Everyone has a favorite learning style and method for absorbing knowledge that works best for them. For some, an auditory technique involving speaking and listening, such as a lecture, would suffice. Words, as well as reading and writing text, are important to others. According to the Social Science Research Network, roughly 65 percent use visual learning. This could explain why so many people enjoy infographics and why marketers are eager to use them to their maximum potential.
What is an infographic?
An infographic visually represents a set of data or information in simple terms. Typically, an infographic will explain something and, by focusing on the visual aspect, does it in a way that words cannot.
However, there are some disadvantages.
‘If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter,’ as the adage goes, but being brief and to the point is not easy. If you use Twitter, you’ll understand what I’m talking about (especially when you first start getting to grips with the character limit).
The same may be said about infographics. They will become less intriguing and work less well as they become more complicated and convoluted.
As McCandless’ famous TED talk “The Beauty of Data Visualization” demonstrates, data visualization is a science in and of itself.
The greatest and most effective infographics will be engaging, easy to read, and packed with useful information. However, this is difficult to achieve. It’s not as simple as putting a couple of charts together and filling in the blanks with colored boxes. It necessitates a great deal of planning.
Your hard effort will be rewarded with a fantastic piece of content that will assist promote your message. A well-designed infographic with fascinating ideas is likely to be shared widely online, allowing you to reach new audiences.
What makes a good infographic?
A good infographic will have a clear goal, be logical, tell a compelling tale, and contain reliable data. It will also be in the most appropriate format for the information it represents. Consider how users prefer to consume specific types of information and format your material accordingly. Further down the page, we delve deeper into a content format. For the time being, here are the points to consider when making an infographic.
- Infographic format
- Supporting content
- Accuracy
- Design
- Technical aspects
Infographic format
Infographics aren’t necessarily always for digital use. They may well be useful when printed out too. You would need to think about different formats for both of these cases. Online, infographics work best when they are up to a max width of 735 pixels and no longer than 5000. But for print, you’re probably best considering traditional sizes, such as A0-A6, so they can be printed off for the wall, or used as a pocket reference guide.
Supporting content
An infographic also doesn’t have to be a stand-alone item (although that often works well too). Think about how you could supplement it with an article, eBook, or any other kind of content, perhaps explaining the concept in greater detail.
Accuracy
Make sure your data and information are 100% correct and accurate. Always quote your sources. Not only does it add credibility to your content, but it can do a lot of harm if you’re caught misrepresenting information.
Design
The overall design is a key component of any infographic. It certainly isn’t something that can just be thrown together. While it will most likely need to fit with your overall branding style, it doesn’t have to. But at the very least, always include your logo and contact details. Making decisions over color palettes, design elements, and overall arrangements takes skill. It’s best handed over to a professional if you want to ensure you achieve the best results. And always remember, the less text the better.
Technical aspects
Make sure that your infographic is as easy to share and embed as possible. Think about including tracking into the embedded link, so you can track how it spreads.
