We’ve all faced a wall of text at one point or another. In the search for helpful information, you’ve had to trudge through word after word, paragraph after paragraph. Sometimes, though, the text clouds clear, and you’re given some reprieve: an infographic.
An infographic is the perfect combo of beauty and brains. It’s easy on the reader’s eyes, that’s plain to see, but it’s also packed with valuable, digestible information that sticks with them. But what does an infographic look like or, better yet, what should an infographic look like?
In this post, we’ve compiled our top 6 infographic design tips you can use to engage your audience time and time again.
What is an infographic in marketing?
Let’s define infographics first. Take some snippets of valuable information, mix in some graphic design, and voilà! You’ve got an infographic! That’s the snappy definition of an infographic and, for the most part, it is accurate. However, if you look at the infographic definition technically, it is “a visual representation of information or data”.
An infographic in marketing can take many shapes. In its most basic form, an infographic displays text and images to make complex information accessible and memorable for your reader.
What is the purpose of an infographic?
When you create content, you want to solve a problem for your audience. Infographics in your blog or social media content are a compelling way to hook their attention and give them easy access to the answers they’re seeking.
Deep down, though, it’s a storytelling device and the purpose of an infographic is to convey an idea, concept, or explanation in the simplest and most digestible way possible. While readers are less likely to read through and remember a wall of text, they’ll definitely look through an infographic. Your most valuable information should draw the eye, which is why infographics are so darn helpful.
Plus, at the core of any marketing strategy is persuasion. When you can get in front of your readers’ eyes with an infographic, you have a better chance of convincing them where needed.
Are there different types of infographics and what are some examples of good infographics?
Infographics are anything but a one-size-fits-all, but drawing inspiration from successful infographics is critical to figuring out the type you want to make. Some of the most common types of infographics are:
- Informational: Best for highlighting key points.
- Flowchart: Best for breaking down processes.
- Timeline: Best for showing a chronological sequence.
- Statistical: Best for spotlighting data and conclusions.
- Comparison: Best for comparing and contrasting different items.
- Maps: Best for location-specific information and demographics.
Looking through different types of infographics gives us a rough idea of what’s possible with infographics. But, what do infographics look like in practice? To get that sense, we need to look at real-world examples of infographics. For our first infographic example, we thank the folks over at Semrush. In the infographic below, they’ve compiled keyword data for 7 industries looking for digital marketing agencies. This graphic fits into the informational, statistical, and comparison types. It can even be included in a list of the best persuasive infographic examples.
Sometimes you need to create a sense of urgency and drive action toward a complex problem. In this infographic example from the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, they present a data-backed, interactive, persuasive infographic on why biodiversity is important.
What are the benefits of infographic marketing?
Infographics can level up your content strategy by:
- Clarifying complex information.
- Improving user experience (UX).
- Reinforcing your authority.
- Increasing shareability.
- Contributing to your rich media.
If you play your cards right, creating an eye-catching, informative, and clear infographic will make your content more engaging. And with higher engagement comes boosted organic traffic, higher rankings on SERPs, and a ton more brand exposure.
Also, if you’re link-building, infographics are a great way of getting quality backlinks. Infographics are linkable assets, and readers love to share them. If you’ve branded and optimized your infographics with target keywords and more, they can bring referral traffic to your doorstep. After all, what are infographics used for but to attract, engage, and compel audiences of different types?
Rich media of all kinds will engage your audience more effectively than text can alone. That’s why, as part of Ranq’s content marketing services, you’ll receive high-quality content infused with rich media, like images, videos, and more!
6 infographic design tips to upgrade your content
While content is the backbone of a good infographic, it isn’t everything. Infographic design plays as much of a role in the success of your marketing efforts as infographic content. For this reason, here are some infographic design tips that will help you stay on top of your game when it comes to your infographic projects.
Provide the right amount of info—avoid TMI!
Info-dumping won’t make for engaging content. You want your infographic to contain only the information your audience needs to understand a concept or take action.
To avoid bogging down your reader, take heed to these best practices:
- Narrow the scope of the topic.
- Ask what specific problem the infographic will solve.
- Keep language laser-focused, clear, and concise.
- Choose your infographic images wisely to concisely present otherwise lengthy information.
Use intuitive, consistent font
You wouldn’t use Wingdings on your resume, right? The same goes for your infographic because, in both cases, they need to be professional.
No matter your purpose, make your infographics easy on the eyes. That means the font and color schemes should make the content simple and enjoyable. One way is to align the font in your infographics with other marketing materials, which reinforces brand consistency and makes your infographics easily identifiable.
Format with purpose
Creating an engaging infographic is an art and a science, and while graphic design is in many ways subjective, there are some clear formatting principles you should follow. Rather than slapping your information and graphics together Pollock-style, following a few basic design principles can give you the look and impact you’re after.
Here are some guidelines to follow:
- Ensure your information flows logically.
- Let your graphics show, not tell.
- Use an F-pattern layout for text-heavy infographics.
- Use a Z-pattern layout for text-minimal infographics.
Draw attention to key ideas with your infographic style
Some points or ideas will need more emphasis than others, like the takeaways you need your audience to remember. You can draw attention to key ideas by:
- Placing them at critical spots in the infographic.
- Taking advantage of design tools for shadowing, segmenting, and more.
- Consider replacing the text with a visual that will stand out.
- Make use of white space to emphasize critical takeaways.
Balance the color and white space in a digital infographic
You certainly don’t want your infographic to be boring, but you also don’t want it to be overwhelming. Balancing color with neutral tones and white space is an important aspect of enhancing UX.
Choose a color scheme that catches the eye of readers and fits the topic being discussed. In the biodiversity example above, they use natural colors like blue and green, which fits the forest theme of the graphic.
At the same time, use white space to aid in the organization and flow of your infographic. Negative space allows your audience to breathe, improving their focus and attracting them to critical areas.
Use an infographic design service
With so many infographic design services, you don’t need to build an infographic from scratch. Typically, they’ll offer free or low-cost design templates and layout tools to get you going.
Infographic design in Canva, for example, is free and offers a variety of templates and millions of royalty-free stock images to enhance your content. However, the planning and execution process will still fall on your shoulders. If you don’t feel comfortable creating infographics alone, you can always hire Ranq to do it for you!
Get infographics and other rich media from Ranq!
Putting a solid infographic in the world takes a lot of planning, trial and error, and a dash of artistic flair. You want your target audience, and search engines, to find them unique and valuable. When they do, that primes you for all types of benefits!
Leave lengthy walls of text in your rearview mirror for good. Ranq’s content marketing experts will work with you to create a winning content marketing strategy that incorporates graphics to make your content shine.
Contact Ranq and leave the art and science of infographic design in our hands.