How to Create an Effective Infographic

Infographics have the potential to be uniquely effective marketing tools. They are popular because of the broad range of purposes they serve, including the following:

• Presenting and organizing complex data in an understandable manner
• Providing visual support of text
• Facilitating understanding of information difficult to understand
• Acting as a point of focus on a webpage or article

An effective infographic is both aesthetically pleasing and informative, and it must be as clear as possible. Creating your own effective infographic can be a challenge, but you can succeed by adhering to these principles.

Planning is the most important element in creating your infographic. In addition to the piece itself, you will need to consider where you intend to publish it. The venue and the audience may influence the data you include and even the visual style. It will also determine the scope of the project, such as whether you are creating a static or dynamic graphic. You need to consider your artistic resources, the timeline in question and who has ownership of the project.

The data you use may be interpreted in a number of ways. You should consider what the goal of the piece is, remembering that an effective infographic must have a newsworthy element — otherwise, it will not be noticed. In addition, consider the ramifications of the conclusions you draw.

Once you establish the goal of the piece and develop the plan, you can begin to prepare the artwork. You will need to carefully balance visual interest with clarity. If there is any conflict, clarity must trump complexity, even at the cost of visual appeal. If, for example, viewers constantly need to refer to a key, it is probably too complex.

To judge the effectiveness of your final product, be sure to establish metrics for measuring media attention, such as which publications pick it up, who links to it and how many views it receives online.