Basic Functions of a Timeline Maker
There are countless online tools and downloadable software to help you design a timeline from scratch. That being said, a timeline maker must have some basic functions covered for it to be worth using. Some tools are too complex for anyone to use and some even lack the fundamental components to make the perfect illustration. Let’s dig through some of the more basic operations that every timeline maker must have.
Defining the scale - the most basic function of a timeline maker
If your software can’t define the timescale for your project, then it isn’t a timeline. This is especially true for illustrations utilising chronology and history. Whether you're designing one that spans a few months for a construction project or one that spans millions of years focusing on the Jurassic Period, any software should allow you to define the scale with the start and end points.
Granted, some graphics won’t require a strict chronology. A teacher could create an illustration showing the steps and processes for starting a business. This graphic won’t have rigid time frames, but it will have an aesthetic scale showing through the design. What this means is that the different steps will be equally spaced out, for instance, unless the teacher chooses an entirely creative approach to her visual aid.
Adding text
An illustration with a proper scale is meaningless unless there is text to explain the different points on it. Every timeline maker must allow its users to add headings and text so that a viewer can identify information at a glance in very little time.
The software you use, whether it’s on a mobile device or desktop, should have customisable fonts and font sizes so that designers can make the right decisions for the graphic. Text should be clear and readable, but it should also look easy on the eyes. Most points on a graphic will have a heading in larger text to draw your attention to the main point, with a paragraph explaining things a little further.
Uploading images
Images aren’t a necessity for most illustrations, but they always add a nice touch. People are visual creatures more likely to remember what they see than what they read. A timeline maker with uploading capabilities for photos is on its way to being a great one.
Just like a paragraph of text adds meaning to the heading attached to it, images can also provide more value. If you’re making a diagram of Leonardo da Vinci’s life, one point on it will be when the artist painted the Mona Lisa. The text will flesh out the background and being able to see the painting will make the point increasingly recognisable.
Images are a universal language. As one of our previous blog posts made clear, timelines are a vital learning tool for students with language barriers. If an art teacher is tackling da Vinci in class and there are some children with language difficulties, a diagram with pictures like the Mona Lisa will help bridge the gap. The image helps explain the text and vice versa.
Choosing colour
Colour schemes are critical to any timeline maker. A perfect combination of colour will make the scale, text, and pictures pop out just right. If we stick with the Leonardo da Vinci example and have a graphic with his images and his paintings, we’d want to use colours that matched those photos and the period he lived in. A strong, vibrant pink is not going to cut it. Warmer tones with brown and beige, matching the paper and parchment of the time would be ideal. If you know a little about colour theory, it can help.
Colour also becomes vital when it comes to highlighting and separating components, especially for student and business projects. A construction company could create a graphic showing how much time each group of workers is to spend on a new building. There’ll be different start and end times for the cement mixers, and their duration bar on the scale could be brown. The electricians would have a different schedule, and their bar could be blue, for instance.
Picking templates
These tools aren’t just for experienced designers. The developers want to make their product accessible to beginners, so most of them have pre-installed templates. A template is loaded with formatted design components so that you only need to follow a “plug and play” method.
You can adjust the scale, text, images, and colour scheme of the timeline, but the primary visual components remain intact.
Key takeaways
It can be difficult finding the right timeline maker, especially with so many of them around. Your job then is to narrow the field of options by seeing if they have the functions mentioned above. Our app ticks all the boxes and does more. While it covers the basics, you can also upload video and audio in addition to images.
You can choose from multiple templates and create an unlimited timescale, panning and zooming to adjust the period you’re looking at. See how it works here and download it from the App Store.