When you go ahead and start working on the infographics for your business, do you know what you are getting into? As fun and simple as they look, infographics can be a bit more complex than you may think.
In fact, you can actually find some really disappointingly bad infographics out there. Not everyone can just whip one up in a few minutes. It takes time and preparation. And if you do not do those things, it will show in the quality of the piece.
- Things To Do When You Create Infographics
- Things To Avoid When You Create Infographics
When you create infographics free for your business or personal website, there are a few things that you definitely want to keep in mind. First of all, you need to remember what exactly an infographic is used for and what it does.
You make infographics to deliver little nuggets of information that are accompanied by corresponding imagery to help accentuate the point that you are trying to make. When you break it down, you can see what you should be doing here.
To begin, all of your research, information, sources, and layout should all be done ahead of time. That way, when you are in the program, creating the actual visual aspect, you do not have to break your flow and jump back and forth, trying to find the right facts or resources.
Next, make sure that your facts are succinct and relevant, all tying together. You want each one-sentence piece of data to work with the others, forming a single, cohesive theme. Along with that, each sentence should have an image that corresponds, but also fits the overall theme, and the rest of the images as well.
Two very important things to avoid when creating your infographics, and do not forget these, because there are too many infographics out there like this that can be made into bad examples. Always, every single time, no matter what, spell check. Twice. Spell check when you do your mock draft, and then spell check again once you transfer the text over to the working piece, but before you finalize and publish. Seriously. No excuses for misspellings.
Also, remember your text-to-image ratios. A solid chunk of text in the middle with a few images surrounding it does not qualify as an infographic. Nor does too many pictures and three sentences. There is a delicate balance that you need to reach in order to hit maximum effectiveness of the infographic.
It may seem daunting, now that you know you cannot just whip up a picture in Photoshop and slap some text on there. But if you use one of the free programs online, and take a look at some of the truly great infographics out there, you should be well on your way to creating a great one of your own.