The word ‘infographic’ gets used a lot in Med Comms. It sometimes feels like the ubiquitous solution to every challenge – big chunk of data, turn it into an infographic; latest study results, turn them into an infographic; promoting disease awareness, let’s make an infographic!
The days of large, dense chunks of text are long gone – no one has the time or the patience to wade through them. Instead we want an eye-catching infographic – enjoyable to read, easy to understand and visually striking.
But creating an infographic that works from a visual and storytelling perspective takes time, thought and creativity. It requires more than adding a few icons and splitting text into bullets.
We asked Harry Cooper and Bruna Milanez, our Design Director and Head of Design respectively, to devise their top tips to make a stand-out infographic. And here is their list:
- Think of an infographic as a visual representation of a story. So first you need the story! We work closely with our Content colleagues to develop a compelling narrative that can be visualized.
- Remember that beautiful design is not enough. The infographic has to resonate with its target audience. So we need to understand who they are and what are their needs to ensure that we deliver a solution that works for them.
- Before you start make sure you ask the right questions. What are the deliverables? Print, digital or both? Where will it be seen? At an event? On a social media channel? Can it be interactive? To be creative, you need to know your parameters.
- Keep it simple. This will help communicate the story and message without confusing the reader.
- Focus on the flow. A good story flow will help us create designs that will engage and connect with our audience. Our aim is to keep the reader interested and guide them from one data point to the next.
- Understand the hierarchy of the data. Drawing attention to key aspects and knowing when to switch the readers’ attention is just as important as getting the flow right.
- Maintain a consistent style throughout. Like any good story we want to immerse the reader. We can achieve this by keeping a consistent style and making the whole design feel connected.
- Give the design space and room to breathe. A busy or cluttered graphic will leave the reader confused and disengaged.
- Working in healthcare we deal with a lot of heavy data. Find a way to simplify this, focus on the data that really is key and best conveys the message. Remember, less is (often) more!
- Think outside the box! A bit of a cliché but it still holds true. If you want your infographic to stand out and be memorable, consider the bigger picture, the journey you are taking your reader on. And then let your imagination run wild!
Are you looking to turn your dense data into an outstanding infographic, or have a narrative that needs visualizing, then please contact Alana Zdinak – alana.zdinak@asandk.com
