“Data visualization” or “data viz”, a term used for large amount of data displayed in a visually stimulating manner called Infographics. Infographics are great attention gainers and generate the kind of perspective which words alone cannot and are far more dazzling than pie charts and bar graphs. With time Infographics have evolved with trends in design and gone through creative face lifts. The Internet today is flooded with information delivered in riveting ways.
So, what goes into the designing of these powerful visual treats? We bring to you a few tips worth considering for Infographic designing.
Show more don’t feed
As an infographic designer your aim might be to compile all the research and turning that information into visually stimulating Infographic. But, doing this you can cross the line between just enough information to too much information! Focus more on creating one that meets the eye more naturally and doesn’t come off as an information over-dose. Choose a topic that’s most relevant to your business purpose always bearing in mind your target audience. Try and enhance it with more Graphics! Because an infographic without more graphics is simply only Info!
Be unique with graphs
A client hires a professional and as the final product all he gets is a bunch of standard charts and bar graphs. So disappointing right? As a professional aim to take things to the next level and create unique charts. Many online tools can come in handy to make colorful pie charts, bar and line graphs. Bearing in mind the aesthetic purposes of the Infographic always try to glamorize your design.
The right use of Typography
Although, typography is a key element in a design, it should never be used as a solution to lack of innovation for data viz. Mostly, typographical energies are focused on headings and titles. The right font used for a title is your perfect chance to make a statement. What’s interesting is some titles in itself are boring and a right title design can be engaging enough for viewers to scroll down.
Not just that, headings also break up an infographic into parts making it easier for the audience to take it in.
Story line and framing
Framing an Infographic can be quite a challenge for infographic designers as a lot of data needs to be visually presented in form of a story. And of course, in an interesting way! But a few things can be done to break the entire process.
Set up a story line right at the beginning so that you don’t hit the wall at different stages of creation which can be quite frustrating. Draw a sketch! This enables you to picturse what you want to show and how!
Once you have a frame, you also have an idea of the section break in the story flow of your Infographic. A chance to think outside the box and instead of giving a heading to distinguish each section from the last use columns or borders to do it. You could also break the section by giving a road or a path theme to your design.
Like all good stories an infographic should consist of a beginning, middle and an end. Beginning with a problem, backed with data and finally ending with a concluding solution.
The essential take-away of the Infographic which “hooks” an audience should be placed either at the center or right at the end. Give it visual weightage so that it grabs the most attention.
Color Wisely
Choice of color palette can make or break an infographic. Choose them wisely as wrong palette can harm a brand’s image and even convey a different message. What should you do?
Always choose a palette that’s universal. As infographics are shared online, picking a palette keeping in mind a diverse group of visitors is important. Avoid dark colors and also white as they do not gel well with infographics.
If choosing a color palette is a difficult task then it’s suggested to stick to a rule of three. One for background, and other two for breaking sections. Additional colors can be shades of these three colors. This gives the Infographic an easy flow. Color picking tools such as Adobe’s Kuler and COLOUR lovers help you choose palettes and even adjust with the ones you’re interested in.
With these useful tips make infographics that are “eye candy”. Sometimes breaking rules and general norms can bring immense infographic success.
Author Bio: Dharmendra Ahuja is the author of “Learn a few designing tips for Killer Infographics”, PitchWorx – 2d animation company in delhi providing custom corporate presentation design, explainer videos for startups and infographic design for digital marketing campaign and for your next big business presentation.
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