The types of data you’ve collected dictate how you’ll present them.

What key stats could be augmented by a quote from a researcher, student, or consumer? What bits of background information would provide better context for the info presented? The beauty of infographics, though, is that they can unite the statistical with the anecdotal to complete the story.

How can you make your data visualizations a more cohesive part of the picture? Instead of merely copying and pasting charts from Excel, make sure they use the same color scheme as the rest of the infographic.What was the most surprising discovery that your audiences will learn the most from? What will emotionally resonate with them, or spur them to take action or change everyday behaviors? What are the points that are most important to call out? Don’t just regurgitate the data - make it appealing to audiences.Once you bring your data visualizations into an infographic, consider the following: You may already be well-versed in translating data into handy visualizations (think chart functions in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets). Never make the reader do the heavy lifting of interpreting data, making their own comparisons, or formulating their own takeaways - call out key stats you want the reader to walk away with. Infographics don’t have to rely strictly on pie charts and bar graphs, but if you’ve gathered extensive numerical data, it should be presented in a simple and eye-catching way. What has your data uncovered that’s new and noteworthy? Is it worth bringing to people’s attention, or is it irrelevant or unsurprising? If you work in marketing or advertising, consider what pieces of information will influence behavior. For more complex sets of data (say, if you want to go beyond a mere timeline and examine the people, political forces, and demographic information about certain populations that all led up to an event or time period), you can group different types of data within a scheme to help people digest “chunks” of information piece by piece.Īn infographic can have an overarching design scheme (such as a historical timeline or side-by-side comparison), though many will contain mixed data sets that rely on visual groupings to make information more digestible.Ībove all, the element of surprise (or novel discovery) should be what drives your infographic. In certain cases, like a timeline of a historical event, a clear step-by-step process format likely makes the most sense. – Here’s how men and women responded differently to our dating app survey.Įach type of story can be translated into an overarching design scheme. – Here are two competing consumer products : how do they compare? – Here are the steps to develop your personal brand. – Learn the history of the combustion engine. – Thanks to your donations, here’s what the ALS Association has accomplished. – Here’s a persona of our average customer based on demographic statistics. ĭemographic Information / Personas: Getting to Know a Population – If you thought sharks were the deadliest animals, think again. Surprising Facts / Challenging the Status Quo – Here’s how information travels from your computer to data centers. – Here’s what climate change means for Africa and Asia. Here are some of the stories you can tell using infographics:

A good infographic lets you know at a glance what story is being told, without having to spend extra time reading, interpreting, and drawing your own conclusions. Whatever your industry or topic of choice, you want to convey information in a way that’s punchy and memorable - something that raises awareness and helps surface illuminating bits of data that often get buried in text. Infographics are designed to highlight an overarching theme or umbrella concept, supported by statistics that help paint a richer and more detailed picture. Whether you’re helping people understand the complexities of cryptocurrency, or simply want a more visually engaging way to explain an apple pie recipe, understanding the basics of infographic design will give you a leg up in visual communications of any kind. No matter what you’re using an infographic to explain, the methods you use are at the crux of good design - breaking complex ideas down into a visually pleasing, quickly digestible format. Infographics are a key tool in the arsenal of any designer, marketer, brand or research firm.

Infographic icons gun