Corporate Branding
When you're trying to communicate information, not everyone wants to navigate through dense walls of text. No matter how concise and tightened up you’ve edited the content to be, some information is better digested visually.
Using infographics to visually represent information is a great strategy and can really help break up long stretches of text to allow readers to retain the information. Infographics provide readers with a visual representation of information and data. They’re a great way to keep readers engaged while also showing information in a simpler way.
In this post, we will discuss how to create the perfect infographic to accompany your content.
First, you need to think of the design elements that will be needed to represent the information. Infographics tend to use vector art, so let's discuss that first.
In this context, it's an artwork made up of vector graphics, which use mathematical formulas. Art made from vector graphics is resizable without losing its quality.
A JPEG image uses pixels, so when you resize it, the image quality is compromised and reduced. Vector art doesn't have that problem. A lack of image deterioration allows you to make the infographics as big or as small as you like.
When creating an infographic, you need to gather the right vector images to illustrate your story. But where do you find vector art? There are a few resources you can try.
Vecteezy is a website that allows you to download vector art and stock photos for free. When using vector images, it's always important to use free artwork, as copyrighted art can land you in some legal trouble if you do not have permission to use it.
When you find the art you want with any free website, make sure it's genuinely free for whatever use you want your infographic to be, like commercial use.
Here's another free artwork website you can try. The Noun Project focuses more on icons, which you can use to make your infographic more interesting. Their art tends to be more black and white and minimalistic, but they may have some interesting art that can make your infographics pop.
Making your vector art can be an excellent way to stand out among the crowd or hiring someone to make it for you. With that said, it can take extra time or money. If you're not comfortable using the pen tool in Adobe Illustrator, using free art doesn't have to be a bad thing.
When making an infographic, it needs to have exciting stats and tidbits to keep your readers wanting more.
First, you should identify who your audience is and what they may or may not know about the subject already. Do some research on similar infographics and ask yourself what information you could bring to the table. Whether it's new information or a twist on something already established, it's crucial to figure this out.
Do some research on keywords for this topic. Use Google Trends to learn what your audience is searching for, too.
To gather sources, you can use reputable sources. Google Scholar, JSTOR, or websites that use reliable sources can help you.
Also, make sure the stats are up to date. You can use Google's Advanced Search to search for information published in the last year or whatever date range you want.
To represent your data visually, you need to figure out the most intriguing points of your research and then use creative ways to make it pop in your infographic.
A combination and formation of icons, graphic elements, maps, graphic charts such as pie or bar charts with accompanying legends or titles to explain what the statistics are is a great place to start. Take each piece of information or statistic and imagine it visually using stick figures or a pie chart to show percentages.
People don't want to read through boring data. Most want to feel as if they're going on an adventure. For example, if you're making an infographic about pollution, you may want to show data that creates conflict but ends with some hopeful statistics.
The flow of the infographic and the charts within it is crucial. Your viewers' eyes need to go from point A to point Z with little distraction. Look over the infographic yourself to make sure it flows naturally from each component to the next in an easy-to-navigate way.
If you're making a giant infographic, having it all the same color can be problematic. Your viewers could get lost in it, especially if they have to stop and take a break.
Divide your infographic into sections or containers with different icons, type of data visualization style (i.e. map vs. bar chart vs. pie chart), backgrounds, and colors. However, have a linking theme to make the entire infographic look like it was a part of one single story. There should be a brand guide and color palette implemented across the design.
Another part of an infographic that's important is the color scheme.
Use the brand color palette along with certain “alert colors” like green and red to indicate heat or stopping and starting or blues to represent cool tones and water elements.
Contrasting colors can help your eyes look at the most critical points. Highlighting the statistics in red, for example, can help a fast reader know what they're supposed to read.
Look at some infographics to see how they use color. Will it work for you? If so, is there any way for you to use your variant to stand out?
Before you publish, do another fact check. Even if you pulled from all reliable sources, make sure you're representing the data correctly. You could have made a typo or misinterpreted the data. If your readers discover you're wrong, you could lose trust. Also, your sources may need to be cited so do a double check on that as well.
If you're trying to build a brand, creating your infographic can be painful. Not everyone wants to do the legwork to build infographics, especially if you focus on sales or serving customers.
That’s why, here at Bell+Ivy, we help people with their personal brands, create the infographics you need, and even have a team that’ll help you along the way.
If you need help with infographic-centered blogs, check out our blog research package. We’ll create a list of blogs to bring traffic to your site to promote your personal brand. We do all the hard work, so you can work on your business. To learn more, contact us to see what we can do for you.
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