, and maximum image sizes.  

Not Built for Mobile Use

Flodesk doesn’t offer a mobile app, which can prove prohibitive if you work primarily from a tablet. And though you can view your analytics on mobile, all new content must originate from a desktop device. 

 

Few Integrations 

Lastly, Flodesk only integrates with a handful of platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, Google, Slack, Shopify, and WordPress. And while you can link with Zapier, buying another membership can substantially increase your costs. 

 

 

Flodesk: Is It Worth It?

Flodesk is an email marketing platform for those who value the look of their campaigns. Though it offers a minimal feature palate, the service’s robust automations, built-in templates and form builder, and regular feature upgrades and rollouts make it an attractive option for:

• Design-first entrepreneurs
• Small businesses with simple needs
• Bloggers with a large email base who don’t want to pay for unneeded features

Flodesk costs $38 per month, or $418 per year (with one month free). But if you’re not sure whether Flodesk will suit your needs, they offer a one-month free trial – no credit card required! 

And though $38 per month is steep for smaller email lists, the company states that you get “unlimited everything, forever.” That means that as you grow, the platform’s features (but not their price) will grow with you.