The value of a well-written article can’t be understated. At the same time, fewer and fewer people are taking the time to read through entire articles.
People want to get access to information in the fastest, most impactful way possible. The use of images and videos are excellent supplements to articles, but there’s another option at your disposal that might be more effective.
Infographics are a modern way to blend visual information with text to create something that really makes knowledge stick. There’s a lot of creative freedom involved in infographics as well, and we’re here to give you the rundown of what they are.
So, what are infographics?
What are Infographics?
Infographics are, technically, any image that combines visual elements with text to get a message across. This means that a lot of images that we see in advertising and online are considered infographics.
By breaking down the word, we see that “info” means that the document holds information, while “graphic” means there’s a visual component involved. Simply slapping some text on top of an image doesn’t warrant the title of “infographic,” however.
Even though a simple image with text is technically an infographic, the way that the term is commonly used refers to something that’s a little more involved. Good infographics typically involve a good deal of thought, narrative, research, and time.
An infographic can be extremely effective in convincing someone of something, but it means that you have to use visual elements to your advantage and make the effort create something compelling.
Basics of Infographics
Infographics are usually images that are sized horizontally or vertically rectangular and particularly long. This may sound like a description of all images, but infographics are often so large that you have to scroll down the page to see the entire thing. In most cases, the idea is to size the image so it can contain a lot of visual and textual information so as to be more informative.
An infographic could contain geographic information and visual representations of climate change, or it could narrate the changes of popular television over the decades; the subject matter can be anything, but the way you present the information has to include a few elements.
Concision and Clarity
The imagery on an infographic is going to be what catches the eye, but the writing is what gives the information and guides the imagery.
It’s important that you are extremely concise with the writing you use in an infographic. You have limited space, and the more you do to chunk down your writing while keeping a clear message, the better.
You should also organize the information in a way that’s intuitive and smooth. The idea is to let the imagery guide the user’s eye while having text that is conveniently placed and easy to read while staying with the movement of the image.
That means having small headers, followed by concise bullets that illuminate points about the image. Additionally, you may have to clarify certain parts of the image without wanting the clarification to be the focus of the image.
For example, you may have two graphs that mirror each other, one that details the rise of fish population in the midwest, while the other details the presence of invasive species during the same time. In order to clarify this, you could place text in a fainter font that makes the distinction, while using bolder text to make specific comments about the changes on the graph.
This is a component of clarity that doesn’t get in the way of the general idea of the infographic.
Color Choices
You also have to make careful choices about the colors you use. In part, this is due to the meaning of colors and what they signify for users. Color psychology tells us that there are some distinct feelings and associations that we make with specific colors.
Additionally, the color pallets you choose should align with your branding and the general feeling that you want to have with the infographic. You want to make sure that the colors are appropriate.
If you’re doing an infographic about the democratic party, you wouldn’t want to use predominantly red colors, for example.
Design
The most important part of the infographic is the design that you create. You want to make something that the eye follows while making sure that different elements stand out as the important pieces.
Looking over some principles of design might be a good idea so you can get a grasp of what works and what doesn’t. Mostly, though, you should do just look at a few infographics that stand out to you and see what kind of choices they made in the look and feel of the piece.
Again, you have a great deal of creative freedom when you’re creating an infographic. This is something that can tell any kind of story you want, and it could have huge benefits for whatever piece of content that you’re going to link it with.
It’s very similar to a comic book in the sense that you have a framework, but you have the potential to do literally anything you want to within that framework. Additionally, you have the vast power of the internet and its tools at your disposal.
A lot of tools are really intuitive and have great features. Click the following link if you’re curious about how to create infographics.
Context and Sensitivity
The difficult thing about infographics is that there’s a lot of room for mistakes and misinterpretations.
When you’re dealing with sensitive information, in particular, you want to make sure that the imagery your using won’t come off as rude or heartless. If you’re talking about infant fatalities, don’t use a small person symbol with X’s over the eyes, for example.
That example seems a little bit on the nose, but you’d be surprised at the number of bad infographics there are out there.
When You Do Mess Up
So, what are infographics? An infographic is a tool you can use to really hammer in a message in a creative way. With that kind of power, though, comes the chance that you’ll slip up.
It’s always possible that you make a mistake and miss a possible interpretation for your infographic. When that happens, you’re liable to a few bad online reviews.
Visit our site for more information on how to respond to those reviews and get your reputation back.