The quest for great looking designs is never ending. Since the turn of the millennium, the demand for good designs has plummeted skywards. Businesses are no longer isolated from the global marketplace and everything is out in the open, including fierce competition. The internet has spawned a movement where businesses are appreciative of designs that are eye-candy-esque enough to thwart competition out of the way. This in turn has led to a growing trend in online marketing, i.e. infographic designs:
What are infographics?
An infographic is a visual representation of data or “data viz” as hipsters would call it! Data visualization is actually the art of simplifying complex data and displaying it in a way that makes it easier to grasp. An infographic is a blend of design and text that makes information easily assimilable.
Designing a compelling infographic is not everyone’s cup of tea, it requires people who have an acumen for delivering great visual narratives. The creator of infographic designs must know exactly how to convey the context of information effectively, through the medium of his design skills. Through this blog we’d love to share our experiences with readers. Here are a few dos and don’ts while creating infographics:
1. Don’t just simply lay out Excel graphs
If infographics were as easy as laying out Excel sheets, companies like ours wouldn’t have had clients! True, there are many online tools that can create wonderful charts, graphs etc but if you need some tasteful designs that stand out, you need expert help.
2. Always tell a story
The love for reading/hearing stories is ingrained in our systems. Everyone in this world loves a story and that is exactly why designers should focus more on the storytelling aspect of an infographic designs. Content and design should fuse in a logical way that sustains the interest of the audience. It is always better to have a flow like: Address problem-Data statistics that highlight the problem-Solution-Conclusion-Call to action.
3. Think out of the box
Never stop brainstorming while you’re designing an infographic. Look for sources outside of the internet for inspiration. Don’t let that mental machinery stop spinning! 7UP’s ad taught us that “normal is boring”; the same holds true if you’re looking at creating eye-ball grabbing narratives. Ordinary pieces would never garner the attention of prospects, you ought to add a dash of creativity!
4. Avoid excess dependence on typography
In order to deliver an impact, don’t simply depend too much on typography; instead, be more creative and focus more on using visualizations that would exactly communicate your message in the most succinct way. Try to visualize on how well you can relay information without relying on typography.
To conclude, it is important to focus on the effectiveness of the message contained in the infographic instead of having the design (per se) overpowering it. Infographic designing is an effective tool for digital marketing if deployed properly! The aim is to create something so awesome, that people have little option but to ogle at it!