Infographics eliminate the need for wordy documents. If we fill the gaps with images, we’re more likely to keep readers engaged. People want to consume their information effectively and most people don’t have the time to sit and read walls of text.
Enter infographics. Infographics are the most effective way to communicate vast amounts of information in a digestible way and are more likely to be understood by a wider range of people. The more visual the infographic is, the more wide-reaching it is.
Think of warning signs. We purposely have internationally recognised symbols for everything important. We all understand what a wifi symbol means without having to read anything. We know what stop signs mean even if we don’t understand the language ‘stop’ is written in. Whilst signs aren’t infographics, they demonstrate the effectiveness of using imagery to communicate.
“ Infographics are generally created for the purpose of telling or explaining a specific story, and will usually be intended for a specific audience, thus infographics are subjective.” —Jack Hagley
Infographics should be useful, accurate and well illustrated. The difficult part of making infographics is trying to make sure the illustrations are up to standard without forgetting that the data they’re visualising is the most important part.
“Illustration can help showcase and bring things to life, but there’s a fine line between [this and] it becoming distracting. It should be more of a supporting than a leading role. If the designer isn’t careful, what he’s designing can become purely an illustration, rather than an infographic. You want the illustration to support the story that the data is telling, rather than detract from it.” —Robin Richards