Having a large volume of information to share with people with no clear idea on who to do it, is a common problem that many brands, businesses, and companies experience. You might have undertaken a recent case study and gathered significant amounts of data, or you may have a unique process for creating your products that you would like to share. You should invest in an infographic to showcase this information to your audience.
An infographic can be understood as a visual representation of information – an information graphic. Rather than having walls of text for your audience to wade through, you can simplify this and provide them with information in a way that they will understand: visually.
If you want to use an infographic as part of your content marketing strategy, below we look at some top tips for designing one.
Process Your Data
The very first step in designing an effective infographic is to analyse and process all of your data. It is important not to skim over it but to read over it carefully to find the important pieces of information that will educate and entertain your audience. The information is the most important part of your infographic, so be sure to read everything available.
If you have been provided with the information from another source, be sure to check the accuracy of the information and any references provided. It would be disastrous to have a quote or statistic on your infographic that is incorrect or unsubstantiated. Make notes with the most important information highlighted and complementary information also listed.
Choose Good Content
Processing your data is a vital step to designing an infographic, but you should also concentrate on choosing good content for the project. The content should be relevant and valuable so that your audience will interact with it and share it on social media and other infographic websites. Having content that does not relate to your brand or industry will likely confuse your audience.
You should also consider the quality of the content over its quantity. Instead of trying to make ten or fifteen points in your infographic, try to get your message across in five simple, easy-to-understand points. If you will be using statistics, be sure to highlight the most important ones and not overwhelm the reader with a wall of numbers and facts.
Wise Up With A Wireframe
Once you have looked at all of your data and have fact-checked all of your information, you can move on to creating a wireframe. A wireframe is a skeleton or an outline of your project, and is often used by website developers when building a website. Diving right into the design of your infographic might sound like the easiest solution, but it might end up making the process take longer.
A wireframe will help you to see if all of your colours, images, fonts, and animations flow properly and makes sense. You can use this as a rough draft and change any elements that might not work well together. Planning out the content and layout for your infographic will result in a more cohesive design and content that tells a clear story.
All About Your Audience
Whenever you are creating content, you must consider your audience. Your infographic must be designed with your audience in mind; you could design a beautiful and informative infographic but if it does not resonate with your audience then it will not perform as you expected.
Consider whether your audience prefers quick information or enjoys reading longer pieces, and think about whether or not there are any older people in your audience. Your font and colour choices need to cater to these consumers, and you need to carefully consider the layout and presentation of the information in relation to how your audience consumes content.
Have A Clear Message
One of the most important steps in designing an infographic is to have a clear message that you want to send to your audience. This should be decided upon before you build a wireframe, as without a clear story and guideline, your infographic may not make the impact that you are planning it to.
When you are designing an infographic, remember to start by processing your data and choosing good content and a clear message. Create a wireframe and remember to focus your design on your audience. If you would like to improve your content marketing strategy with a professionally designed infographic, contact NetMechanic today to find out more.