10 Tips for Designing Great Infographics

Infographics are not something that is new, they have been around for ages, however they have become increasingly popular to communicate scenarios and information.

Because of the increasing popularity they have it’s become important for your infographics to be better than others and that isn’t always easy to do.

So, our blog tells you all the tips you need to know when designing great infographics templates.

Create One Strong Focal Point.

You must create one focal point otherwise your infographic becomes too much of a complicated mess of images and text. It is sometimes very easy to get carried away but the infographic will then become overwhelming rather than helpful.

Relying heavily on one central graphic that strongly communicates your overall theme and message will do the infographic justice and eliminates confusion for the viewer.

Once you pulled together the main graphic you can turn your attention to all the extra parts, like the graphics and textual information.

Create Your Infographics for Your Target Audience.

You need to figure out what you audience wants. Coming up with the idea is only half your battle, if you make an infographic template that your audience isn’t going to be interested in then it becomes pointless.

Your audience is everything when it comes to make graphics, posting content, creating products/services, so you should think about your audience when designing an infographic as well.

The infographics with the most traction and most attention are the ones that meet your target audience and what they want the most.

So, your main goal is to design and create an infographic that is specifically aimed at your audience, not everyone. Keep it specific, relevant and targeted.

Tell a Visual Story.

The goal for an infographic is to make for a quick read, you design should tell a story. They should be very visual experiences though, so you need to remember you don’t necessarily need to rely heavily on text.

A little text should be there should someone want to read it, but the pictures should carry the main communication on their own.

Once you have a working design, you should try stripping the text away and showing it to someone that hasn’t seen it yet, can they tell what’s going on? Is there anything they think you could improve on regarding your visual communication to tell the visual story better?

Keep it Simple.

Sometimes infographics end up being unnecessarily complex and overloaded rather than creating an “I get it” moment for the viewer.

Infographics are better when they are simple, they create a better experience for the viewer.
You are better off creating four or five infographics that flow into each other when you have a lot to say rather than cramming it all into one infographic.

At the end of the day, simplicity will always win and you should keep that in mind.

Make it a Manageable Length and Size.

Infographics are supposed to be big, they visually tell us information, but going too big will lose viewers interest.

Having an infographic that’s too long hinders your chances of telling your story to people, they become bored of what they are reading because it goes on for too long.

Which means they will either just scroll straight through it without reading it properly or they will click out of the infographic completely.

The size matters for an infographic as well, if the size is too big it may lead to a slow connection, which will annoy viewers. So be sure to keep the size of your infographic in mind as well.

Use Appropriate Metaphors.

The most engaging infographics take the boring or complex information and apply a graphical metaphor that is suited to the information that anyone would understand what is being said.

Using appropriate metaphors adds a fun and interesting aspect to your infographic, it will intrigue viewers and almost instantly grab their attention far better than a boring or complex infographic would.

Create a Killer Headline.

The headline of your infographic is very important, it has the same principle as a blog article headline.

The infographic will not get any attention if it doesn’t have a great headline. Good headlines will have these features;

• Describing the infographic
• Grab the viewer’s attention
• Short enough to understand at a glance

Without a powerful headline, your infographic wont interest people and will therefore not get viewed.

You need to have a clear plan of your infographic headline, as it needs to be strong, it’s not going to change when its put into visual form.

Add White Space.

White space is important, it breaks everything up so it’s easier to digest. Good infographics will include a balance of visual elements with the necessary white space.

This is because it helps guide the viewer along as they look at the infographic. You don’t want a viewer getting confused over your infographic because they don’t know where to look.

Cite Your Sources.

Creating an infographic doesn’t mean that you don’t have to site your sources, if you are using data from somewhere be sure to site it, even in your infographic.

Try using sites that are as up to date as they can be, using old information to get facts and figures will make you seem out of touch.

It’s up to you where you site your sources, however siting them at the bottom of your infographic is better as it doesn’t distract anyone from the flow and visual appearance of the infographic.

Focus on the Flow.

The best strength of an infographic is that it flows in all ways possible. It’s like a story, if it can convey your idea by taking you from one phase to another without any problems.

You should be able to move the viewer through a though process, so when designing and creating an infographic ensure you create flow. This will help viewers pay attention and be persuaded by the message presented.