What makes a good infographic? You have to know who it’s for, be clear on your message, and create something that looks great.
Read our top 10 tips about putting together an infographic for your company using examples directly from Red Onion Design, who provide the best in data visualisation. Here goes…
1. Think about your brand
It’s important to clearly reflect who the whole infographic originates from, as this can add real gravitas to your message. In this respect, don’t forget to credit any additional sources.
2. Who is it for?
The audience is paramount in understanding what to put in your infographic, and ultimately how you present the information. Also, how will they view it? If it’s on an email or website, will they need to download and then zoom in to see the detail – or is it better if they can see all the information quickly, and at a glance. If so, simplicity is key.
3. What do you want to say?
What’s the ultimate message? What will be the key information that readers take away from the infographic.
4. Think about budget. Someone’s got to…
You can try and do it all yourself, but you’ll get far better results employing a designer, and ideally an editorial specialist to find the best data, and sift through it carefully. At Red Onion we can provide you with data visualisation content and strategy experts. If you want a really fast turnaround, this can put up the cost.
5. Think Visually
It’s a good to tell your readers a story, with the use of interesting design and images, and of course a strong headline, sometimes with intro text included too.
At Red Onion we can provide outstanding visual solutions, just ask! We use a range of Adobe CC software such as Indesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. Remember, a dedicated, specialist designer can provide you with a bespoke solution that is far more effective at promoting your message than simply using a basic template.
We can also animate your infographic!
6. Sketch it out
Once you’ve got together your theme and content, ask your designer to do an early draft of the whole infographic so you can be sure you’re happy with the visual direction.
7. Keep it succinct
Try and provide the reader with information in bite-sized data snippets. Sometimes even just 3 well-executed charts can really work, but aim for around 7 main points at the most. If you’ve got a specific point to get across you don’t want to lose your audience before they reach the end.
8. Make it colourful
Colour can brighten up even the most dull statistics. Consider whether they’ll follow your existing brand palette, or whether to introduce new colours for extra impact.
9. Check spelling
As always, remember to do a spell check before you press send!
10. Well done! You’ve created some incredible Data Visualisation
Once you bring together the data, the graphics, and the message in a clear way you’ve made a successful infographic which visualises data perfectly.
