LibGuides: Infographics: Basic guidelines (2024)

1. Story

The storyboard is the foundation of your infographic. It is important for the purposes of this assignment to decide what information you need/want to share about the topic and determine what the main problems/points/challenges are (clear purpose or focus; providing quick access to important ideas/facts) and content (synthesizes and presents key ideas/points regarding topic; appropriate use of facts/figures). This infographic is designed to be educational, but it can also be inspiring. It should allow the viewer/reader to get the key message almost instantly and then support that viewer/reader going deeper into the topic by exploring smaller chunks/sections.

2. Design and style

This criterion includes a number of elements related to the layout, the use of graphics/images and fonts,and optimizing for sharing.

3. Visual appeal

An infographic needs to be visually appealing but, in the case of an educational infographic, it also needs to convey important ideas/complexity. The design should support viewers/readers comprehension of the information through layout, chunking and strategies for hierarchies of importance (e.g., use of headings, colour, size, types of images). Think about how you can support the flow and connections between ideas by using various design elements and how to effectively use white space.

4. Information/Content

Use research, articles/chapters from class or from additional research to support your information. Try to make these as current as possible. Make sure these are reputable (e.g., peer reviewed articles; trusted websites/blogs; government reports; trusted industry leaders).Cite sources appropriately in text (APA format) and use a References section that adheres to APA format.

5. Size and shape

The infographic you produce can be as long as you like, but optimal size is generally between 5000-8000 pixels in length and 735 pixels wide. The latter optimizes forPinterest. You will need to decide how to optimize your infographic for sharing on various platforms such as your own website, Twitter, Facebook and so on. Different sizes and formats may work best with different platforms and different platforms may have different requirements.

--Information courtesy of Dr. Robin Cox, Associate Professor, School of Humanitarian Studies, Royal Roads University

LibGuides: Infographics: Basic guidelines (2024)

FAQs

What are the 5 elements of an infographic? ›

Five key elements of designing an infographic
  • Attracting eyeballs and exciting. ...
  • Communicate accurately, and the information is clear. ...
  • Remove the rough and fine, simple and easy to understand. ...
  • Sight flows and constructs time and space. ...
  • Abandon the words and explain with pictures.

What are the 7 steps in creating an infographic? ›

How to Make an Infographic in 7 Steps
  1. Identify your target audience. ...
  2. Gather your data. ...
  3. Organize your content. ...
  4. Cite your sources. ...
  5. Choose a suitable infographic template. ...
  6. Include a footer with your details. ...
  7. Publish it with an embed code.
Feb 17, 2022

What are the criteria for judging infographics? ›

Infographic will be judged on content, creativity, originality, conciseness, organization, and correct spelling and grammar appropriate to entrant's grade level.

What is a common mistake people often make when designing an infographic? ›

Yet, these visual tools frequently stumble into traps that dull their impact. This article reveals the pitfalls to avoid—overwhelming text, misleading charts, incoherent narratives, irrelevance, generic designs, and poor sourcing.

What are the 5 principles in making effective infographic design? ›

5 Principles of Great Infographic Design
  1. Communicate one central idea. ...
  2. Communicate the data clearly. ...
  3. Create layers. ...
  4. Make it easy to navigate. ...
  5. Keep it beautiful.
Nov 13, 2014

What should not be included in an infographic? ›

Don'ts of Infographics – How NOT to Create an Infographic
  1. Confusing representation of data. Chart that makes no sense will not help convey or support your message. ...
  2. Charts that require effort to digest. ...
  3. Crowded with text. ...
  4. Overuse of color. ...
  5. Adding as many icons and stock photos as possible.
Oct 29, 2014

How do you structure an infographic? ›

Divide your infographic into sections or blocks that address specific subtopics or related concepts. Use clear and concise headings to introduce each section and guide the audience through the content. Headings make it easier for viewers to scan and locate the information they are interested in.

What are the four elements a strong infographic should have? ›

Let's start looking at the five elements.
  • The Story. The purpose behind an infographic is to tell a story. ...
  • Data. The most important component of an infographic is accurate data. ...
  • Copy. Once your data has been sourced and is nicely organized, it's time to write copy. ...
  • Design. ...
  • Graphs and Charts.
Jan 17, 2014

What is the layout of an infographic? ›

An infographic layout (or simply, infographic) is a visual representation of information. Infographics often simplify complex information and are meant to be either informative or entertaining. A good infographic layout can convey information in seconds.

What is the best format for an infographic? ›

2 Choose your format

For example, if you want to show changes over time, a timeline or a line chart might be a good option. If you want to compare different categories, a bar chart or a pie chart might work better. If you want to illustrate a process or a concept, a diagram or a flowchart might be more effective.

What makes an excellent infographic? ›

Effective infographics are composed of few different attributes. They're well designed, they tell a good story, and also they are easy to understand.

How to evaluate infographics? ›

Common among them are the following evaluation criteria:
  1. Relevance of the infographic to any related research reports.
  2. The authority/credibility of the infographic author, or of any connected institution.
  3. Accuracy of the data. ...
  4. Apparent purpose of the infographic and whether this is realised in its design.

How do you analyze an infographic? ›

Questions to Consider When Reading & Analyzing Infographics:

Those aspects are design, message, and critique. Design refers to the aesthetic and artistic choices that the infographic creator made. Message refers to the content and purpose of the graphic. Lastly, critique refers to the opinion of the audience (you).

What should be in an infographic? ›

An effective infographic should have:
  • A clear subject and story.
  • A unique, attention grabbing title and tagline.
  • A clear storyline with a clean and well-structured layout – a layout that supports people browsing the information or jumping to the information that interests them the most.
Sep 23, 2022

What do infographics often include? ›

In the enterprise, infographics are used by all levels of management for high-level views of data. Infographics include bar graphs, pie charts, histograms, line charts, tree diagrams, mind maps, Gantt charts and network diagrams. Such tools are often components of business intelligence software.

What are the six elements of an infographic? ›

The Anatomy of an Infographic: 6 Essential Elements
  • Descriptive Title and Subheads. ...
  • Informative Statistics. ...
  • Bold, Thematically Appropriate Color Scheme. ...
  • Eye-Catching Graphics. ...
  • Clearly Organized, Sequential Story. ...
  • Specially Formatted Facts.
Jun 6, 2017

What elements to all infographics have in common? ›

The 9 Essential Elements of the Perfect Infographic [Infographic]
  • The fonts.
  • The title and headings.
  • The introduction.
  • The body copy.
  • The information and data.
  • The colours.
  • The visual aids.
  • The conclusion.
Oct 22, 2023

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