Steps: How to Get Started
1. Outline the goals of your infographicBefore you begin to think about design, layout, charts, or aesthetics, you need to think hard about the goals of your infographic. Why are you making this infographic?
When I say goals, I don’t mean high-level goals like “summarize complex information” or “improve website traffic”.
I mean clear, concrete, achievable communication goals.
Step one: define the burning problem (History of Graphic Design) Recognize that you’re creating this infographic so that your audience can gain something very specific from reading it. That very specific thing should be a burning problem that your audience has in their lives, and that your infographic is going to solve.
Step two: use a question pyramid From there, use a question pyramid to take that burning problem and turn it into 3-5 actionable questions to tackle in your infographic:
1.) Major Artists or First Pieces of Design, and important dates
2.) Purpose of Design and How it is Important to Society
3.) Changes in Technology and Dates of Changes
These questions will become the framework around which you’ll build your infographic, and will help you tell a compelling story.
The supporting questions should reveal the basic information your audience will need to know to understand the main topic (Design History), and the probing questions that will reveal broader insights which should ultimately solve the burning problem.
2. Collect data for your infographic (Use the links provided and find links on your own)You’ll need some data to help you answer each question you defined in step one.
If you have your own data, great–you can move on to step three! If not, don’t worry. There’s a ton of public data available to you (the U.S. alone produces about 2.7 million GB of data per minute), if you just know where to look.
3. Visualize the data in your infographicNow you’ve got the questions you want to answer and the data you need to answer them. Your next step should be to decide how to present that data visually.
We’ve developed the ICCORE method to help you pick the best charts for your data. First, for each piece of data you want to visualize, determine whether the primary goal will be to:
InformYou want to convey an important message or data point that doesn’t require much context to understand.
Make a numerical stat stand out with large, bold, colorful text:
Demand extra attention by pairing icons with text:
Highlight a percentage or rate with a donut chart or a pictograph:
ChangeYou want to show trends over time or space.
Use a line chart or an area chart to show changes that are continuous over time.
Use a timeline to show discrete events in time.
Use a choropleth map to show spatial data.
Use a map series to show data that changes over both space and time.
Organize
You want to show groups, patterns, rank or order.
Use a list to show rank or order when you want to provide extra information about each element.
Use a table to show rank or order when you want readers to be able to look up specific values.
Use a flowchart to show order in a process.
Use simple boxes or borders to show organized groups (as seen in Venn diagrams and mind maps).
Otherwise, show rank or order with a bar chart, column chart, bubble chart, or pyramid chart.
Relationship
You want to reveal more complex relationships among things.
Use a scatter plot when you want to display two variables for a set of data.
Use a multi-series plot when you want to compare multiple sets of related data.
Explore
You want the reader to explore the data and discover insights for themselves.
There’s no magic bullet for exploration–the visualization style will really depend on the specifics of your data. Interactive charts like this one that allow for filtering, sorting, and drilling down are the often best choice, but these can be costly and time-consuming to develop. If you’re a visualization beginner, try to stick to the other choices.
That’s a quick rundown of our ICCORE method. Now, you should have everything you need to pick appropriate charts for each set of data you want to visualize. Just think about what you want to emphasize, and pick your chart accordingly.
For more examples and chart best practices, take a look at our full guide on how to choose the best charts for your data.
CREATE A CHART
4. Layout the elements of your infographic design
All that’s left is layout and design.
Putting your first element on the page can be daunting, but there are a few hacks that will remove some of the guesswork from the equation.
Create a natural information flowUse the question pyramid you developed in the first step to guide your layout and information flow.
Start by telling your reader what they’ll gain from your infographic (i.e. turn the burning problem into your header), follow up with the charts that address the “supporting questions”, and then drive it all home with the charts that address the “probing questions”.
Use a grid layout to add structure and balance to your infographicLaying out your elements with a predefined symmetrical grid is an easy tactic that will instantly elevate your infographic.
It will give your elements some essential order and, keeping in mind that we naturally read from left to right and top to bottom, it can be used to direct your reader’s gaze from element to element.
Sources: Everlane.com, Ziploc.com
When I say goals, I don’t mean high-level goals like “summarize complex information” or “improve website traffic”.
I mean clear, concrete, achievable communication goals.
Step one: define the burning problem (History of Graphic Design) Recognize that you’re creating this infographic so that your audience can gain something very specific from reading it. That very specific thing should be a burning problem that your audience has in their lives, and that your infographic is going to solve.
Step two: use a question pyramid From there, use a question pyramid to take that burning problem and turn it into 3-5 actionable questions to tackle in your infographic:
1.) Major Artists or First Pieces of Design, and important dates
2.) Purpose of Design and How it is Important to Society
3.) Changes in Technology and Dates of Changes
These questions will become the framework around which you’ll build your infographic, and will help you tell a compelling story.
The supporting questions should reveal the basic information your audience will need to know to understand the main topic (Design History), and the probing questions that will reveal broader insights which should ultimately solve the burning problem.
2. Collect data for your infographic (Use the links provided and find links on your own)You’ll need some data to help you answer each question you defined in step one.
If you have your own data, great–you can move on to step three! If not, don’t worry. There’s a ton of public data available to you (the U.S. alone produces about 2.7 million GB of data per minute), if you just know where to look.
3. Visualize the data in your infographicNow you’ve got the questions you want to answer and the data you need to answer them. Your next step should be to decide how to present that data visually.
We’ve developed the ICCORE method to help you pick the best charts for your data. First, for each piece of data you want to visualize, determine whether the primary goal will be to:
- Inform,
- Compare,
- Change,
- Organize,
- Reveal relationships, or
- Explore.
InformYou want to convey an important message or data point that doesn’t require much context to understand.
Make a numerical stat stand out with large, bold, colorful text:
Demand extra attention by pairing icons with text:
Highlight a percentage or rate with a donut chart or a pictograph:
ChangeYou want to show trends over time or space.
Use a line chart or an area chart to show changes that are continuous over time.
Use a timeline to show discrete events in time.
Use a choropleth map to show spatial data.
Use a map series to show data that changes over both space and time.
Organize
You want to show groups, patterns, rank or order.
Use a list to show rank or order when you want to provide extra information about each element.
Use a table to show rank or order when you want readers to be able to look up specific values.
Use a flowchart to show order in a process.
Use simple boxes or borders to show organized groups (as seen in Venn diagrams and mind maps).
Otherwise, show rank or order with a bar chart, column chart, bubble chart, or pyramid chart.
Relationship
You want to reveal more complex relationships among things.
Use a scatter plot when you want to display two variables for a set of data.
Use a multi-series plot when you want to compare multiple sets of related data.
Explore
You want the reader to explore the data and discover insights for themselves.
There’s no magic bullet for exploration–the visualization style will really depend on the specifics of your data. Interactive charts like this one that allow for filtering, sorting, and drilling down are the often best choice, but these can be costly and time-consuming to develop. If you’re a visualization beginner, try to stick to the other choices.
That’s a quick rundown of our ICCORE method. Now, you should have everything you need to pick appropriate charts for each set of data you want to visualize. Just think about what you want to emphasize, and pick your chart accordingly.
For more examples and chart best practices, take a look at our full guide on how to choose the best charts for your data.
CREATE A CHART
4. Layout the elements of your infographic design
All that’s left is layout and design.
Putting your first element on the page can be daunting, but there are a few hacks that will remove some of the guesswork from the equation.
Create a natural information flowUse the question pyramid you developed in the first step to guide your layout and information flow.
Start by telling your reader what they’ll gain from your infographic (i.e. turn the burning problem into your header), follow up with the charts that address the “supporting questions”, and then drive it all home with the charts that address the “probing questions”.
Use a grid layout to add structure and balance to your infographicLaying out your elements with a predefined symmetrical grid is an easy tactic that will instantly elevate your infographic.
It will give your elements some essential order and, keeping in mind that we naturally read from left to right and top to bottom, it can be used to direct your reader’s gaze from element to element.
Sources: Everlane.com, Ziploc.com