As a medical communications agency, designing killer infographics has become one of our fortes. We are often given the challenge of presenting multifaceted, complex data in ways which are accessible, easy to understand and exquisitely designed.
But creating infographics is not as easy as one might expect. In fact, it takes a great deal of thought and planning, and, even then, its success is not guaranteed. So what are the steps involved in creating a great infographic?
Here are my top five tips on exactly how to do that…
1. Know Your Target Audience
This step goes without saying: if you do not know who you are creating the infographic for, then you cannot present the information in a way which is accessible to them. For example, as a medical communications agency, we often create infographics aimed at those working in the pharma industry. Therefore, a lot of our infographics are tailored to appeal to them, and include more complex information that is suited to more of an expert, rather than a lay, audience.
In addition to this, tailoring the infographic to your audience enables it to stand out. Designing something more general risks your infographic being lost in a sea of other general infographics. As stated by infographic expert Neil Patel, “The infographics with the most traction, most attention, and most virality, are ones that meet your target audience right where they want it most.”
2. Research, Research, Research
Now you know who your infographic is being presented to, next you have got to find what information you wish to tell them; which usually involves lots of research. Creating a bank of facts and figures you wish to include on your infographic not only helps focus your design to your target audience, but also helps you to plan the layout of your design much more easily.
It is also imperative that you check your facts are accurate, are from a reputable source and that they are referenced somewhere on your design.
3. Branding Is Key
Branding is key to any killer infographic, as it ties everything together in one coherent design. Whether you are working for a company with its own branding guidelines, or are creating your own, determining a colour scheme, deciding on which fonts are to be used and selecting your iconography style are fundamental to making your design look sleek and professional.
4. Keep It Visual
The purpose of any infographic is to take complex information and present it in a visual and accessible manner. This means using as few words as possible. The key to this is to scrutinise every piece of information you wish to include in your infographic, and ask the question, can this be presented with a picture?
Can you present this numerical data in a graph? Would this description be easier to understand as a diagram? Can this word be represented as an icon?
5. Clear The Clutter
There is no doubt that most of the time you will end up with more information that you want to fit on an infographic than you have room for. However, the key to any professional-looking design is space. We often deal with clients who wish to fit as much information on a page as they possibly can; but this can make the design look cluttered and perplexing. It is our role as a designer to step back from this and offer suggestions, such as splitting the information across two infographics, or removing certain pieces of information.
The key is to keep it simple and focused.
Conclusion
So there you have it, five easy steps to creating a killer infographic: know your target audience, research, create branding guidelines, keep it visual and clear the clutter.
If you wish to know more about our infographic design process, do not hesitate to contact us. Happy designing.
By Daniel Waggon