Infographics

Make data come to life! Use images and icons to share info.

InfographicsMake data come to life! Use images and icons to shareinfo.

Familiar with internet memes? They contain a funny or witty caption with an illustrative image to express an idea or show an emotion.

This method of using an image to tell a story helps the viewer understand the content of the message very quickly and easily. Infographics use this strategy to convey data and facts about a topic in a simple and readily understandable way.

Infographics make data easier to read and more engaging by adding images and simple text to make the data more appealing and understandable.

Infographics can be viewed online or printed for display.

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"Pie graph" made into an in illustrated ring

The added images enhance data, making it quickly and easily understood.
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"Bar graph" made of symbolic images

This could have used figures with traditional dress to add emphasis to different countries.
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Proportionally color-coded dinner plate

Originally a food pyramid, this eating guide shows realistic proportions of food on a plate.

What are the pros and cons of these images? Do they make the information more appealing? Can they be misleading? How can the information be used to convey a message?

Infographics should help the viewer understand the information in significant ways. Is there a story to tell or compelling message? What are the take away ideas?

Sometimes you are simply trying to share facts in a clear way. Other times, you may want to influence the viewer to think a certain way or make a judgement based on the information you present.

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Stats and Icons

This infographic uses simple graphics to enhance data, and contains a consistent color scheme with easy to read sections.
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Lists and Pictographs

This infographic has distinct sections with "lists" of data, illustrated and captioned, and uses a pictograph to compare litter size. Controlled color scheme keeps it cohesive.
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Icons and Data Blurbs

This infographic uses simple silhouette icons of various animals, comparative bar graphs, brief text boxes, and maintains a dichromatic color scheme (shades of blue and grey only).

Making your own infographics:

Guiding Questions:

Have I gathered all the facts I need?


Am I trying to...
  • compare data? (display side by side)
  • show a relationship? (correlation between two or more variables)
  • describe something? (give attributes of one thing)
  • give a list? (group items that share a trait)
  • show parts of a whole? (fractions, percents)


Have I chosen appropriate visual representation for my data set(s)?


Is each illustration...

  • accurate and correct? (not misleading or invalid)
  • clear and simple? (not too much text, not too busy)
  • easy to recognize? (images are not confusing or ambiguous)


Does my design...

  • have appropriate thematic elements? (background, icons, images)
  • include a controlled color scheme? (not too broad, not too narrow)
  • flow in a logical way? (progression of ideas, grouping of facts)


Have I shown significance of my data?

Review and Edit for Style and Emphasis

Look at the two examples below, taken from Edward R. Tufte's book Envisioning Information (1990). Consider how your images and text can be revised to ensure a clear focus on the information you are trying to convey.
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"Information Prison"

This first example shows a heavy image, with thick lines and little distinction between elements within each drawing. The glow lines around the signal lamps can be confusing, suggesting movement or vibration. The viewer is unsure where to focus, and the graphic loses its impact.
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Revision

This revised version is much more easily read. The boundary lines fade into background, as do the body silhouettes. Emphasis is now given to the lamp positions, shown in color, and the arrows indicating movement are in a contrasting color. The viewer is drawn to the lamps and their movement, which is the focus of this graphic.

Always be aware of a site's Terms of Use before creating an online account.

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Canva

Choose from a variety of publishing format templates, including infographics, posters, fliers, certificates, etc.

canva.com

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Easelly

Create infographics using thousands of free templates.

easel.ly

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Piktochart

Edit free templates or use icons and graphics to create your own infographics.

piktochart.com

You can also use Google Drawing to create an infographic.

Examples for Math Regression Project

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Data Set

This is a set of data calculating the relationship between a baseball team's on-base-percentage (OBP) and the total number of runs they score over a full season.



  1. This shows a positive correlation between OBP and runs scored.
  2. Is this significant?
  3. Does this data include the percentage of increase in runs scored?
  4. What audience can make sense of this data?
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Illustration

This image illustrates the data set given, showing that a 1% increase in OBP yields 38 more runs in the season.



  1. Is this significant?
  2. Does the illustration tell a story or merely repeat the summary statement from the data?
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Infographic

This image shows a relationship between the increase in a team's OBP and their total runs earned in a season. It shows that a small increase in OBP, 1%, can yield a return of a 5.8% increase in scores earned.



  1. Is this significant?
  2. What other variables in a team's performance can affect their total runs scored?
  3. What variables are more significant or less significant?
  4. Is OBP the most significant way to increase runs scored?

Additional Resources:

Links to large example infographics:

Diabetes

Polar Bears

Sharks