Creating an infographic – the essentials

Infographics are a great way to communicate information as they attract a reader’s attention, and if done well, will be read and understood quickly. How do we ensure that they easy to follow and understand? Below are the essential steps for creating an infographic so we do achieve the above.

Define your audience

Ensure you identify the type of person the infographic is trying to target. This will help in creating relevant content and design. An infographic describing complex investment strategies is not going to find meaning for someone who knows nothing about investing. The better you know your audience, the more likely you are to reach them.

Decide on the message

Decide what message you want to get across. Think about your audience and what information you want them to come away with after reading the infographic. Once you have decided on your message, don’t let subsequent steps is the creation process take you away from it.

Gather data

Find data to support the message, and most importantly ensure the validity of the data. Use a wide range of sources for the data to ensure it is not skewed to a particular perspective. Don’t forget that one of the most important sources is from within the business. Talk to customer service, account managers etc, to identify key facts your customers are interested in.

Find a story

Review all the data and find the story within it. Break the data down into its simplest form. Summarise tables of data, remove jargon or complex terms. The simpler the data you are trying to represent the clearer the story will be to understand.

Visualise it

Use wireframes to create a hierarchy of the data and a visual representation of how the story will unfold. Review the wireframe. Is it representing the message decided on at the beginning? Visualise it further with a designer. Replace text with symbols and icons to clarify understanding.

Test it

Test it with a sample of your target audience. Is it interpreted as intended? If not, refine and rework.

Time to publish

Publish the infographic to the website. Ensure that the page includes an area for comments. No matter how rigorous the user testing from above, the public forum can expand and develop the story, or identify holes that hadn’t even been considered.