How to Design an Infographic: A Step-By-Step Tutorial

We live in a data-driven world. Each day, we produce and consume lots of information. Making sense of all this data can sometimes be challenging. Infographics help address these challenges.

You can think of an infographic as a visual representation of information. It provides a summary of key details or data points for readers to understand quickly. Infographics usually contain images, charts, graphs, percentages, colors, and other graphics that facilitate data visualization.

Infographics can be better for communicating data than text or standard spreadsheets because they help break down complex information in a more engaging and pleasing manner. It doesn’t matter if you’re presenting statistics related to COVID-19, reporting on organizational performance, or displaying a series of chronological events; you can use infographics to communicate your message perfectly.

Depending on your data sets, you can adopt and use different types of infographics, including timeline, process, informational, and map infographics.

Here are the steps you should follow to develop a good infographic.

1. Set a goal
2. Define your target audience
3. Choose a type of infographic
4. Plan your content
5. Envision your data
6. Pick your template
7. Include attractive design elements
8. Publish your infographic and measure the results

1. Set a goal

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You must have a clear goal before engaging in infographic design. Define what you want your infographic to accomplish.

A goal will inform your actions during the design process, including the type of content, structure, and graphics you’ll adopt to communicate your message.

An example of a clear goal is to provide organizational information to successfully onboard new employees. To achieve this goal, you will need to create a good infographic that introduces the new staff to the organization.

2. Define your target audience

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People have different levels of knowledge, skills, education, and other preferences. Some people may be interested in reading your message, while others may be more apt to pay attention to a visualization. Similarly, a specific group may understand your message, while another may fail to make sense of it. Therefore, you shouldn’t try to target all individuals with your infographic.

Instead, narrow down and focus on a particular audience. Take time to analyze and identify characteristics common to that specific segment. Depending on your goals, you can look at factors like values, profession, experience, and language.

Identifying your target audience will help you determine the type of content to include in the infographic. For example, if your target audience includes experienced individuals, you can use complex terminologies and language since they’ll understand it. On the other hand, you may opt to use simpler terms if you’re explaining a new concept to beginners.

3. Choose a type of infographic

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Once you have clear goals and a target audience, move on to selecting an appropriate type of infographic.

Each type of infographic has a specific structure and layout. Therefore, you should choose one that helps you best convey your message.

Here are some of the most popular types of infographics and their uses.

Timeline infographic

A timeline infographic allows you to present information according to when a particular activity happened. For instance, you can use a timeline infographic to narrate how technology has evolved since the 19th century. You can also use a timeline infographic to project how certain events may occur in the future.

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Process infographic

Process infographics allow you to break processes into smaller, more understandable steps. For example, you can use a process infographic to explain to employees how to use particular software. Process infographics are also suitable for recipes, product guides, onboarding exercises, and customer journey maps. You can utilize a process infographic to explain the different aspects of your marketing strategy.

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Informational infographic

Informational infographics provide an overview of a subject using different colors, shapes, icons, and other graphics. They focus on the most important aspects of a particular topic to keep the reader engaged.

Informational infographics also use bolded texts and different fonts to make certain information stand out and grab the reader’s attention. You can use an informational infographic to summarize a long article to readers, introduce a new concept, or share your findings from a case study.

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Map infographic

Map infographics present location-based information. For example, you can utilize a map infographic to showcase how customers consume a particular product across the country.

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Statistical infographic

A statistical infographic helps you to visualize data. For instance, you can use a statistical infographic to present data relating to company performance, survey results, and population overview.

Some of the common visual elements in a statistical infographic are bar graphs and pie charts. One huge advantage of statistical infographics is that the audience can easily understand the data as compared to when using spreadsheets.

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4. Plan your content

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In this step, it’s time to determine the type of content you’ll place on the infographic. If you have a lot of research materials, you may need to do an in-depth analysis and summarize the main data points. Develop an outline to guide you in creating an eye-catching infographic.

Ensure all your data sources are reliable, relevant, current, credible, and accurate to avoid misleading the audience and harming your reputation. Provide links or a list of your data sources at the end of the infographic to allow people to read more.

Once you identify the content you wish to include on the infographic, you should determine the specific area in which to place it. Look at the infographic layout you intend to use. If you’re using a template, you may need to place content in specific areas to maintain visual appeal.

5. Envision your data

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Infographics are effective tools when it comes to data presentation. Visuals allow you to communicate your message so readers grasp information quickly. Common data visualization techniques include maps and charts. For example, you can use a bar chart to show how a population has grown over time or a pie chart to show budget allocations in an organization.

Be careful when choosing data visualization tools for your infographic. Including things like charts randomly may muddle your message and confuse viewers.

Here are some things to consider during data visualization.

• Understand your target audience. Knowing the people you’re targeting can help when selecting appropriate visualization tools. For example, you can use complex charts and maps when targeting a highly knowledgeable audience and simpler pie charts and bar graphs for beginners.
• Look at your goals. During data visualization, ensure that your selected tools can help bring out what you’re trying to achieve or communicate with the infographic.
• Review your data. You should go through your content and determine the most suitable visualization technique. For instance, if your data is about how crime rates have increased in a particular area, you may consider using a line chart to show the progression.
• Consider the layout of the infographic. Some data visualization tools require more space on the template. Trying to squeeze things in may cause certain details to blur, reducing your infographic's effectiveness. You should also avoid adding too many visualizations to your template, which can cause information overload.

6. Pick your template

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You can use an infographic maker to create your own infographic design from scratch. However, this option requires some knowledge and skills to develop a good design. Designing effective infographic components may also consume a considerable amount of time and energy.

To save time, consider finding and customizing an infographic template to fit your goals.

Here are some software tools you can use to create your infographic.

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Canva

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Canva is an online graphic design tool that allows you to quickly develop professional infographics and other presentations to share with your audience.

Top features

• Ready-made designs. Canva grants you access to thousands of templates, images, and other graphics. With these materials, you can save significant time by quickly bringing your ideas to life.
• Enhanced collaboration. Work with your teammates remotely to complete various designs. The built-in comments system lets you receive and resolve suggestions in real time.
• Scheduling. Automatically post your infographic, as well as other designs, on social media platforms directly from Canva.

Adobe InDesign

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Adobe InDesign enables you to create beautiful designs, share visual content, and receive feedback.

Top features

• Scalable user interface. You can scale the quality of your design depending on the screen resolution. This feature can help you determine how your design will look on different screen configurations.
• A rich interface. Adobe InDesign provides the right tools for creating single- and multi-column page designs using various images, graphics, and typography.
• Collaboration. Adobe InDesign is integrated with Adobe Creative Cloud, allowing you to share your design with your team, receive feedback, and make appropriate changes.

Visme

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Visme helps you create branded content, data visualizations, presentations, and other documents.

Top features

• A wide range of templates. Visme helps you save time with its huge library of customizable content. You can download, edit, and share these templates according to your needs.
• Asset management. Visme provides an environment where you can store, search, and retrieve your design assets. This feature can help boost your productivity.
• Drag-and-drop editor. You can create your infographic quickly by dragging components and pasting them onto your design.
• Communication and collaboration. Visme allows you to partner with your team members to design infographics and other documents with ease.

7. Include attractive design elements

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Once you’ve included all the relevant content on the infographic, you should add several design elements to make it more appealing and interesting. Below are some things you may want to apply or add to your infographic.

• Color scheme. Ensure that you select a coherent color palette that promotes legibility. You should use at least one primary color to add vibrance to your design. Always ensure that the background color doesn’t cause readability issues. Test out different colors to find the best fit for your infographic.
• Shapes. When creating an infographic, you can use different shapes to emphasize certain concepts, divide sections, and set the content flow. Consider using a variety of shapes to improve your infographics.
• Icons. Icons can help you to visualize your story or content. Consider replacing certain text on your infographic with icons. For example, if you’re creating a process infographic, you can use icons to outline the steps rather than writing down the numbers.
• Fonts. You should use fonts that are easy to read and don’t distract from the content. It’s best to go for a simple design rather than overload your infographic with too many fonts.
• Animations. If most readers will view your infographic on a screen rather than as a printout, consider adding some animations and interactivity. You can use software platforms like Visme, Canva, and Adobe InDesign to add animations to your design.
• Alignment. Your infographic should adopt a particular alignment style rather than just placing components all over the place. Content alignment makes your design look professional.
• White space. This is the space between texts, images, icons, and other design elements. Adding white spaces can help improve your content’s readability.

8. Publish your infographic and measure the results

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Once you finish the design process and proofread your content, you can download and share your infographic with your target audience.

If your infographic contains links, you may need to share it online as a PDF rather than a PNG or image to allow the audience to click on the links and access the sites.

If your design has some animations and you wish to reserve them, consider embedding the infographic directly on your website.

You also need to measure results or determine how your target audience responds to the infographic. If you share the design on social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter, you can go through the comments section to find out how viewers feel about the design and the message. Use this feedback to make improvements to future designs.

Use talent hired on Upwork to design the perfect infographic

Infographics provide a wonderful and appealing way of presenting information. This tutorial explained how to make an infographic, including setting goals, defining a target audience, planning and creating content, picking a template, adding design elements, and publishing the final product.

You can create an infographic from scratch or use an existing template. If you lack adequate time and design skills or are just looking for more inspiration, consider finding and hiring a professional infographic designer from Upwork, the world’s human and AI-powered work marketplace. Browse Project Catalog™ to find skilled professionals providing these and other services as ready-to-purchase projects.

If you’re a professional looking for work, Upwork provides a platform where you can meet, sell your services to, and work with numerous clients.

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Upwork is not affiliated with and does not sponsor or endorse any of the tools or services discussed in this article. These tools and services are provided only as potential options, and each reader and company should take the time needed to adequately analyze and determine the tools or services that would best fit their specific needs and situation.