In case you are not aware, infographics are visual representations of (often complicated) information, knowledge and/or data. Infographics are extremely useful for quickly explaining and conceptualising facts that would take far longer to clarify in words. Also, digesting information is usually far easier when images and colours are involved.
Only problem is, infographics have become such a popular way of presenting facts and figures to audiences that now the whole internet is littered with them! So how can your ensure that your own infographics stand out from the others on the web? Breaking down the process of designing an infographic into the following five steps is a good place to start:
Designing an infographic is like designing anything. Whilst it may be tempting to start drawing elaborate sketches of your designs right away, you would be far better off drafting a few skeleton flow charts containing the information you wish to include within your infographic first only. This will help to keep your final design as neat and simple as possible.
Choosing the right colour scheme is also important. People often think that infographics should be limited to two or three colours only. You can actually use as many as you like, as long as this is justified by assigning colours to represent different things. Do not add colours unnecessarily.
There are two types of graphics used in infographics; a theme graphic and additional reference graphics. The theme graphic is imperative for showing the user what information the rest of the infographic exists to describe. The reference graphics are not essential but exist in order to illustrate a the main point (SEE IMAGE at the bottom of this post). You will need to design your theme graphic and then decide if reference graphics are required for the information you are trying to demonstrate.
You must also decide which parts of your research and data are most relevant for the audience your infographic is intended for. Sifting out unnecessary information will make your design simpler and will aid your attempt to get your point across.
Knowledge is power and the way in which you choose to share knowledge can also be powerful. Putting the theme graphic in the centre is a popular option but many choose to work to a left to right model (again, SEE IMAGE BELOW).
My favourite demographic that I have seen recently has to be one that I found in the subscribers only VIP section on the Last.FM website. It is called “Balloon Race” and clearly shows how my listening habits have changed in the last year (though the timeframe can be conveniently changed to whatever I want). It is clear that although I have been listening to far more tracks by Deftones in the last year, Reuben and mewithoutYou are still my most listened to artists overall.
Infographic taken from Last.FM
Author Bio: Kat Cole is a copywriter for a compensation claims company by day and an avid guitar player by night. Despite her job, she has never thought to file an accident compensation claim whenever she has been injured in a mosh pit!
Authors bio is coming up shortly.
