How to Make an Effective Infographic
If you are struggling to convey a complex idea or point to your readers, you can use an infographic. An infographic, short for "information graphic," is an image designed to display facts, statistics and other knowledge through the use of visual elements. By using visual elements such as graphs and charts, you can break down complex ideas that can be understood by the majority of readers. Infographics are found on the Web, as well as in newspapers and magazines. There are a few characteristics that many successful infographics share, and you can use these same characteristics to create your own effective infographics.
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Instructions
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Design the infographic using simple and tasteful aesthetics. An infographic that isn't visually pleasing will not keep the viewer's attention long enough to convey the information you are presenting, and an ugly design may outright repel viewers. Change the background to separate different areas of the infographic as a subtle clue that the subject matter is changing, like the way a film changes the background music to indicate a new scene. Keep your charts and graphs uncluttered and easy to read.
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Incorporate color into your infographic to make the visual elements stand out. Use a complimentary color scheme to helps highlight important information. Avoid bright, clashing colors as well as dull gray and mauve color schemes. Use an online color scheme tool to choose complimentary and contrasting colors.
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Write concise text and focus on answering one question. A wall of text will be skipped over by viewers, so keep the text short and poignant. Break up necessary text with drawings, dividers, and other visual elements. The point of an infographic is to convey ideas quickly; don't make your viewers read through long passages of text when a graph or short list can convey the same information.
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Proofread your infographic for spelling and mathematical errors. Readers tend to distrust a pie chart where the listed percentages add up to more than 100 percent. Check for spelling errors by copying your text into a word processor and running the spell check feature. Double-check any math using a calculator.
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Check your facts and list your references. The data is the main point of your infographic and it is only as good as the studies used to back it up. Never include facts that have not been checked using a reputable source, such as a science journal or an independent study or poll. If there is any question about the integrity of the data, do not use it. List your references at the bottom of the infographic in a legible font and include the URL for any online references.
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