Infographic Explorations
- bkey21
- Feb 27, 2022
- 2 min read
This time, we are looking at creating infographics. This will be a simplified version for quick reference as opposed to the full content of an Informational graphics course. At the end, there will also be a couple links to some videos that I found to be a good reference and shares many views here.
In this example, I am putting together a graphic for graduation rates at a high school. When doing a graphic, I find it helpful to quickly identify the purpose of it in the title. Don’t make people guess what they are viewing. Once you have the title gather your information. It should be concise and not wordy. This is a graphic, not a full brochure or report.
In this example, it will show the school’s demographics and then follow with the graduation rates based on each ethnic group. Showing the schools breakdown is a reference that ties directly to the breakdown for the graduation. That school breakdown provides relevant information leading into the graduation rates. All information in a graphic should be related, and the unrelated content should have a different graphic.
When putting the information together in the design, make it interesting and flow in a logical manner as if telling the story verbally. This involves good design hierarchy. Have your focus point that is seen first, then flow to the next bit of information (school breakdown in this example) then on to the final point to be shared (graduation rates by group).
The design should also match the energy or mood of the topic. In most cases it will be fairly professional, and that means limited color and typefaces so that it does not take away from the information being presented.
There are several online options for making infographics. It depends on your needs, and resources as to whether these are best for you. As most of my students are design majors, I have them work from scratch, but pre-made templates can serve a purpose. Be sure they do provide the information in the right order and do not become distractions. Some templates offer very busy designs with a lot of text options which do not necessarily work well. Another consideration for production will be the end use, so be sure to decide if it is a website, email blast, printed poster, annual report, or other.
In this example, I decided to try an online option. I used the Visme.com infographic creator. While not nearly as open ended as a full graphics program, it can be useful for those not designers or without access to the big programs. The Visme product was very limiting with the free account version, but it did have some decent options and customizability. The premium options look more fun. Things do not always work as planned when using another service, but it can be fun to experiment.
These videos provide good references for infographic design guides:
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