In the past few years,
infographics have been taking the internet by storm, turning seemingly
innocuous blog posts into
viral sensations. Beautiful, funny, and charming works of art, they turn
boring statistics and information – like “50% of all smartphone owners drink
coffee between 7 and 10 a.m.” – into something that’s not only informative, but
also easy on the eyes.
Great news: You don’t need
to be a statistical genius or a brilliant artist to dazzle your audience.
Here are a few simple steps
towards making them great.
1. Find a Viral Topic
Whether you’re trying to
detail something as expansive as the history of the internet, or something as
simple as the latest Kindle, relevance is important. If you’re creating a
comparison chart between the Kindle and Nook, but you completely leave out the
fact that the iPad Mini was just released, you’ll be missing out on a huge
opportunity to create something that people might want to share with everyone
they know – and that’s the point, right?
So think about relevant current events, topics, products, crises, scandals – anything. If people are talking about it, creating an infographic that’s reflective of those events is a simple way will make people far more likely to share that infographic.
2. Keep it Simple
Perhaps the best element
about infographics is that, like Twitter, they force us to be concise.
Chances are that if you’re reading a lengthy report or a case study, there’s a lot of unnecessary information.
So focus on the things that matter – the differentiators, the key takeaways, the glaring discrepancies, whatever they may be.
With that in mind, just
because you’re focusing on the essentials doesn’t necessarily mean that the
infographic has to be short. It can be small, like this
one from Hubspot or huge, like this
one from Pop Chart Lab.
Just don't fill it up with tone of useless information. This Kindle vs. Nook chart below is a great example, as it focuses on one thing – the price of books in their respective e-book stores – and keeps it as straightforward as possible.
Just don't fill it up with tone of useless information. This Kindle vs. Nook chart below is a great example, as it focuses on one thing – the price of books in their respective e-book stores – and keeps it as straightforward as possible.
Source: Booklr Blog |
3. Just Build It
Creating an infographic is extremely
difficult and expensive, right?
No, not really. In fact,
there are a few free – that’s right, free
– resources that enable anyone with a few minutes of time, some interesting
statistics, and a handful of unique ideas to create things that are as pretty
as they are shareable.
One simple (and free) resource for doing so is called Easelly, which lets users create infographics like this and this with minimal effort.
Beyond that, sites like Infogr.am allow users to easily import statistics into a wide (and constantly expanding) range of infographics. Want more? Infogr.am allows you to make those infographics interactive. It’s magic!
Source: Infogr.am |
Those not your dig? Here are
a few alternatives.
Still not doing it? Hire an agency.
Its true!! Keep it simple and clear. Avoid dark and multiple colors.
ReplyDeleteInfographic Submission Sites
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ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your views on this one. When creating infographics, it is best to be straightforward as much as possible because you are trying to paint the information into attractive, colorful figures. These figures should relay the message as quickly as possible. Good job on this one!
ReplyDeleteTamala Okamoto