JESS3 Presents - The Do's & Don'ts of Making an Infographic

Utilizing infographics to tie visual design and data together is what we do best, and we're gonna let you in on the secret to our success! Here are the Do's and Don'ts of creating an awesome infographic!

1. THE
OF MAKING AN
PRESENTED BY

2. ANSWER THIS QUESTION
What is the single message you want your
audience to remember from this graphic?
Our product is a much better investment
than our competitor's.
America’s healthcare is lagging behind the developed world.
Albus Dumbledore was kind of a jerk.

3. KEEP IT CONSISTENT
Make sure every single word and
graphic communicates your message.

4. WORK BACKWARDS
Never start with a conclusion and then
twist your data to make it fit;
draw your conclusions from the data..

5. WORK WITHIN DATA YOU HAVE
Make sure your message is supported
by research that, you know, exists.

6. TALK TOO MUCH
Let visuals tell your story. If you took
out all the graphics and your copy still
makes total sense, you're doing it wrong.

7. CONSIDER YOUR AUDIENCE
ASK YOURSELF
How much do they already know
about this topic?
How long can I expect to
hold their attention?
What visual style will appeal to them?

8. OVERLOAD THE VISUALS
Simplify,
Simplify,
Simple.

9. MATCH VISUALS TO THE TONE
Not all messages and concepts can
be treated the same.
E.g. 1 in every 4 U.S. deaths
is caused by heart disease

10. USE STYLE OVER STORY
Visual metaphors can be powerful
storytelling tools, or they can be
incomprehensible chaos.

11. USE THE RIGHT CHARTS
Let's compare 3 ways to visualize this
data about pet ownership in 5 U.S. cities.
Chicago13%
9%
32%
21%
24%
22%
16%
19%
28%
23%
17%
Dog Cat Other
14%
27%
23%
29%
New York
L.A.
Seattle
Atlanta

12. USE THE RIGHT CHARTS CHART STYLE 1PIE CHART
SEATTLE
ATLANTA
NEW YORK
L.A.
CHICAGO
DOGGIESKEY KITTY CATSOTHER THINGS

13. USE THE RIGHT CHARTS CHART STYLE 2LINE CHART
SEATTLEATLANTANEW YORK L.A.CHICAGO
Why continuous lines? So we can check pet
ownership in New Angeles or Seattlanta?
DOGGIESKEY KITTY CATSOTHER THINGS

14. USE THE RIGHT CHARTS CHART STYLE 3STACKED BAR CHART
We can compare ownership by breed, AND
total pet ownership between cities, all at a glance.
SEATTLEATLANTANEW YORKL.A.CHICAGO
DOGGIESKEY KITTY CATSOTHER THINGS
Ahh, that's better

15. USE CHARTS ‘JUST CUZ’
Does this chart enhance your
understanding of the data?

16. USE CHARTS ‘JUST CUZ’
How about this one?
What does this even mean?

17. USE CHARTS ‘JUST CUZ’
Please, use charts responsibly.

18. KILL YOUR DARLINGS
Take out each part, one by one,
and ask yourself:
“Does the graphic still make sense
without this?” If it does, ditch that piece.

19. USE COMIC SANS
(We're looking at you too, Papyrus)
hello
HELLO
MY NAME IS

20. Visit: www.JESS3.com
Follow: @JESS3 Like: Facebook.com/JESS3
[email protected]