A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO CREATING

Made with Visme

Steps to Follow Before You Create Your

INFOGRAPHIC

Part 3

“Form and content have to work together to deliver an idea that is enjoyable, useful and informative"

Francesco Franchi

Many non-designers like yourself

DEFINE YOUR 

TARGET AUDIENCE

1

The first step to crafting any message, whether in a textual or visual format.

Teachers / Students

Marketing / Front-facing

Internal Corporate

DEFINE YOUR GOALS

2

Ask yourself: What exactly do I want to achieve with this infographic?

Reveal hidden trends

Do you want to reveal hidden trends and patterns using data?

Break down complex information

Are you going to be breaking down complex data into snackable, easy to digestible format?

Guide on how to do something

Are you providing your audience with a step by step guideline, as far as how to do things?

Raise awareness

Are you going to be raising awareness for a specific issue or a cause?

Go-to visual resource

Do you want to create a comprehensive go-to visual resource on a specific topic?

Compare products/concepts

For example, compare the iPhone to a Samsung phone.

Translate a story into a timeline

In that case, you will be utilizing a timeline format.

800 px

DEFINE THE MEDIUM

3

8.5 in

1600 px

11 in

If your objective is to translate a report into a print infographic, then you’d have to consider factors such as the dimensions of your infographic, file format and image resolution.

CHOOSE YOUR TOPIC

4

The process for creating a shareable infographic is a lot like the process for writing an effective piece of communication.

Have a thesis statement backed up by data

Conduct research

FIND THE RIGHT INFORMATION

5

Consulting these possible sources:

PROCESS 

YOUR DATA

6

Convert the data into a format you can work with.

FIND THE STORY 

IN THE DATA

7

Once your data has been cleaned up to eliminate inconsistencies, you can start processing the information using spreadsheet skills.

Trends / changes over time

Comparisons Between Items

Composition of a whole

Relationship between variables

ANALYZE TRENDS

TIP: In order to identify a trend, always use more than two data points.

America's  Divorce Rate

(1980-2010)

Divorces and Annulments per 1,000 people

Sources: CDC NCHS

Use a line graph to chart changes over time.

COMPARE VALUES

One of the most important rules to keep in mind when visualizing information is to always place information in context.

Homicide rate 

(2013-2014)

Total number of homicides per year (2013-2014)

TIP: Compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges.

When your goal is to reveal the makeup of a particular group or data set, then the most common format used is the pie chart.

73%

46%

69%

Employers competing on high flexibility rather than salaries

Treadmill desks being common place to combat sedentary office life.

Employees will be paid on output rather than hours worked

Biggest Future Changes in the Workplace

Biggest Future Changes in the Workplace

Employers competing on high flexibility rather than salaries

Treadmill desks being common place to combat sedentary office life.

Employees will be paid on output rather than hours worked

73%

69%

46%

If you’re presenting the results of a poll that allowed for more than one response, then the results will not add up to 100, in which case a pie chart should not be used to visualize the results.

Interview breakdown

Out of every 100 phone screens

we bring 25 candidates onsite 

for interviews...

and 

extend 9 offers.

TIP: Make sure the visual representation you are using is the correct one for the type of information you have.

COMPREHEND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DATA SETS

If you’ve ever dabbled a bit in statistics, you probably already know that a correlation between two variables does not necessarily mean causation.

Divorces  per 1,000 people

Correlation: 99% 

Sources: US Census & USDA tylervigen.com

- 9

- 8

- 7

- 6

- 5

- 4

- 3

Pounds

The divorce rate in Maine compared to the per capita consumption of margarine in the US. Although there appears to be a very strong correlation, does not mean causation.

HOW TO WRITE COPY FOR YOUR INFOGRAPHIC

9

The One Big Idea

The key to creating an effective and shareable infographic is zeroing in on the one main message you want to get across.

Fleshing Out a Narrative

Climax

Exposition

Denouement

Rising action

Falling action

Resolution

Inciting incident

Complication

Reversal

Numbers and charts can also be used as the foundation of a coherent and enticing narrative that binds your visual story together.

Lead to a Surprising Conclusion

Instead of citing statistic after statistic, weave an engaging story that uses data as a pivotal point in the story

Building an Airtight Case

MAIN IDEA

Idea

Idea

Idea

Detail

Detail

Detail

Detail

Detail

Detail

You can start outlining your case by going back to your one big idea and then identifying each of your main points, followed by supporting details.

Deciding on the Tone

Is your purpose to educate, entertain, inspire or persuade?

Create a Textual Outline

Title

Introduction

Body Content

Sources

It must be extremely succinct and go hand in hand with the visual elements you will use to accompany your text.

Title

Introduction

Body Content