This document provides 12 tips for designing better infographics. It defines infographics as data visualizations that make data easy to understand at a glance and are very persuasive by telling a story. Some key tips include transforming words into visuals like charts and icons, selecting the appropriate infographic type like timelines or comparing/contrasting, using the right chart types, making design choices about typography, color, balance, consistency, and negative space. It also recommends tools for creating infographics.
6. What’s an Infographic?
Data Visualization
Make data easy to
understand at a
glance
Be very persuasive
Tell a story
7. Prepare an Infographic
Gather your information (data, facts, figures, &
research)
Create narrative & images (beginning, middle, &
end)
Story dictates the design
1.
8.
9. Transform Words
Use imagery as much as possible
Charts, tables, graphs
Icons
Icon Resources:
Icon Finder
Vecteezy
Noun project
Flat Icon
Iconmonstr
Edit in Photoshop or Illustrator usually
2.
12. Select “Type” of
Infographic
Comparing & Contrasting
Visualize pros & cons, wrong
& right way to do something,
highlighting similarities &
differences between 2 ideas
3.
19. Typography
Limit font types to 2, 3 maximum
Select 1 headline font for titles & sub headings
Select 1 typeface for body text
Avoid decorative or script type
Match typeface with theme
Design Elements6.
20. Design Elements
Typography – Headline
Make headline bold & big
Pay attention to contrast with background color
Emphasize number of points
Pose a question
6.
21. Typography – Sources in Footer
Credit sources to enforce legitimacy of statistics
Design Elements6.
22. Photography
Stock images can look uncreative & cheesy
Photos need consistent style & lighting
Same backdrops, dark areas, etc.
7.
28. Color Choices
Use 1 or 2 main colors & only 1 or 2 accents
Seen on screen, so avoid neon colors
Helpful tools:
Adobe Color CC (https://color.adobe.com/)
Coolors (https://coolors.co)
COLOURlovers (http://www.colourlovers.com)
10.
29. Consistency
Use same style of icons: filled in icons vs. line art
icons
Use fonts & color scheme consistently too
11.
30. Negative Space
Keep blank space
surrounding objects
Don’t overwhelm readers
Don’t make it hard to read
12.
31. Practice, Practice,
Practice - Infographic
Creators
Canva (https://www.canva.com)
Piktochart (https://piktochart.com/)
Easel.ly (https://www.easel.ly/)
Infogram (make charts using data in Excel
file like system) (https://infogram.com/)
Venngage (https://venngage.com/)
Visualize (create infographic resume)
Google charts (great for websites)
(https://developers.google.com/chart/)
32. In-Class Activity
Use the tips you learned today to create an
infographic that visually tells your audience
how to design a infographic
Sketch the infographic before you design it
on computer
Who is your audience?
What information is most important to your
audience?
What visuals can you use?
Notas del editor
Simply, an infographic is information graphics, visually interpreted information or data also known as data visualization. It's a great way to turn a complicated or confusing subject into an easily digestible and aesthetically pleasing experience for the viewer. It can be a brilliantly effective way of marketing a product, promoting an experience, educating and raising awareness of any subject you can think of. A great design can engage and captivate and inspire people to action. In this information age when there is so much information to digest and compete with each other, an image, clever
use of typography and a well thought out narrative can tell that story much quicker and more effectively.
Some clients will approach you with a well thought out brief, all the content and data researched and edited and ready
to go. Some might even have a rough wire frame, colour palettes sorted and supply you with a lovely set of brand
guidelines and off you go.
It's helpful to get to thinking about how to tell a story with the data. An infographic needs a narrative and a fow. Essentially you are creating a visual
journey through a particular subject and with every story we need a beginning, middle and an end.
Read everything thoroughly and put some extra time in doing some research of your own into the subject before you start. Even if it's a subject you know vaguely about, it's important to know what you're communicating as it'll impact on tone of voice and the style of the imagery you create. In other cases you may get approached by a client who is not entirely aware of what an infographic is, know that they should be using them but only have a vague idea of what they need. In this case, the designer turns into researcher, editor, copywriter and project manager. These are the most exciting infographics to work on but are definitely the most challenging.
Having a clear message will result in a successful infographic. Make sure your story is ready to go when you begin your wireframes, you should
never start designing until you know what you’re trying to say. The story should dictate the design, not the other way around.
For example, take a look at the infographic created for Maytech. Titled 'Do you know where your data is?', the aim was to raise awareness among IT professionals and company directors about the importance of monitoring data sharing and updating security policies. So, the beginning is an introduction to data, how we create it, how much we create, where it comes from and a bit of history. The middle is where all this data is stored and who is storing it and the dangers of not knowing where the data is. The end is the future outlook and the posing of the question, 'do you know where your data is?’
There is a clear flow and narrative. Before beginning the design process and you have all your content and your story mapped, design it on paper! Sort though your content, and edit, edit, edit until you have your story and then arrange into sections. Clearly defined sections.
This is such an important process and always best to get the content & design signed off before you begin the design. There's nothing worse than spending hours on a design, creating intricate bespoke illustrations only to find your client isn't happy with the content. If needed, give the client and idea of color palette and image style you intend to use too, before you start! It's also a good idea to find out if there are any brand guidelines you need to adhere to!
Now you have your wire frame approved its time to start converting that text and data into visuals. It's a case of show don't tell. This can definitely be tricky and occasionally you may need a brief explanation to go along with your images. However, try and transform as much as you can into imagery. In some instances the subject matter will dictate how much this is possible.
A big reason why infographics are so successful is, as mentioned earlier, their use of visuals to communicate. So, when designing infographics, look for symbols in order to communicate.
So, you’ve collected your information, have a basic idea of your narrative, now comes the point where you decide how you present and organize your information There are a lot of infographic ‘types’, so take your time, explore different options and find which is best for your topic. But for now, let’s run over a few common types and applications.
Timelines are a very familiar format to many people, so chances are everyone will know how to navigate through your design. Plus, they’re a great tool for creating a more linear narrative for your topic. Some other uses for timelines are:
Explaining the history of something, e.g. the origin of a brand
Representing the evolution of something, e.g. an artistic movement
Putting a lot of information into a simple and easy to manage order
Alphabetizing information is a tried and tested method in many fields, but what about infographics? A trend in some infographics is to present your data alphabetically. While this method is by no means for everybody and every topic, it is good for:
Adding some structure to a very general topic
Catching consumers’ eyes and drawing in interest
Can put a new spin on an old topic
Check out this alphabetized infographic by Steven Lowe, appropriately called ‘The ABCs of Landing Pages’.
Comparing two opposing ideas or concepts is a great way to explain two ideas/concepts/elements quickly and simply. Comparative infographics work wonders for any topics where you are:
Visualizing pros and cons
Showing the wrong and right way to do something
Highlighting similarities and differences between two ideas/elements
The type of data you are trying to convey will determine which chart type you choose. To decide which type of chart would best convey your data, you first have to determine what kind of data you want to present: a single important number? A comparison between data points? A trend over time? An outlier?
A good rule of thumb is that your charts should be easy enough to read that it only takes readers ten second or less to understand. The types of charts most commonly used in infographics are pie chart, bar graphs, column graphs, and line charts.
For example, a column graph is one of the easiest ways to compare data.
And to convey a trend over time, the most common type of chart to use is a line chart.
The typefaces we use within any design are so important and can be the difference between a great design and a giant headache for your viewer. Try to limit the fonts your use to two, three at the very maximum. Choose one headline font suitable for your titles and sub headings and one clean, legible typeface for any smaller body text/notes.
If you need a third, it would probably be for things like extra facts dotted around the infographic or perhaps for super important stats you want to draw attention to even further. Too many typefaces can easily confuse the eye and make it difficult to decide where to look first and disrupt the flow and the narrative. Be selective and use the font family to divide information and content appropriately.
Take the time
to really do your infographic justice by creating an eye-catching and effective title. Let’s look at some techniques
to help you get the most out of your headline.
Make It Big and Bold
Give your audience no chance but to know what your infographic is about. Big letters and a bold typeface can
help make your title pop. Pay attention to the contrast of your type and background colours as well, if you had a
big title in a mint green color on a light blue background, your contrast would be low, and not attract as much
attention.
Emphasize The Number Of Points
Is your infographic a list of solutions or steps? Consider emphasizing the number of steps/tips/items your
infographic has to offer to draw people in.
This technique is great for setting your infographic apart from others’ – do you have more tips than others? Do
you promise fewer steps to achieve a certain goal? Flaunt that figure and entice readers in.
Pose A Question
Propose a question to your audience that your infographic will help to answer in order to immediately immerse your audience in the infographic.
Make sure all of the information that will be going into your infographic is credible. Just like all of those papers you had to write in school, your
infographic is only as credible as its least credible source. Don’t get yourself into trouble by displaying inaccurate information.
The use of photography can be tricky if there is not a photographer available to take the shots of exactly what you need. There are ways to work around not
having a photographer at hire by using royalty free images from places like Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/) or Unsplash (https://unsplash.com/). The
only risk is that using stock images can look uncreative and, frankly, cheesy.
That's why you need to take care when deciding which images to use. Be sure that the photos you use have a consistent style and lighting. Try to pick
photos with the same lighting effects, same backdrops, same amount of dark areas, etc. It is important to stick to a certain style as images that clearly don’t fit the set will distract from the information being communicated.
Bump up the contrast. Contrast is an important element of design, and infographics are no exception. In short, the higher your contrast, the more legible and readable your infographic will be. So when it comes time to design your infographic, ensure you choose fonts, images, and colors with a good amount of contrast.
In terms of font size, a header is usually the largest text on an infographic, followed by the subheader and then the body copy. The header should pretty much always be the largest point size so that the viewer knows the subject of your infographic right off the bat.
Use a tinted image contrasted with a chart overtop to add context.
Keep your color palette small. Two to three colors is generally regarded as the sweet spot for a clean and sophisticated color palette, but you may need more or less. Add or subtract colors as you need, but do it purposefully.
Try pairing complementary colors to make your headline pop. One of my favorite combinations is a darker blue with a brighter color like orange which
makes your headline stand out.
An infographic with visual balance is pleasing to the eyes because everything fits together seamlessly. A balanced infographic keeps the entire composition
cohesive, especially in a long form infographic (https://venngage.com/blog/infographic-design-long-form-infographictemplates/).
If there are heavy visuals on the top of an infographic, you should keep the flow going right to the bottom.
There are two types of balance: symmetrical and asymmetrical.
Symmetrical balance is when each side of the composition has equal weight. This layout is effective in a comparison infographic.
Asymmetrical balance is more natural and less uniform than a symmetrical composition. It creates a more complex relationship between objects.
(https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2015/06/design-principlescompositional-balance-symmetry-asymmetry/) It can make an infographic more dynamic since the composition is not repeated excessively.
When choosing your color scheme, decide on the tone of your infographic. Is it a business infographic? If so, try using neutral colors like blue or green, or, of
course, your brand colors (https://venngage.com/blog/venngage-for-business/).
For fun, eye popping infographics, use brighter hues, but be careful not to use large amounts dark or neon colors as they can be straining to the eyes when
viewed on the web.
Color can also be used as a sectional tool. Add blocks of color to section your infographic, giving the eye some breathing room as viewers scroll down.
Here are a couple of helpful tools on the web to help you choose a color palette.
In order for your infographic design to flow from start to finish, the design elements need to be consistent (http://blog.invisionapp.com/consistent-design/).
If you are using icons that are filled in, rather than line art icons, then keep using the same style throughout the entire infographic.
The same goes for the style of images you use, the font style, and the color palette. This will prevent your infographic from looking cluttered, and will actually make it easier to read.
Negative space is the blank space surrounding objects in a design. It is important to let the information breathe. The more white space the less the viewer feels overwhelmed. Don’t overcrowd. Stay organized, and it will make a cleaner design, which is more approachable and easier to follow.
