: Creating a schematic diagram of an experiment I am looking to create a experimental schematic similar to this image, and am wondering what graphic design program I should use. Here are

@Kimberly620

Mondrian is a free vector graphics web app like Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape, and runs in your browser mondrian.io/.

It's open-source. So if you're into lasers and technical stuff, you can build your own copy via Github.

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@Deb5748823

I'm surprised that no one mentioned Microsoft Powerpoint.... To me, it looks like that was the program it was made with based on the border thicknesses, that all the shapes are readily available in the insert shape menu, and has the same default font as powerpoint.

Even if it was not made with this program, Powerpoint is a great program for simple graphics like the above. I am a student in the engineering/sciences and Powerpoint is widely used for presentations, posters, and papers. The upside is that it's pretty easy to learn and available all over the place

The downside is that it is limited to simpler graphics and it is pretty expensive if you are not planning to use the rest of the programs in Microsoft Office's bundle.

Just a thought, I know this thread is old, but it might help someone somewhere!

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@Barnes313

Option 1

Inkscape as already suggested if you don't intend to use it often or want to spend several 100 dollars.



Option 2

Buy the design edition of Adobe CS6. I say buy the design package because at the rate of just purchasing Illustrator it is a waste. You can buy the design package which would include Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and Acrobat. You could always find someone with an old copy or key they are not using and go that route.



Option 3

It would be a great time to learn CSS3 shapes and maybe even add some animation. Just a quick example of shapes here

Any solution may prove timely but it really all depends on what you plan to get out of it or time you want to invest.

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@Shelley591

"Easy to use" is a bit of a challenge is that's going to depend on a whole lot of criteria.

That said, I'd suggest Inkscape. It's open source, so is no cost to give it a try. It's not as robust as Adobe Illustrator, so would argue that it's simpler to learn. And it can certainly save out in many formats, including it's native format SVG.

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