When you are running a marketing campaign or you’re designing the latest product for your company, you need to stay on track. This is why you need to create a timeline and get a better understanding of the sequence of events.
With a good timeline template and the tips below, making a timeline chart is actually easy. Check them out below.
Design Tips For Beginners
Tip #1: Use Color Codes.
Color coding is fun. It makes it easy to see the things you need in your timeline. It makes assigning tasks easier, too.
Apart from that, your team will be able to see which tasks they need to work on just by looking at the colors assigned to them. They won’t have to spend a long time trying to sort through a long list of names and tasks just to find out what they are supposed to do.
Tip#2: Add Images.
Timelines don’t have to be boring. In fact, you can actually add photos in the background to make your timeline more interesting.
There are a couple of tools that can help you with this. Venngage is one excellent example. It has a lot of stock images and timeline templates that even people with no experience in designing can use.
In picking images, it’s best to stick with photos that relate to what you are presenting. Also, try to use high-quality images as they can help create the right impression with your audience.
Tip #3: Make Icons.
If you are making a project timeline, you can add icons. This will make it easy for you to spot the documents you need.
Be careful when picking icons. As much as possible, choose those that relate to your presentation or theme. You can’t just pick random icons and use them in your design. They’ll just confuse your audience.
Tip #4: Create Emphasis.
Although you need to make your timeline organized and clean, it doesn’t mean that you need to make everything look the same throughout. Instead, try to create bigger and smaller aspects. This will allow you to emphasize important parts.
Tip #5: Add More Details.
Not all types of timeline templates will allow you to do this tip. For example, the traditional vertical and horizontal timelines don’t have a lot of space to accommodate a lot of information. If you are doing other types of timelines, try to add more of your main points.
Tip #6: Use The Right Layout.
Your message and your data are not the only things that matter when doing a timeline. To make an effective design, you have to pick the right layout. Consider what you are trying to communicate as well as your brand when choosing the layout.
If you have no extensive experience, it’s a good idea to pick a timeline template from a reliable tool. You can try starting with a blank timeline template. Starting from scratch will let you create a design that matches your preference, style, and business needs.
When doing your layout, it’s best to stick with something simple but valuable. As much as possible, avoid adding too many elements to your layout. Doing that will just leave your audience feeling overwhelmed and bored.
Timeline Template Examples You’ll Find Handy
To give you a clearer idea, here’s a list of timeline templates you can use as inspiration.
Vertical Timelines
These timelines are great because they allow you to see exactly what’s on your list. By making a vertical chart, scrolling up and down to keep track of your deadlines is easy.
Although there are a few ways you can do a vertical timeline, the most common is the chronological timeline. You’ve probably seen a lot of them in history books. They let you see important information that occurred on specific dates.
Event Timeline Template
As a marketer, you’ve probably felt overwhelmed by so much event planning you have to do these days. By using an event timeline template, you’ll be able to block specific times and not miss important activities.
Marketing Timeline Template
By creating a visual representation of your customer’s journey, you’ll be able to improve the customer experience. You can use a variety of icons to put emphasis and understand each step.
Simple Timeline Template
You don’t really need to use complicated templates to mark important milestones or plan a project. You can make a simple timeline template to recall important events or guide your team. It makes planning and processing a whole lot easier.
Construction Timeline Template
The construction industry experienced a lot of changes in the last couple of years. With these changes came improvements in building processes and organizing steps.
To avoid confusion, you can use a construction timeline template that plots your team’s schedule and shows the connections between the steps your team is taking. You can use color text boxes to mark each month.
It’s not enough to use a good timeline template to promote your business. You have to add your own touch by including images, icons, and colors that reflect your brand. Finding the right layout matters, too.