Visual content marketing is crucial for marketers who want to capture interest in an already saturated digital world.
That is especially true for social media, where posts only have a few seconds to impact readers. Consequently, companies worldwide invest heavily in photo and video creation to capture social media users.
But there’s also another great visual tool to present information in a way that is both easily digestible and engaging — infographics.
To find out how to make a good infographic and request an infographic layout for your content, keep reading.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
Basic Structure of an Infographic
How To Make a Good Infographic
How To Request an Infographic Layout
What To Do Before Sharing the Infographic
Infographic Layout
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. Besides the fact that 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, the human brain can process images 60,000 times faster than text.
If you want to share information that sticks, infographics are an excellent addition to your content marketing strategy. Studies have shown that people can still recall 65% of visual information after three days compared to retaining 10% of what they read.
Here are some ways you can use infographics:
- Recipes
- Product benefits
- Survey results
- Comparisons
- How-to guides
Due to their visual nature, infographics are easy to share on your website and social media platforms. Infographics are always a hit on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.
Types of Infographics
Creating an effective infographic layout is easier when you know the type of infographic that suits your data best. Design tools such as Venngage or Piktochart offer templates to make the infographic design process faster and easier.
Some of the most used infographics are the following:
- Process infographic: A process infographic is a type of infographic that illustrates a step-by-step process, usually in a top-to-bottom or left-to-right flow chart.
- Comparison infographic: A comparison infographic objectively compares two options and usually presents data in a two-column layout.
- Statistical infographic: A statistical infographic is best for visualizing data sets. It uses its layout and visuals (like pie charts) to tell a data-driven story.
- Timeline infographic: Timeline infographics are used to highlight important dates and give an overview of events.
- Informational infographic: An informational infographic is best for expounding on a topic or educating people about a new concept.
Basic Structure of an Infographic
Not all infographics share the same design, but they usually follow a basic structure, which is the following:
- Headline (or Title): The headline provides the gist of your infographic. Keep it short but impactful. Seventy characters is a good length.
- Introduction: The introduction helps describe your infographic in a couple of sentences.
- Body (or Main Infographic Content): The body is the meat of the infographic. It is where you discuss your main idea. First, expound information to a maximum of six points. Then, break up each point into sections using subheadings and data visualization elements such as tables, charts, and icons.
- Conclusion: The conclusion summarizes the information shared in the infographic. When appropriate, you may add a call to action.
- Footnotes (or Sources): Don’t forget to cite relevant sources. Be sure to use the latest data.
Use this basic structure as a guide to making high-quality infographic templates.
How To Make a Good Infographic
With the availability of drag-and-drop graphic design tools such as Canva and Venngage, anyone can quickly create an infographic. However, learning how to make a good infographic is something else entirely.
The best infographic layouts compellingly use information and design to convey a story or present a fresh perspective on previously accepted knowledge.
Here are some tips on how to make a good infographic:
Information
- Aim to educate or entertain. The first part of knowing how to make a good infographic is determining the goal for creating one. Infographics are usually educational or entertaining and should preferably not be used to sell explicitly.
- Focus on one topic. Although infographics can present complex information, it’s not an excuse to cram everything into one infographic layout. Instead, focus on one topic and break up data into a maximum of six points.
- Use data visualization techniques. Data visualization is the practice of turning relevant, complex data into visuals to impact the audience profoundly. Start by learning how to choose the right chart type for your data.
- Create a story. Before designing your infographic, determine what you want to say. Having a clear message is key to a great infographic.
Visual Elements
Visual elements play a large part in infographic design. Depending on how you use them, the outcome will be different.
Here are some of the essential visual elements you should keep in mind when creating infographic layouts:
1. Tone
What’s the overall goal of your infographic? Regardless of the objective, make sure the colors in your infographic match the tone of the information you provide.
If the subject is light or fun, feel free to play with colors. If it tackles a serious topic, use muted colors of the same palette to keep it professional.
2. Color
Users will view infographics online. Therefore, it’s best to choose color schemes that won’t cause eye strain when viewed on a computer or mobile screen.
Consider going with a color palette of three similar colors. Here’s an example:
You can also go for contrasting hues to highlight distinct features or make an impact. For instance:
You can use the following color harmony chart to choose suitable color combinations:
3. Fonts
When it comes to fonts, let the rule of three guide you. Use three fonts maximum — one for the title/header, one for the body, and a third to complement the other two.
The header font is usually decorative, while the body font must be readable and straightforward. The third font serves as an accent for captions and subheadings, and it should be a mix of the header and body fonts — not too decorative, nor too simple.
4. Spacing
When designing an infographic, leave enough space between each element to help readers process the information better.
Besides adding negative or white spaces, use separators (such as lines or frames) so readers can distinguish between sections.
How To Request an Infographic Layout from a Designer
If you don’t have an eye for design, you can always hire someone who knows how to make a good infographic.
You can get an in-house designer, reach out to a graphic design agency, or hire a freelancer. Either way, before you hire someone, you may want to check their graphic design portfolio or ask them some of these questions to vet whether they would be a good fit.
Once you have decided which designer you want to work with, follow these tips to request your infographic:
- Be clear about what you want. Before approaching a graphic designer, you must already know why you’re making an infographic and the target audience you’re making it for. Most designers prefer clients that already know what they want versus those that give creative freedom but always ask for revisions.
- Provide enough information to your designers to help them understand the context behind the design. Also, supply the brand elements they may need, such as typography, logos, color scheme, and images you may want to include.
- Collaborate with the designer. You should work hand-in-hand with designers to ensure your vision comes to life.
What To Do Before Sharing the Infographic
Now that you’ve learned how to make a good infographic, here are some things to do before sharing your output online:
- Ensure design elements are consistent. Before posting, ensure that your infographic’s icons, font style, and color palette are cohesive.
- Proofread. Whether you’re creating the infographic layout for yourself or a client, give the output a once-over to check for misspelling or misinformation before sharing.
- Ask for a second opinion. If you’re the only one who understands what the infographic is trying to say, it means that the visual elements are failing to convey the information correctly. So, ask around for feedback and make the necessary changes.
- Verify data sources. Ensure the relevant data comes from reputable sources.
- Check the file size. Marketing expert Neil Patel recommends a maximum length of 8000 pixels and a 1.5MB file size to ensure that the infographic is shareable.
Final Thoughts: How To Make a Good Infographic Layout
Infographics help present complex information visually and straightforwardly. Graphs can capture the attention of website visitors and help readers retain more information.
Moreover, including infographics in your marketing strategy is a great way to share your content quickly because infographics are easily shareable.
Although you can have graphic designers create one for you, knowing how to make a good infographic is a valuable skill to have.
Have you included infographics in your content strategy? Let us know by dropping us a comment @Bluehost.
