The need to present complex information in an easy to understand yet effective manner is always felt because only then readers feel interested to go through the content. It is quite obvious that nobody likes to read dull and ill structured information. Duly addressing this issue and providing an apt means, Infographics (Information graphics) have proved to be of much help and are increasingly used for communicating messages, simplifying the complex data, making information concise and other purposes.
The underlying principle behind the creation and use of Infographics is to blend information and graphic elements to create a visually appealing and self explanatory content. Another thing that an information graphic tries to achieve is break the complexity and present something which is quick to grasp by the readers. There are some useful considerations which are as follows.
Go for Simplicity
Simplicity as an approach to explain things is considered best for it enables the readers to comprehend the various aspects quickly. So designing Infographics keeping them simple and straight forward is a good practice. It is important to use the right combination of text and graphics.
Set the Limit
Information graphics is meant to convey easily comprehensible information. It is therefore essential to define the scope of information to be covered. Setting the limit helps in putting the required information in an effective way that not only addresses their interests but also retains their attention for long. On the other hand, if there is a lot of content, it will lead to clutter and may repel them from reading.
Use colors appropriately – They make a big impact
The capacity of colors to attract and highlight the important sections cannot be sidelined. They can be used to attract the viewers and thus play a crucial role in Infographics. However, colors must be chosen depending upon the subject and the target audience.
Apply 7 Cs of communication
It is a highly efficient thing to do as it increases the quality of Infographics. 7Cs of communication stand for 7 common but very useful principles:
Correctness – Ensure that there are no grammatical and spelling mistakes. At the same time ensure the accuracy of facts and figures used.
Completeness – The message conveyed should be complete and must answer the readers’ queries.
Conciseness – Keep information short and apt for easy comprehension.
Clarity – It pertains to the purpose which must be made clear to the reader. There is no use of presenting information that makes reader guess about what he/she is reading.
Creativity – This helps in lending novelty to Infographics and can be done by using various styles, formats, graphics and other design elements.
Courtesy – This is applied in the style of writing to elicit the desired response. However, it depends on the type of Infographic. Quantitative Infographics may not require this principle but a product Infographic does.
Consideration – Always write bearing in mind the target readers of the Infographics. Consider their queries, needs, emotions and goals.
Pay more attention to visual appeal
As readers feel attracted to read something which appeals to their eyes, it is important to load the Infographics with visually attractive elements such as charts, diagrams, symbols, shapes, etc. Use them in conjunction with text to create high visual appeal to catch readers’ attention.
Ensure Relevance
It is to be made certain that the design of the Infographic is relevant to the topic it covers or the type it belongs to. Relevance of the design is an important consideration otherwise the readers may not find it interesting.
Maintain transparency to build trust
Infographics also need to present information upon which readers can rely. For this it makes sense to mention the sources of information which they can verify. It also helps them reach the right conclusion as they can check the information on their own. Maintaining transparency helps in building trust of the readers.
This was a brief guide on increasing the effectiveness of Infographics. We hope it helped our readers and look forward to their suggestions.
Written By: Mark Harvey, web developer working with XhtmlJunction, a popular web development company offering services like PSD to HTML, PSD to Magento, PSD to Drupal, PSD to WordPress and few more. PSD to HTML now at $39/8 hours. You can connect us on Facebook