How to create interesting and informative infographics

Define your goal

The purpose of the infographic is the most important question you need to answer. Why do you want an infographic? What should it achieve? Why is it a good idea to present your information in this way?

Consider the target audience

Consideration for your target audience is also important. It will only work if the people who it is intended for will be interested in it, find it easy to follow and think it is good and worthy of sharing. The wording, style and design should all be guided by your audience. Are they more focused on numbers? Then perhaps it’s better to show those prominently. Are they a more creative audience? Then perhaps focus more on the colors and other creative concepts. Take a step back and ask yourself, is the audience likely to interact with the infographic? If not, then consider alternative forms of content that might work better, such as a white paper or video.

See what others are saying

Start by searching the internet for infographics on the topic you want to cover. Pinterest can be a helpful starting point for this. Unless your data is truly unique, it’s very likely that someone else has already explored the subject. But just because it’s already been done, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t tackle it. You just need to ensure you create a higher quality infographic. Maybe explain the data better, make it easier to understand, or simply make it visually more appealing. Even if it hasn’t been done, you can us this research to borrow ideas from similar or related infographics and adapt them to your own.

Prepare a brief

Having stated your purpose, considered your audience and done some research, it’s now time to put it all together in one brief. Everyone working on the content and design should have a copy, so they’re up to speed and actively working towards fulfilling a clear brief.

Think what data is needed and where you can get it

It’s then time to pull the data together (if you haven’t already). This task can actually be a fairly complex activity. Not all data is equal, it won’t all be necessary and it may not all be accurate. Be sure to spend a good amount of time making sure your data is of the highest quality and from reputable sources.

Be clear on the story the data is telling you

When it’s time to create your infographic, the key question to answer is ‘what story is the data telling? Listing numbers in a spreadsheet is a simple enough task. But what story do these numbers tell you? Pick some key stats, get creative and make sure it tells the same story as the data.

Experiment with storyboards

In the movie industry, they take a script and illustrate each scene to create a storyboard. It helps the makers of the movie have a visual overview of the entire project. It is a tried and tested method you can also apply to creating an infographic. You don’t need to be a great artist, simply sketch out the individual steps, or parts of your infographic and arrange them accordingly. You could put the steps on a sticky note on the wall or a whiteboard, then move them around to find the best flow.

Decide how to present the data

With the information you now have, it’s time to decide which will be the best way to show off your data. If you have already put it together, revisit it. Check, is there another way you could present the information? Think every possibility through, before you finally decide on one. Perhaps show some team members a rudimentary outline and ask if they can make sense of it.

Confirm the elements of your infographic

This stage is about defining the various elements of your infographic. There are three major categories you need to include:

• The data itself and how it will be visualized
• The description of the data and any labels (never present data without labels)
• Guidance for the viewer (how you will lead their eyes from one point to the next)

Write the copy

Saying more with less, that’s key with an infographic. Use an experienced copywriter who will be able to get it absolutely right. The fewer words you use, the more succinct and appropriate they need to be. Eliminating meaningless fluff is a top priority.

Create the final design

Finally, it’s time for your designer to work their magic and put it all together. Use a professional for this, so you get a high quality output.

Test and refine

Before you press go on your infographic, test it. Now you have the version you want to publish, getting good feedback is vital. Starting over from scratch at this point is never a good idea, which is why you want to test your entire infographic concept and outline during the process. In this last step, only concentrate on minor changes – for example, if you need to make things bigger or smaller, or change a color here or there.

Publish

When it’s time to publish your infographic, you have several options to explore. Your digital infographic should be shared anywhere you can possibly think of that’s appropriate – across all your social media channels, on your website, inside white papers and eBooks, issued in conjunction with a press release, etc. There are also many infographic submission sites, which you may want to investigate too.

As for a printed version, think outside the box.

• If you have a public space, you can hang it there for people to see
• Have it sent to specific key leads or customers who might appreciate it, to hang up in their offices
• If you do events, you may want to print it on a stand-up banner and have it at all the events you go to
• You could even print out a smaller reference card for all your sales reps, as another way to get the infographic out there

Infographics certainly take quite a bit of effort to get right, but if you take your time and think it through, considering all the tips we’ve given you, then it will be worthwhile – you’ll end up with a high impact content asset.