This might seem like an existential question, but this initial step is crucial. At this point, you should define what your infographic should look like and its purpose.

Some people want to inform while others aim to entertain. In their book Infographics: The Power of Visual Storytelling , authors Lankow, Ritchie, and Crooks explain that there are two approaches to infographic design: explorative & narrative.

Image courtesy of Column Five Media

As a nutrition consultant, let’s say you’ve been receiving a lot of questions from clients on what should be on their plates whenever they’re sick and would want to recover quickly.

With this in mind, your infographic goal is to educate, inform, and engage your readers. This calls for a more narrative approach.

Now that you’ve decided on taking the narrative road, it’s time to reflect (or brainstorm with a team) on the following questions:

If you answer yes to everything (or majority of the questions!), you’re ready to take the next step!

Quick tip: If you’re still stuck in finding the purpose of your infographic, here are a few examples of infographic goals.

Watch: How to Come Up with a Winning Idea for an Infographic

If there’s one thing that makes an effective infographic, it would have to be nailing your research.

It’s not uncommon to kill a great idea or a concept for an infographic because of the lack of reputable sources and relevant data.

The good news is that there is no shortage of data these days on the Internet. However, you need to comb through these data carefully to ensure that you’re providing accurate, well-vetted information.

So how do you collect reliable information for your infographic? Here you go:

With fake news going rampant these days, excellent sources of information include academic studies, recently published surveys or polls, new press releases, and taking straight to experts.

A good rule of thumb is to try not to use data that is more than one or two years old. If you have the time, you can run your own survey or interview experts/specialists in your industry.

Considering Context

Forgetting about the context of the message you want to convey is a common mistake when researching for an infographic.

For instance, if you want to provide a data-driven infographic on the right types of food to eat when someone feels sick, you don’t want to come up with an infographic covering all sorts of “feeling sick” episodes. You can limit yourself into two or three “feeling sick” states like having a hangover, flu, and an upset stomach. The more you add main points and explore more data sets, the greater the likelihood of a poorly-designed infographic because there’s just too many contexts to consider.

Apart from making sure that you have high-quality sources of data and information, a well-designed, effective infographic is also a result of the following best practices when gathering information and insights:

• Explore other perspectives to avoid biased information.
• Find the central idea of the numbers or data you’ve gathered.
• Find a way to turn your stats and figures into a compelling story by coming up with a beginning that captures readers’ attention, a middle filled with rich insights and data, and finally, a satisfying conclusion.

You’re done researching and it’s time to get visual!

Now that you already know what to say based on research, your next step is to figure out how to say it!

At this point, you need to address two important things:

When writing infographic texts and copy, you have to mince your words and sentences carefully.

Keep in mind that infographics are visual aids where words are used to support your visuals (not the other way around).

Here are some best practices when writing infographic content:

• Flesh out a compelling narrative. Don’t just cite statistics. Instead, use those numbers as data points in telling a story.
• Keep ‘em short and snappy. Beware of Too Much Information (TMI).
• Write a strong headline.
• Be mindful of your infographic structure: headline, subheadline, headings, visual labels, and footnotes/sources.
• Ensure accuracy when labeling charts, graphs, and other visuals.
• Use the active voice as much as possible.
• Use texts and copy to explain your visual. Do not just write “flower” when you have an image of a flower in your infographic. What’s the symbol of flower for? What does it convey?
• Add your call to action at the bottom. A well-designed infographic is not effective if you don’t have a call-to-action statement asking people to share it on their social media profiles or to contact you for more questions.

Next, you have to decide on the visual element of your infographic. During this stage, you have to consider design direction based on your target audience, underlying message, and information.

When deciding on a visual theme and its elements, consider the following:

Here are some best practices when deciding on your visual theme:

Highlight the essential points of your idea, story, or concept. A good practice is to start with three main sections and work on the details of each section later on.

Questions to ask when working on your infographic texts and visual theme:

Bonus tip: Check out the following types of infographics to choose from when you’re feeling uninspired.

Once you’ve answered these questions, designing the basic structure of your infographic is next on your list! You can use paper and pen for sketching or create a simple digital wireframe like the one below.

We’re almost there!

Bonus tip: You might consider writing an infographic brief when you’re hiring an infographic designer. It’s also a great guide you can refer back to when you’re going the DIY route in your infographic project.

This is the most exciting part, you’re finally designing an infographic! Once you have your wireframe or sketch, you have two options:

If you decide to create your own infographic, tools like Easelly makes the infographic creation process smooth and easy because you can pick from hundreds of professionally-designed infographic templates. You can also customize these templates with icons, charts, illustrations, and images.

Here’s a peek of what it looks like using a simple infographic tool like Easelly:

Step 1 - Work on your headline. You can change this later on.

Step 2 - Upload your images, icons, and other files.

Step 3 - Insert your copy and content from your wireframe.

Step 4 - Adjust and set your background colors.

Step 5 - Upload your images, icons, and other files.

Step 6 - Finally, add your call-to-action and branding at the bottom.

Depending on your infographic content and target audience, don’t forget to add your sources at the footer section. Apart from giving credit where credit is due, a list of reliable resources also reinforces the authenticity of your content.

You’re done creating your first infographic!

If you need a gentle nudge with an infographic design project that’s taking too long to finish or you don’t have the time, you can hire an expert infographic designer to create a custom infographic for you.

Hire an Expert Infographic Designer

Your infographic is wasted if it’s ridden of typos and errors. Proofread when you can. If possible, ask someone to give their feedback about your infographic.

Before you share your infographic to the world, watch the short video below to check if your infographic visual medium is equally effective, engaging, and easy to understand. Alternatively, you can use this checklist.

Watch: What Makes an Effective Infographic?