Infographics are an important part of your marketing plan. Even if you just have some vital information you want to get out to your customers, an infographic will stand out as one of the key elements of your brand. For that reason, you need to make sure it conveys what you need it to communicate and combines big data with stunning graphics.
How to make a good infographic: 9 essential tips
You don’t want to overdo the graphical impact, but the best business infographics need to be artistically attractive for people to see it. We’ve scoured the web for some incredible infographic design tips who deal with graphic designing either directly or indirectly and we came up with these nine infographic best practices from experts that may help.
Have focused data in your infographic
Infographics are meant to give the reader valuable information. So you should have relevant data from reputable sources that they can use. You should always fact-check all information before building infographics. Tiffany Farrant-Gonzalez, who works with infographics a lot for online businesses, says that data is the focus on the infographic. If your data is untrustworthy, your infographic will be too.
If there is significant information in your infographic, you should credit your sources so that people do not get the idea that it is from your original research. Always give credit where credit is due with important data.
Have a clear design
Graphics are important to your infographic. Infographics are a visual medium. Graphics are the first thing that catches the reader’s eye. So it’s important to use a color that is dynamic but not overdone. Limit your color palette to a few key colors such as red, blue, and yellow or choose a color theme.
Use simple graphics that are relevant to your data
According to Easel.ly, a blog that focuses on the design and composition of infographics, data visualizations are only used on around 53% of infographics. But it is one of the most important elements of the design.
A great infographic conveys critical information “in a glance” and saves people a lot of time in gathering the information they are after. One image should be enough to communicate the central idea.
The graphics and numerical data should also match, and you should follow standards regarding the size. The standard for image width is 735 pixels.
Have a shareable story
Like any visual element, your infographic should focus on a “why” question. Combine rational and emotive responses by sharing information that is evocative in nature.
Once you pose the question, you should focus on answering the question well within the infographic. Infographics attract almost 450% more interactions than typical posts, and this is usually because there is a great story behind the graphics.
Use as little text as possible
Remember that an infographic is about visual data. It is not meant to be an essay based on the text. Limit your text as much as possible and make it accent the images. Too much text makes people wonder why you didn’t call it an essay or blog.
Make your file size as small as possible
Remember that the result of an infographic is an image file that you hope people will want to share. Make it small enough that it is easily downloadable and that people can place or embed in social media or other places without too much trouble. If you make the file too big, it will cause them to have trouble saving, uploading, or sharing it with others.
Combine visual impact with big data
Michael Estrin, who is a freelance blogger and writes for imediaconnection.com states on his blog that you should strive to combine visual imagery with big data. Infographics, ideally, are a combination of both and should stand alone so that people can get the information they need without reading too much text.
Have a great style and theme
Entrepreneur Magazine states that there are 7 great signs of a good infographic.
- Story– As mentioned before, the story is an important part of the communication of data by an infographic. You should focus on the story and let the graphics tell that story in a way that attracts people without overdoing text.
- Style– Style is important when it comes to infographics. This can include the theme and this should revolve around the ideas that you are trying to convey within the graphics.
- Simplicity– Keeping it simple, as the saying goes, will keep you focused on the most important elements of the graphic. Don’t try to say too much in one infographic. Ask yourself what key takeaway you want people to get from the message.
- Size– The size should follow standards for infographics (no more than 735 pixels in width).
- Stats– Statistics help convey important, relevant information to your target audience about your topic. They are the “big data” part of the infographic and should be illustrated with colorful graphs that attract attention.
- Shareability– You need the infographic to be something that people will want to share so that you can get the message in front of as many people as possible.
- Source– Make sure your sources for your data are credible and don’t forget to credit anyone whom you quote on your graphic to stay legal.
For more tips on making a great style and theme for your infographic, be sure to read our 37 infographic design ideas article.
Make it social
One of the most important parts of creating an infographic today is to make it social-media friendly. You should remember that people will likely share your infographic on social media more than any other place when they see something they like. Therefore, it should be compatible with the social media platforms that most people share to, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit, to name a few. Test out your infographic on these platforms before you post it on your page. Make sure that the size is compatible with the social media standards so that it will look good on social media.
Canva, a popular graphic image editing program, has a statistic on their blog that reminds us of the importance of infographics. They state that 90% of information that our brains take in is visual. This is a staggering statistic, and this means that we need to be producing visual content of all kinds like infographics, videos, and pictures most of the time if you want to create the kind of hype we need for your brand.
In summary, all of these techniques are good tips from top authority blogs on how to maximize the impact of your infographic in the biggest way possible. Making your image the focus, telling a great story, and creating stunning visual impact are among the most important aspects of building a powerful infographic.
In other words, you should not just create an infographic for the sake of having one. Focus on the data first and the message you wish to convey then build your infographic around that.
About Infographic Design Team
At InfographicDesignTeam.com, we have been helping companies build dynamic infographics for a long time. It’s what we do. We understand all of the elements of a successful infographic and how to maximize the power to increase your ROI and build brand credibility.
We understand that it’s about the central message. Using powerful and colorful graphics and big data, we can combine this information into one graphical image that people will want to read, see, and share.
For more information on how we can help, contact us.
