Infographics can be one of the most useful ways to deliver information to people, if they are created correctly. Readers are easily able to understand hard and complicated ideas, and while they seem to be really simple to make, they can be pretty complex. Most successful infographics have a beautiful design, a clean layout, as well as attention grabbing colors, but what really makes them successful is how they are all put together to make an unforgettable impression on the reader.
Infographics are a good choice if you intend to compare data, track changes, show relationships, or provide definite figures, but you may need to think twice about other types of content. Let’s go over 5 things you should stay away from when making a successful infographic.
Unorganized Data
This should be pretty obvious. Hard to understand data defeats the whole purpose of aninfographic. While you might need to provide an extremely large amount of data in one graphic, do your best to make it as easy and organized as possible. There have been so many failed attempts at infographics just due to the fact that they were rushed and have so much data that wasn’t properly placed or wasn’t color coded correctly.
There are plenty of different types of infographics, so take your time and pick the best one that will be able to get your message across the easiest. If you are trying to help people make a decision or figure out what to do in certain situations, then making a flow chart would probably work best. Another good example would be to use a versus graphic if you are comparing data.Why use other types of graphics that might confuse the reader?
Multiple Messages
Most infographic are made to provide an overall message to the reader, whether it be data regarding something specific, directions, or just an informative timeline. Once you have gotten the point across, you should stop there. If you try to implement multiple different messages that don’t have anything to do with each other, your readers might get confused or just not want to consume all the information provided.
Too Much Design, Too Little Information
While one of the biggest aspects of making a successful infographic is the visual appeal, try not to go overboard. There comes a point where too much design will draw the reader away from the actual message of the content and then it just becomes ineffective. You have to find the right balance between visual appeal and actual content for people to go over.
Unproven or Opinionated Data
Data that cannot be measured should not be used in an infographic because it cannot deliver information that the reader can verify or trust. There are much better ways to provide this type of information. While infographics can be used to provide a lot of different types of data, trying to implement content that is just opinions are usually unsuccessful in delivering the intended message.
Of course there are some exceptions, each infographic is different, so you may be able to be creative and make one that is successful but doesn’t provide proven data. For example, if your industry has a widely accept measurement of a topic, it can usually be implemented in a infographic, but just because something can be made, doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be better represented in other ways.
Simple Procedures
Going out of your way to create a beautiful and elaborate infographic for a simple procedure might be too much. People won’t spend too much time going over the information if it is really simple, making the graphic pointless. Your resources are better spent making graphics for those directions that people can actually use.
There are a few exceptions to this suggestion, such as requirements by law to have such infographics. An example would be for a restaurant to have a step by step guide with pictures about how to properly wash your hands posted up in the bathroom. Although most people already know how to wash their hands, a lot of places require restaurants to have these types of infographics. In the end, each infographic is different so use your best discretion on how to have it made. It is just a good idea to try and avoid these 5 things whenever possible.
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