Infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data, or knowledge, intended to present information quickly and clearly. They can improve cognition by utilizing graphics to enhance the human visual system's ability to see patterns and trends. Due to the receding attention span and vanishing interest of people towards long and complex survey data, infographics are in great demand.
Since infographics exploded onto the graphic design scene about ten years ago, they’ve become a staple for communication in classrooms, in the workplace, and across the web.
An infographic is an excellent option to provide a really quick overview on something that can be hard to explain in words alone. Infographics can be useful in pretty much any industry.
Marketers use infographics to build brand awareness and boost engagement.
Due to the tremendous advantage that an infographic brings along with it, the use of infographics is everywhere now. So you have to develop superior info-graphics to drive maximum mileage from these.
Here are some of the tips that can help your infographics bring maximum engagement.
Develop your infographic pinpointed to your target audience
Planning for an info-graphic idea focusing on the demand of your target audience is more than half the job done. The info-graphics with the most traction, most attention, and most virality, are those that meet your target audience right where they want it most. Choosing infographics which are generically popular rather than specifically relevant to your audience might simply be a poor option.
Simplify your information
The popularity of infographics is because they can distill complex ideas into a simple visual form. This principal advantage of infographics can work towards their disadvantage too. Graphically representing a complex idea or data into simple visual form requires specific skills. So until your infographic translates to the point, ‘It's so simple!’ expression rather than ‘so clumsy’, your objective is not really achieved.
Focus on your point
Simplicity is the result of focus. So your infographic cannot astray into an assortment of facts and figures on different ends. Before starting its development, you have to focus on streamlining it on a single topic.
Infographics are not randomly assembled compilation of data. Instead, an infographic is showcasing a single, focused point of information and data related to that.
Represent your points visually
The very basis of developing an infographic is to minimize our efforts to comprehend the information. Only a balanced chart of visual and text can make it possible. Text heavy infographics are audience' pain points and actually defeat the purpose of making an infographic in the first place. So a perfect match and balance of information and graphics go a long way into developing an infographic.
Make it easy on the eyes
An infographic may get lost in its resizing.
If the designer makes an infographic huge in its size and the developer has to downsize it, the readability gets lost.
Infographics may have a variety of font sizes. Ensure that the smallest font on your infographic can be seen without too much difficulty.
Keep the length, size & complexity manageable
Infographics are supposed to be comparatively large for easy view. But proportionately longer or wider infographic kills audience interest due to the difficulty in both viewing and following it.
A length of 8,000 pixels for an infographics design is the limit as per Neil Patel. According to him, longer than that will deviate your user’s attention.
Include adequate white space
Infographics also should follow the best practices in graphic designing. White space is an important part in effective designing.
Good infographic design includes a balance of visual elements with the necessary negative space to help guide the viewers as they look at the infographic.
Develop interesting headlines
Infographics without interesting headlines do not get any attention. This make your infographics' headline important.
Good headlines must have the following features:
They describe the infographic
They grab the user’s attention
They are short enough to understand at a glance. 70 characters is a reasonable length for a headline
Without a powerful headline, your infographics simply won’t get viewed as much.
Develop a smooth flow
A smooth flow is essential in an infographic for keeping the audience engaged. Basically we put forward a set of information in an infographic through text, visual and number to drive our audience towards a certain point. So it should be like a good story. Driving the audience sequentially and seamlessly from one phase to the other.
Instead of enabling your viewer to move through a thought process, if you simply throw some juxtaposed information in graphical form at them, it's not going to serve any purpose.
An infographic with a regulated flow, divided in different sections, an attention drawing headline, and demarcated colour backgrounds help the audience with an easier comprehension through easy reading. These comic book style visual elements serve to create a more powerful flow.
Verify your facts and figures
Data presentation is the major use of infographics. You should ensure that you’re being accurate while developing your infograhics, by checking the following points:
Ensure that the statistics are correct
Choose reliable sources to derive statistics
Ensure your graphical representation of the data matches with the numbers (if you have both)
When your infographic relies heavily on numbers and data, it pays to give this area special attention by cross-checking, and validating.
Cite your data sources
Citing your sources is as much as an ethical responsibility as much it is your duty to provide your audience the chance to verify the data.
Try to use credible sources that are regularly updated. Using old statistics, where information is always changing, makes you seem out of touch.
You can cite sources within the body of the infographic or at the very end of it, as long as it doesn’t distract from the flow and visual of the infographic.
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