A slidedeck presented at the 64th Cleverwood Friday Session. Feel free to visit our website for various other courses in digital media http://www.cleverwood.be/learning-hub

1. Key recipes for killer infographics
25/03/2014
With Kevin Van Lierde
FRIDAY SESSION #64
@Cleverwood
#FridaySession

2. What‟s in a name
Noun: Infographic, (plural –s)
etymology: info[rmation] + graphic
1. Visual representation of information

3. They have been around for a while

•

•

4. They have evolved

5. Some examples
You‟ve seen „em, more often than you
might think

6. In biological encyclopedia‟s

7. Geographical encyclopedia‟s too…

8. In resumes,
why not..

9. On planes sometimes…

10. Traits & Benefits of infographics
Why they are so popular
WITH READERS

11. The data overload situation: More & faster
 Short attention spans
 Data clutter
 Time is precious

13. Easier & faster to interpret
Road closed to
vehicles in both
directions
VS.
10 ms 2s

15. Literally
VS.

16. The aim of infographics
Slicing big overwhelming data into comprehensible
chunks to make it more accesible and inviting,
and provide entertainment along with
information.

17. Traits & Benefits of infographics
Why they are popular
WITH PUBLISHERS

18. They are easy to share & embed

19. They have mad ROI

20. Types of infographics
It depends on your data & goals

21. The „Number crunch‟ Infographic
 Impressive numbers
 Maps, diagrams, emphasized numbers
 Doesn‟t need to be über-creative, easiest to
produce

22. The „Number crunch‟ Infographic
Alternative
Paralympic statistics

23. The „Number crunch‟ Infographic

24. The Comparative (versus) Infographic
 2 (or more) characters or concepts that people
care about
 Differences & similarities
 Humor & stylized design

25. The Comparative (versus) Infographic

26. The Comparative (versus) Infographic

27. The Photographic Infographic
 Quality photo
 Simple, good design
 Most compelling if well-thought

28. The Photographic Infographic

29. The Photographic Infographic

30. The Useful Bait
 Useful, relevant content
 Straightforward design, usability first
 Print in mind
 Cheat sheets, How to‟s, …

31. The Useful Bait: „cheat sheet‟
Cooking methods
Cheat sheet

32. The Useful Bait: Real-life example

33. The Flow Chart
 Process display, choices
 Humor
 Simplicity is key

34. The Flow Chart
Which wine fits your
needs best?

35. The Flow Chart: Real life example
Jbc T-shirt, Borlée
Brothers Collection

36. The Timeline
 Chronological data, evolution
 Needs an engaging story
 Take the reader “on a trip”

37. The Timeline
Timeline of coffee
history

38. The Visualized Article
 Most suitable for lots of text content
 Often used offline (magazines, newspapers)
 Engaging story, supportive visuals

39. The Visualized Article
From TIME Magazine

40. The Visualized Article

41. The Data Visualization
 Content: connections, anything
 Visualize as: maps, mindmaps, creative
metaphors
 Requires a creative and comprehensible
approach

42. The Data Visualization
Population density in the US,
Time Magazine

43. The Data Visualization: Real life Example
London Underground, 1933
by Harry Beck, electrical draughtsman

44. The Interactive Infographic:
 13 reasons your brain craves infographics
 Ideal for displaying large amount of data
 More engaging

45. Production of infographics
Methods, cost, time

46. Production Methods: Custom Design
 Most (very) expensive
 (Semi-)Professional agencies
 Graphic software
 Specifically tailored to your needs

47. Production Methods: Online tools
 Infogr.am (infogr.am)
 Piktochart (piktochart.com) => Best Pick
 Venngage (venngage.com)
 Easel.ly (easel.ly)
 Visual.ly (visual.ly) => Best Pick
 Canva (canva.com)
 EWC Presenter (ewcpresenter.com)

48. Production time
1 day - months

49. Production cost
 Online tools:
• Free
• Monthly subscription (5 - 100€ / month)
• Freemium (premium items for fixed price)
 Custom Design:
• Static | € 400 – € 25000
• Interactive | € 5000 – …

50. Building your own infographic

51. Before you start
 Define a clear aim for your infographic:
persuasive? Informative? Comparative?

52. Step 1: Research, gather,
transform Data
Building your own infographic

53. Step 2: Draft, concept, build storyline
Building your own infographic

54. Find appropriate visual metaphors
Is local food bad for the economy?


55. Find appropriate visual metaphors

56. Find a descriptive, engaging title
The fatal consequences
of illegal drug dealing
The best options for
indoor plant lovers

57. Data Building blocks
 Geometric shapes – lead the eyes & provide
structure
 Charts & Diagrams – Visually represent data
 Icons – clarify words
 Images – add value

58. Build a storyline with a logical flow
Create a
confusing
Flow that
Create a
Logical flow
That is easy to
follow
Is hard to
understand
 

59. Build a storyline with a logical flow


60. Build a storyline with a logical flow

61. Choose a focal point (if possible)


62. Charts: When to use which one?
Matrix
→ Comparison of many items & many categories
Donut chart
→ Simple share of total (max 2-3 parts), often in %
Pie chart
→ Simple share of total (max 5-7 parts)
Column chart
→ Comparison of a few items (1 category)
Bar chart
→ Comparison of many items (1-2 categories)

63. Step 3: Design & publish
Building your own infographic

64. Basic infographic structure
HEADER
BODY
FOOTER
ENGAGING TITLE + VISUAL
SUBTITLE/ SHORT DESCRIPTION
BLOCK 1
Visualized data & copy
BLOCK 2
Visualized data & copy
BLOCK 3
Visualized data & copy
Disclaimer Publisher‟s mention
Sources

66. Don‟t sacrifice usability for design

67. Visual History of Google Algorythm changes,
by MOZ & Hubspot


68. Basic Design Principles
 Lines & simple shapes
 Whitespace & balance
 Color
 Typography

69. Lines & simple shapes 

70. Lines & simple shapes

Structure sections with shapes (essentially
rectangles) and lines

71. Whitespace & balance 

72. Whitespace & balance

Leave enough space for the design to
breathe

73. Whitespace & balance

74. Color 

75. Color

Work with a limited color palette to ensure
consistency

76. Typography classification basics
Sans-serif & Slab serif
 Often safe
Serif
 Safe for titles, use with caution for body text
Stylized (script, gothic)
 Use with caution
Comic Sans  Don’t you dare

77. The importance of typography

78. Now it‟s our turn
Testing it on Piktochart

79. See you next Friday Session
25/03/2014
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