Before diving into this topic, I want to acknowledge the irony of discussing infographics and their success by way of an average blog post. Infographics work – and blog posts work, too (especially when there is more explanation needed than what can fit in fun, bite-sized images). Now that we have that out of the way let’s talk infographics, what they are good for and why they work.
3 reasons to use infographics:
Images are memorable
Many of us face an inbox full of emails, screens that demand our attention and books with chapters to be read almost every day. Whether you face one or all of these, it can feel a lot like information overload. Every once in a while an infographic does some good for the eyes and brain. Images allow the viewer to digest and understand content quickly. If you want to get technical, there are a variety of eye tracking studiesthat explain how users are looking at information and how images are being received. In short, images are memorable and digest with ease.
Pictures can speak a thousand words
Good design goes a long way. A well-designed infographic is a valuable tool that can be used to present a variety of data to a wide audience and a variety of learners. To specify, I’m not knocking a well-written blog post by any means! Graphs, charts, maps and images allow the viewer to take in content quickly in a way that leaves an impression that sometimes words cannot. It’s an opportunity for designers to display their knowledge for the subject and include imagery surrounding the brand – also creating strong brand awareness and developing trust with audiences.
Pro tip: Never sacrifice readability! It can be easy to try and pack as much information together as possible in your infographics. This mentality does not always yield good design. Good design needs to remain at the tip top of your list of priorities as you arrange only the need-to-know information into an infographic.
Visual storytelling = relevancy
To state the obvious, we live in a visual world. Using text and imagery in an infographic is a way for companies to remain relevant and top-of-mind with their audience. It also opens the doors for you to showcase your brand and to showcase relevance in new design concepts, colors and typography. Pay attention to current trends that circulate through social media and use those as inspiration to create visual components. Doing this will help your company stand out and stay relevant.
Infographics allow you to say a lot more, with a lot less words. They provide an opportunity to take a complex idea or topic and break it up into bite-sized pieces. Readers will make connections based on the colors, shapes and images used. If infographics are new to you, try them out and use them to connect with your audience in a new way. It’s important to grab the attention of your viewers while you can. If you find yourself thinking you may need a little help down this avenue, we can help you out.
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