Alexis Kestler
As a data analyst and technology geek, I love analyzing trends and popular phenomena on the internet. And one trend that has totally captivated online audiences in recent years is the explosive popularity of alignment charts.
If you‘re active on social media, you‘ve likely seen these simple 3×3 grids comparing characters, brands, or anything else along the spectra of "lawful/chaotic" and "good/evil". They‘re used to spark debate, analyze personalities, and create viral memes.
In this guide, I‘ll give you a deep dive on the fascinating evolution of alignment charts online. I‘ll also showcase some of the best free tools you can use to easily make alignment charts for business, social media or just for fun. Let‘s get started!
The Origins of Alignment Charts
While alignment charts dominate social feeds today, they arose decades ago from the nerdiest of sources – tabletop role playing games like Dungeons & Dragons.
In D&D, players take on the role of fantasy characters embarking on epic adventures. Alignment charts were introduced in the 1970s as a way for players to clearly define their character‘s moral and ethical dispositions.
The original alignment spectrum had two axes:
- Good vs Evil (morality)
- Lawful vs Chaotic (ethics)
This created 9 distinct alignments:
Gary Gygax, the co-creator of D&D, once called the alignment system "one of the best innovations in D&D". It lent a sense of order and internal consistency to how players acted out their characters‘ motivations.
Over the various editions of D&D, alignments evolved with new names like "neutral", "unaligned", or "moral" and "impulsive". But the basic 3×3 grid has remained the same for almost 50 years now.
So how did this nerdy RPG mechanic make the leap online to dominate social media? Read on to find out!
The Viral Rise of Alignment Charts Online
Though alignment charts originated with D&D, the concept was too useful to stay confined to tabletop gaming. The ubiquitous 3×3 grid, labeled axes, and definable character alignments created the perfect formula for comparisons, rankings and debates.
Online forums in the 2000s started using makeshift alignment charts to discuss everything from politics to favorite bands. But the real inflection point came with the rise of meme culture in the 2010s.
Suddenly alignment charts exploded across the web – comparing pop culture figures, brands, food preferences and anything else imaginable.
Their carefully categorized structure lent itself perfectly to meme creation. The familiar 3×3 grid was engaging and easy to recreate. And seeing beloved characters plotted on the grids sparked instant reaction and debate.
For evidence of how rapidly alignment charts took over, just look at this Google Trends chart:
Searches for "alignment chart" absolutely skyrocketed over the last 5 years as memes and social media adopted the format. Pretty impressive growth for an old RPG concept!
A scan of alignment chart mentions and hashtags on social reveals just how popular they still are:
- Over 190,000 Instagram posts with #alignmentchart
- Over 700,000 alignment chart related Tweets
- 55,000 subreddit posts mention "alignment chart"
Businesses and brands have taken notice too. Alignment charts are an easy way for companies to tap into the viral meme appeal and drive engagement.
For example, streaming services like Netflix have created alignment charts comparing their own TV show characters:
Brands also create alignment chartscategorizing competing products, analyzing their customers, or just for funny social posts.
With the ongoing popularity of alignment charts, I wanted to examine some of the best free online tools available for easily creating your own. Keep reading for the full analysis!
Lucidspark Alignment Chart Maker
Lucidspark comes from the makers of Lucidchart and offers intuitive online diagramming. It has a simple pre-built alignment chart template.
Features
- 3×3 grid with clearly labeled alignments
- Color coded boxes
- Drag and drop image uploads
- Integrated image search
- GIPHY integration
- Real-time collaboration
Lucidspark makes alignment chart creation easy and collaborative. To start, just open the template and drag in images or search for relevant ones. Customize titles, rearrange items, and share – no design experience needed!
Here‘s an example chart I created comparing tech company CEOs:
Lucidspark is ideal for easily creating image-based charts for social media thanks to handy features like integrated image search and GIPHY . The collaborative options also make it perfect for distributed teams.
It does require a paid Lucidspark subscription starting at $5/month for full functionality. But they offer free limited accounts too.
Miro Alignment Chart Template
Miro is a versatile online whiteboard platform often used for workshops, design sprints, and collaboration.
Miro provides a handy and completely customizable alignment chart template. You can edit axis labels, choose from thousands of icons, and drag and drop to populate the grid.
Features
- Editable 3×3 grid template
- Massive library of visual assets
- Color coding options
- Real-time collaboration
- Customizable axis labels
Take a look at this example chart I created comparing several productivity methods:
Miro gives you tremendous flexibility to customize an alignment chart to your exact specifications. It‘s fantastic for teams collaborating on detailed charts thanks to features like live co-editing.
Miro does require a paid account starting at $8/month for personal use. But they offer free teacher and student plans.
Adobe Creative Cloud Express
For creating polished, professional alignment charts, Adobe Creative Cloud Express is a top choice.
Adobe Creative Cloud offers beautifully designed templates, powerful image editing tools, and robust asset libraries.
Features
- Numerous 3×3 chart template options
- Advanced image editor and effects
- Massive library of graphics, videos, icons
- Drag and drop creation
- Image filters and text styling
Check out this sleek example chart I made comparing social media platforms:
With Adobe Creative Cloud, you can create print-ready alignment charts thanks to the professionally designed templates and advanced editing capabilities.
It does have more of a learning curve than simpler tools. And a paid Creative Cloud subscription is required starting at $9.99/month. But for graphic design work, Adobe Creative Cloud is hard to beat.
TierMaker Alignment Chart Maker
If you just need a super simple chart, check out TierMaker. It‘s a basic pre-filled 3×3 grid perfect for fast chart creation.
Features
- Pre-filled 3×3 grid
- Editable text labels
- Add images/icons
- PNG download
For example, here‘s a simple chart comparing animals I created:
TierMaker won‘t win any design awards, but it‘s great for fast and basic alignment chart creation with no required account or downloads.
Kapwing Alignment Chart Maker
Kapwing is an online media editor for video, GIFs, memes and more. It has an alignment chart maker with easy drag and drop image uploading and resizing.
Features
- Customizable 3×3 chart template
- Upload your own images
- Drag and drop image editing
- Basic text labels
- Meme creation tools
Take a look at this restaurant comparison chart I assembled:
Kapwing is designed with meme creators in mind. It‘s easy to quickly populate a template with images and captions. No account needed!
The chart customization and image quality is more limited than other tools though. And there‘s a watermark on free downloads.
Creating Your Own Viral Alignment Chart
Hopefully this guide has shown how easy it is to harness the tremendous popularity of alignment charts for your own purposes.
The key is finding a compelling idea or comparison to showcase – maybe contrasting product features, analyzing target customers, examining brand reputations, or just creating entertaining pop culture commentary.
Use the classic lawful/chaotic and good/evil axes or customize your own like silly/serious and inspire/provoke. Get creative and tailor your chart to the audience.
Now that you‘re armed with this expert knowledge on quickly spinning up free online alignment charts, it‘s time to make one that engages your followers and maybe even goes viral!
