How to Create the Perfect Infographic

Infographics have become one of the most popular ways to share information in the digital age. Creating an infographic that is eye-catching and attractive is essential for high audience engagement. As ColinKurtis Advertising is celebrating its 25th anniversary, our creative team created an infographic to show you what we’ve been up to as a food marketing agency!

“Infographics are the perfect balance of ‘show and tell’ and provide a great way to communicate complex information in a way that is meaningful, yet quick and easy to comprehend. Not only are they valuable but also extremely versatile since they can be shared in so many different channels and always achieve outstanding results for our clients.” — Debra Tucker, Vice President / Creative Director, ColinKurtis

Below are steps to make an impactful infographic!

Concepting:

What is the story? 

Having a story to tell is crucial to a successful infographic. Think about the “big picture” your infographic is trying to convey.

Who are the readers?

Another factor marketers often overlook is their target audience. When creating an infographic, it’s important to have a set target audience in mind and ensure that it’s catering to the needs and interests of the target audience.

“One problem a lot of marketers have is trying to design an infographic with everyone in mind. As a result, the visual usually ends up reaching nobody in particular. This devalues the content and greatly hinders the results.” — Larry Alton

What is the goal? 

Realizing what the final goal of an infographic is important, what do you want the audience to take away from it? Do you want them to visit your page? Or buy a product? 

Rough drafting 

After identifying the purpose, audience and end goal of your infographic, consider how you want it to be presented.

There are many different types of infographics; here are some examples:

• Data visualization
  • Uses data points
  • Utilizes results from surveys or trends
• Informative design
  • Organizes concepts to tell a story
  • Usually constructed in timelines or flow charts
• Editorial infographics
  • Usually more wordy

Different templates are used for showcasing different information, so choose the structure  you think will best suit your infographic. 

Now it’s time to create an outline for your infographic. Consider using grid paper or a template while sketching out your ideas to keep everything organized and consistent with margins.

Creating:

Aesthetics matter

Before you start experimenting with color and copy options, first determine what headline you will use. The headline needs to act as a pitch to draw in your audience. Usually titles that have two numbers are more compelling and specific, which attracts audience attention. 

Simplicity and minimalism is key; you don’t want to overwhelm your audience. If you find that there’s too much information for one graphic, simply split it into two. With this in mind, here are some quick tips from Venngage.com for each of these categories:

Color

• Limit colors; use 2-3 main colors with accent colors, or use brand colors 
• Use color to make specific items stand out, or contrast 

Typography

• Limit small/flowy text, which may be hard to read 
• Limit use of multiple fonts, around two different fonts should be enough 
• Limit use of text; show more than tell

Size

• Use size to make elements stand out

Graphics

• Stick to one style for any images, graphics or photos
• Can also be used for contrast 

Balance and flow

• Having a natural reading path is important, and will make the information seem connected 
• Use symmetrical/asymmetrical balance (especially good for long infographics) 
• Leave negative space; it makes the infographic seem less cluttered 

Share:

Make sure it’s shareable and accessible!

Make sure to share your infographics on social media and that the image is optimized for search and that it can also be embedded in a blog post or shared with influential bloggers in the industry. 

With all of this, it can help drive traffic back to your website. Creating an infographic can be a lot of work, so let ColinKurtis Advertising’s creative team take the heavy lifting off your plate — contact Mitch Robinson at mitch@colinkurtis.com or call 815-965-6657 EXT. 1 to learn more about our approach.