# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Reflective writing is a balancing act with many factors at play: description, analysis, interpretation, evaluation, and future application. Reflective writers must weave their personal perspectives with evidence of deep, critical thought as they make connections between theory, practice, and learning. The steps below should help you find the appropriate balance among all these factors.

1st Step: Review the assignment

As with any writing situation, the first step in writing a reflective piece is to clarify the task. Reflective assignments can take many forms, so you need to understand exactly what your instructor is asking you to do. Some reflective assignments are short, just a paragraph or two of unpolished writing. Usually the purpose of these reflective pieces is to capture your immediate impressions or perceptions. For example, your instructor might ask you at the end of a class to write quickly about a concept from that day's lesson. That type of reflection helps you and your instructor gauge your understanding of the concept.

Other reflections are academic essays that can range in length from several paragraphs to several pages. The purpose of these essays is to critically reflect on and support an original claim(s) about a larger experience, such as an event you attended, a project you worked on, or your writing development. These essays require polished writing that conforms to academic conventions, such as articulation of a thesis and substantive revision. They might address a larger audience than you and your instructor, including, for example, your classmates, your family, a scholarship committee, etc.

It's important, before you begin writing, that you can identify the assignment's purpose, audience, intended message or content, and requirements. If you can't, ask your instructor for clarification.

2nd Step: Generate ideas for content

Refer to the Borton, DIEL, and DIEP models as you generate ideas for your writing. To meet the tasks identified in those models you might consider things like:

Recollections of an experience, assignment, or course

Ideas or observations made during that event

Questions, challenges, or areas of doubt

Strategies employed to solve problems

A-ha moments linking theory to practice or learning something new

Connections between this learning and prior learning

New questions that arise as a result of the learning or experience

New actions taken as a result of the learning or experience

3rd Step: Organize content

The Borton, DEAL, and DIEP frameworks can help you consider how to organize your content. Remember that your reflection will generally include descriptive writing, followed by analysis and interpretation, followed by consideration of significance for future action. That pattern might be developed once throughout a short piece or repeated several times in an academic reflective essay.

When writing an academic reflection essay (as opposed to a short reflection), you'll need to devise and support a thesis. That thesis should be an interpretive or evaluative claim, or series of claims, that moves beyond obvious statements (such as, "I really enjoyed this project") and demonstrates you have come to a deeper understanding of what you have learned and how you will use that learning. For example, the thesis below appeared in an end-of-semester reflection essay, written in response to an assignment asking students to consider their writing progress. Notice that the student makes a focused, interpretive claim that can be supported throughout her essay with evidence from her own writing.

Example

Throughout this class, I've learned that a skilled writer writes with a central focus in mind. Writing with a central focus results in a greater emphasis on the writer's message and brings about specificity and clarity within the writing piece.

A word about thesis placement: Because a reflection essay combines personal perception with academic convention, the thesis does not necessarily appear in the introduction. Many writers build to the thesis in the conclusion of their essays. You should place the thesis where it is most effective based on the essay's structure.

And speaking of structure, there is no one-size-fits-all organization pattern for an academic reflection essay. Some writers introduce the subject, follow the introduction with a series of reflections, and then move to an interpretive close. Others establish a chronology of events, weaving the implications of those events throughout. Still others articulate a series of major points, supporting those points with evidence. You should craft an organizational structure that best fits your distinctive ideas and observations.

However you choose to organize an academic reflection essay, you'll need to support your claims with evidence. Evidence is defined broadly in an academic reflection, so it might include such things as anecdotes, examples, relevant material from a course or outside sources, explanations of logic or decision-making, definitions, speculations, details, and other forms of non-traditional evidence. In the example below, notice how the writer uses her decision to limit the scope of a project as evidence to support her claim.

Example

Keeping a central focus in mind applies to multimodal compositions as well as written essays. A prime example of this was in my remix. When storyboarding for the video, I wanted to appeal to all college students in general. Within my compressed time limit of three minutes, I had planned to showcase numerous large points. It was too much. I decided to limit the scope of the topic to emphasize how digitally "addicted" Ole Miss college students are and that really changed the project in significant ways.

4th Step: Draft, Revise, Edit, Repeat

A single, unpolished draft may suffice for short, in-the-moment reflections. Longer academic reflection essays will require significant drafting, revising, and editing. Whatever the length of the assignment, keep this reflective cycle in mind:

briefly describe the event or action;

analyze and interpret events and actions, using evidence for support;

demonstrate relevance in the present and the future.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Reflective writing is a balancing act with many factors at play: description, analysis, interpretation, evaluation, and future application. Reflective writers must weave their personal perspectives with evidence of deep, critical thought as they make connections between theory, practice, and learning. The steps below should help you find the appropriate balance among all these factors.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Skip to main content

We acknowledge the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of the nation and acknowledge Traditional Owners of the lands where our staff and students, live, learn and work.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Library Guides: APA (7th Edition) Referencing Guide: Using visual works in assignments & class presentations

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Skip to main content We acknowledge the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of the nation and acknowledge Traditional Owners of the lands where our staff and students, live, learn and work.

# data[].attributes.body
APA referencing guide.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Canva is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Use it to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos and more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Flickr | The best place to be a photographer online.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The nicest place on the internet is here for you: inspiration, community, creativity, art, passion, and a heaping scoop of weirdness await you. Join for free.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Since infographics exploded onto the graphic design scene about 15 years ago, they've become a staple for communication in classrooms, in the workplace, and across the web.

But if you're new to the world of design, the term "infographic" might still be foreign to you.

You might wonder: what are infographics?

Today, I'll give you a crash course on infographics and infographic design to answer all of your questions and more. Don't worry if you're no designer - I'll also show you how you can easily customize designs with Venngage's Infographic Maker and easy-to-edit infographic templates.

Click to jump ahead:

What is an infographic? Infographics defined:

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, an infographic (or information graphic) is "a visual representation of information or data".

But the meaning of an infographic is something much more specific.
An infographic is a collection of imagery, data visualizations like pie charts and bar graphs, and minimal text that gives an easy-to-understand overview of a topic.
As in the example below, infographics use striking, engaging visuals to communicate information quickly and clearly.

Infographics are a valuable tool for visual communication. The most visually unique, creative infographics are often the most effective because they grab our attention and don't let go.

But it's crucial to remember that the visuals in an infographic must do more than excite and engage.

They must help us understand and remember the content of the infographic, as seen in this infographic about employee resignation announcements:
Ready to dive right in and create your first infographic? Check out our Alternatively, join our webinar for a crash course on how to summarize information for your infographic: ultimate infographic design guide for everything you need to get started. When you need to give someone a really quick rundown on something that can be hard to explain in words alone, an infographic is a good way to go.
Why should you use infographics?

Infographics are great for making complex information easy to digest. They can be helpful anytime you want to:

This means that infographics can be useful in pretty much any industry. Here are just some of its use cases (click to jump ahead):

Marketing infographics

What are infographics used for in marketing?

Marketers use infographics to build brand awareness and boost engagement about topics important to the company, such as this infographic on diversity and inclusion:

Marketers can use infographics to:

Informational infographic examples, like this one about the effect of excess sodium, are great tools for educating a variety of audiences.

Consulting and freelancer infographics

Consultants use timeline infographics to visualize project timelines and to simplify new or industry-specific topics to their clients:

Consultants use infographics to:

Small business and entrepreneurship infographic examples

Small businesses and entrepreneurs use infographics to reach new audiences and increase brand awareness:

This brand style guide cheat sheet is a great infographic example for small businesses. It's visual and compact, which helps readers absorb the information faster.

Lists are a common type of document that all businesses have. But long lists can get tedious to read. It's unlikely that readers will even remember the items on the list.

Businesses can use infographics to visualize lists for better learning retention, like this colorful infographic example below.

Or this list infographic which discusses three different change styles:

A business may also want to visualize processes and activities. This infographic example on supply chain analysis could easily have been a boring document. Instead, the topic is covered more thoroughly and succinctly in an infographic:

Small businesses and entrepreneurs can use infographics to:

Government infographics

What are infographics used for in the governmental sector? Governments use infographics to share statistics and census data, like in this visual from the Government of Canada:

Government can also use infographics to spread useful healthcare information, such as vaccine infographics which promote accurate vaccine information and increase vaccination rates. Here's an example:

Nonprofit infographics

Nonprofits use infographics to promote events and raise awareness for their causes or to showcase their successful fundraising efforts:

Nonprofits use infographics to:

Make data and information about a given cause easy to understand. This can be applied to a newsletter, social media campaign, donation page, poster, and more.

Plan a campaign strategy

Show the impact of a fundraiser that can be sent to donors in an email

Highlight results in an annual report

Showcase successes in an impact report or case study

Visualize information in crisis communications

Education infographics

Educators and trainers use infographics to make content more memorable for students and employees:

Need to explain a complex process? Our process infographics can help communicate cumbersome processes in a visual way.

Infographics can be useful whenever you need to communicate information quickly, or any time you want to make an impact with your data or your message.

How do I create an infographic?

If I've convinced you that infographics are a tool you should be using, you're probably wondering how you can create your own infographic.

Our step-by-step guide on how to create an infographic is a great resource to design an infographic.

No matter how excited you are to get started making your very first infographic, you shouldn't jump into the design process without a game plan.

Instead, start by creating an infographic outline.

1. Organize your information with an infographic outline

2. Pick an infographic template

3. Customize your infographic

Create an infographic outline from existing content using these 4 steps:
1. Organize your information with an infographic outline

The process of creating an outline will help you organize your thoughts and ensure that your content will work in an infographic.

Determine the key takeaways of your content

Determine the title, headers, subheaders, and facts

Consider the length of paragraphs and points

Include notes for the designer

Starting with an outline in this format will ensure that the rest of the design process goes smoothly.

2. Pick an infographic template

Once you've got an outline, you're ready to pick an infographic template.
But most importantly, you need to pick the right type of infographic template for your content.
Pre-made infographic templates (like the one below) can give you the design inspiration you need to get your infographic rolling. Even just using them as a jumping-off point can be helpful.

There's a lot to consider when picking an infographic template, including the colors, fonts, length, size, and style of each template, and how well each of those factors aligns with your content.

3. Customize your infographic

Once you've chosen an infographic template, you can start customizing it to your needs. This infographic can be adapted for other types of lists with the Venngage editor.
Want more information about creating infographics? This video guide will show you how you can make an infographic in just 5 steps:
Here are a few ways to adapt the infographic examples in this post:

Change the background and text colors

Adjust the text to suit your message

Add or swap out icons that are relevant to your story

Add your brand logo in the footer

Increase or decrease the size of the list

What is the importance of using visual elements in an infographic?

The use of visual elements in an infographic can help enhance the overall effectiveness of the communication. Here are some key points highlighting the importance of using visual elements in an infographic:

1. Enhanced comprehension: Visual elements, such as graphs, charts and illustrations can simplify complex information, making it easier for the audience to understand the data presented.

2. Improved retention: Human beings tend to remember visual information more effectively than text alone. By incorporating visual elements, infographics can improve the retention of information, ensuring that the key points are more likely to be remembered by the audience.

3. Increased engagement: Visual elements in infographics make the content more engaging and appealing. People are naturally drawn to visuals, and the use of color, images and graphics can capture the audience's attention, encouraging them to spend more time interacting with the information.

4. Facilitated comparison: Infographics often involve the presentation of data sets, comparisons or contrasts. Visual elements can effectively facilitate such comparisons, enabling the audience to discern patterns, trends and differences more easily.

5. Universal understanding: Visual elements can transcend language barriers, making infographics a powerful tool for communicating with diverse audiences across different cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

6. Aesthetic appeal: Infographics that are well-designed and visually appealing are more likely to be shared and distributed widely, especially in the context of social media and online platforms. Aesthetically pleasing visual elements can attract more attention and help the infographic reach a broader audience.

7. Storytelling: Visual elements can contribute to the storytelling aspect of an infographic, allowing for the creation of a narrative that flows logically and is visually engaging. By combining text and visuals, infographics can effectively communicate a compelling story or message.

In summary, the use of visual elements in infographics is critical for conveying complex information in a more accessible and engaging manner, enhancing comprehension, improving retention, and increasing overall audience engagement and appeal.

What are the different types of infographics?
This video summarizes these 9 types of infographics and when to use them:
At Venngage, our library of infographic templates is sorted into 9 different categories:

1. Statistical infographics

2. Informational infographics

3. Timeline infographics

4. Process infographics

5. Geographic infographics

6. Comparison infographics

7. Hierarchical infographics

8. List infographics

9. Resume infographics

Each type of infographic is tailored to visualize a different type of content.

Informational infographics, for example, are typically more text-heavy than the other types of infographics.

Like this example from Course Hero below, they work best as summative, standalone pieces that provide a high-level explanation of a topic.

There are also informational infographics that explain something niche, but very simply. These are handy to have as visual references for topics that are new and unfamiliar.

TalentLyft's infographic on recruitment metrics is a great example - a short and sweet summary of the six key recruitment metrics hiring managers should understand and track.

Statistical infographics, on the other hand, are more focused on numbers and data visualizations, charts, and data, for example:

They tend to contain much less text than informational infographics and have less of a narrative flow.

Instead, they make a statement with big numbers and standalone facts, like this infographic from the Internet of Things.

Similarly, this sample infographic from Podia on the " State of the Side Hustle " uses numbers and stylization to make its most important points prominent with sparse supporting text.

Choosing the right type of template for your content is one of the keys to a successful infographic.

What makes an infographic design effective?

When it comes to designing an effective infographic, it's important to recognize that our brain seeks patterns in visual information to help us make sense of the world.

We can use this idea to structure our information visually and create patterns that will enhance the message that we're trying to communicate.

Let's run through some infographic design best practices to help you create infographics that are as effective as they are beautiful.

Also, check out our post on 7 ways to customize your infographic template for more easy hacks on how to make your design pop.

Use lines, borders, and shapes to group related information

Even something as simple as the position and grouping of elements on a page can influence the way our readers understand our graphics.

If we use basic design elements like borders, lines, circles, and squares to visually organize our content, our readers will find it easier to interpret that content.

For example, we can enclose related elements within an outline or a shape. Most infographics, like the sample below, use this tactic to break up the design into multiple sections, making the graphic easier to scan.

Alternatively, when the structure of the information is the main focus of the infographic (like in an organizational chart or a flow chart) it can be helpful to explicitly connect related elements with lines. Like in this marketing flow chart infographic:

Click the template above to make an organizational chart. Edit the template to your liking - no design experience needed.

Use contrasting colors to guide your readers' attention

Another major design element to think about is color. We're naturally inclined to use color to make infographics look pretty, but color can also be used as a powerful communication tool.
Pick one color that contrasts with all of the other colors in the graphic, and use it to make the most important information stand out.
Just like lines and borders, colors can be used to indicate information groupings, as seen in the business strategy infographic example below:

But more importantly, we can use color to draw attention to particular pieces of information and push supporting information into the background.

Take the infographic below, for example. The bright teal icons contrast with the plain white background to make the icons (the most important visual aspect of the graphic) stand out.

This strategy also happens to be highly trendy. Pops of color are one of the biggest graphic design trends of 2022.

Create a text hierarchy with three different font styles

Fonts are one of the first things people notice when they first look at an infographic. If chosen poorly, fonts can ruin an otherwise great infographic.

Our roundup of popular font types will steer you on the right path.

The key to using fonts correctly in infographics is to create a clear text hierarchy with three different font styles-one for the main heading, one for the section headings, and one for the body text.

The main header font should be the biggest and can be the most stylized. Think of it as the way to set the mood of your infographic.

The font for the section headers should be a bit smaller and less stylized, but it should still stand out on the page.

Finally, the font for the body text should be the smallest, and not stylized at all. It needs to be as easy to read as possible.

Not sure what a readable font looks like? Here's a quick reference guide to fonts that are great for body text:

Use images, icons, and illustrations to make key takeaways memorable

Last but certainly not least, make sure that the focus of your infographic is on visuals like images, symbols, icons, illustrations, and data visualizations like charts and graphs.

Visuals are crucial for making your information engaging and memorable. The best infographics have an equal balance of text and visuals.

The easiest way to make sure you have enough visuals in your graphic is to add an icon to represent each header, as seen in the example below:

Or even better, create visual examples of each main point in the infographic, as seen in this sample infographic from Elle & Company:
Making a data-heavy infographic and need help visualizing your data? Check out our guides on designing effective charts and choosing the best charts for your infographic.
It's important to have fun with your design, too. It doesn't need to be strictly business-y and serious.

Infographics are supposed to be engaging and memorable, and illustrations are great story-telling devices.

FAQs about creating infographics

What does infographic mean?

The word "infographic" is a combination of two words (you guessed it!): "information" and "graphic".

Simply put, an infographic is a graphic that presents information and/or data - most importantly, in an easy-to-understand way.

What is an infographic example?

An infographic example is a visual representation of information. Infographics examples include a variety of elements, such as images, icons, text, charts, and diagrams to convey messages at a glance.

What are infographics used for?

An infographic has numerous uses in different industries. Infographics can be used to convey complicated data in a simple visual format. They are also visual tools to tell stories.

Visual information graphics help people understand information quickly and more accurately.

Infographics can also be used to show changes or comparisons in data, time, and place, as well as statistics, maps, and hierarchies.

What are the five types of infographics?

We've mentioned the nine major infographic categories, among which these are the most common types of infographics are:

Different types of infographics require specific elements. Timeline infographics need to include the date and time stamps. A comparison infographic usually includes columns and rows.

The infographic examples in this post will help you understand what type you need to use for your message so you can make the right choice.

Do you need quantitative data to make an infographic?

Simple answer: No! You don't need quantitative data (numbers) to create an infographic. Infographics are meant to convey information in an easy-to-understand way, and that applies whether the information you have on hand is purely qualitative:

Or quantitative:

Or a combination of both, like in this infographic example:

Conclusion: Create an infographic to make the most out of your knowledge and data

The best infographics use a combination of text, images, and data to inform and engage.

If you're ready to create infographics that strike the perfect balance between fun and educational, make sure you follow these infographic design best practices:

Use lines, borders, and shapes to group related information.

Use one contrasting color to draw attention to key information.

Create a text hierarchy with three different font styles.

Use images, icons, and illustrations to make key takeaways memorable.

Not a designer? No problem. Create an infographic today using our easy-to-edit templates and simple online editor.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What is an Infographic? Examples, Templates, Design Tips

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you're new to the world of design, the term infographic might be foreign to you. You might wonder: What is an infographic? Why use infographics?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Reflective Writing exercises and assignments are very common at university. This module will provide you with an understanding of this style of writing and the many ways it can be useful, both in university and in life-learning.

This topic is presented in six sections:

Why Reflective Practice?

What is Reflective Practice?

Different Forms of Writing Academically

What Kinds of Things Might I Be Asked to Reflect Upon?

Examples of Reflective Assignments

Conclusion.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Reflective Writing exercises and assignments are very common at university. This module will provide you with an understanding of this style of writing and the many ways it can be useful, both in university and in life-learning. This topic is presented in six sections: Why Reflective Practice? What is Reflective Practice?

# data[].attributes.body
(Click on link)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We've launched a new site, called UniSkills, a suite of programs designed to help develop the skills you need for academic study. We recommend you familiarise and use the content on the UniSkills site. The content on the site you are currently viewing is scheduled to expire around May, 2021. Feedback about the change and the new UniSkills site can be posted here.

Welcome to The Learning Centre Online Programs. Here you can improve your academic study, writing, numeracy and ICT skills. Each program has a sequence of interactive lessons and exercises that can be done in any order that suits you. You can also complete questionnaires to provide valued feedback to help us with improving these programs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Learning Centre - Online Programs - Expires May 2021 | Academic skills improvement for students

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We've launched a new site, called UniSkills, a suite of programs designed to help develop the skills you need for academic study. We recommend you familiarise and use the content on the UniSkills site. The content on the site you are currently viewing is scheduled to expire around May, 2021.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
So you want to become an infographic design expert? You've come to the right place.

Here are 13 essential infographic design tips (click to jump ahead):

1. Planning your infographic design

2. Write a compelling title

3. Use a grid design or wireframe for your infographic design

4. Use the right infographic layout for your data (scroll down for a video guide)

5. Follow data visualization best practices

6. Incorporate different infographic design elements

7. Use photography in your infographic design

8. Use contrast in your infographic design

9. Create symmetrical and asymmetrical balance

10. Use color effectively

11. Make sure there's consistency in your infographic design

12. Leave plenty of negative space in your infographic design

13. Practice, practice, practice

People have been going nuts about infographics since the infographic design boom of 2012. No, really, that was a thing. Between 2010 and 2012, searches for infographics increased by a whopping 80%.

Since then, infographics and infographic design have become a standard visual used in content across niches.
That's because infographics can communicate information in a condensed and highly visual way-when designed well. Here's one example:
The problem is that for every well-made infographic published, there are a handful of poorly produced infographic designs circling the web.

Poorly designed infographics can skew and obscure information, rather than make it easier to understand.
Creating a beautiful and effective infographic design isn't hard, it just takes a basic understanding of infographic design best practices.
Of course, it helps if you use an infographic template to give you a head start, like this one:

Just so you know, some of our infographic templates are free to use and some require a small monthly fee. Sign up is always free, as is access to Venngage's online drag and drop editor.

NEW! Launching: The Authoritative Guide to Designing Infographics

Anyone can create professional infographics with this comprehensive and accessible guide. It's packed with insights, best practices, examples, checklists and more-everything you need to make infographics that stand out above the cut.

Learn how to design professional infographics that help you reach your communication and business goals. Check out the book here:

In the meantime, you can read on that check out this crash course to effective infographic design. Let's get started.

Related: 7 Tips on How to Make a Good Infographic

1. Plan your infographic design

Our video on how to plan and create the perfect infographic is a great primer for those new to infographic design:

Keep reading for more tips...

Find a story

In every set of data there's a story. Before you begin designing your infographic, think of the story you are trying to tell. The angle you choose will help you determine which information to include.

For example, this infographic design tells the story of completing a project from start to finish:

Because infographics allow for limited space for content, the purpose of your infographic should be focused. That's why the layout of your infographic should not only reflect the theme of your information, but also enhance the communication of it.

For example, the infographic template below uses numbered boxes and arrows to keep the reader's eye moving in the right direction:

This process infographic uses a line to connect its steps:

Read our blog post on process infographic templates and design tips for more info.

Create an infographic outline

Before diving into your design, create an infographic outline. In your outline, include your headers, data, and any design details you don't want to forget.
Return to Table of Contents
2. Write a compelling title

Come up with a title that is catchy and descriptive. Readers should get a sense of what the information will be, to engage them and make them want to read further.

This title of this infographic has TWO numbers, which copywriting guru Brian Dean recommends using to make your headlines more compelling and specific:

This infographic design makes use of a big, bold headline and specific subheader that tells readers exactly what information they're going to get:
Return to Table of Contents
3. Use a grid design or wireframe for your infographic design

Grids and wireframes are the structural base to any design. Designing on a grid allows you to easily organize elements and information. Grid designs also play an essential role in keeping objects and elements aligned.

For example, when aligning items, you can reference the same vertical grid line and then space each list item accordingly.

The below example shows how color palettes are aligned on a graphic design grid. The Venngage editor also has the option of using "smart guides" which help align items for you automatically, without using a grid design tool:

Here's the original template, before customization:

For your infographic design, use a grid design system to create margins. It's good practice to keep enough space in between your elements and the edge of your canvas to avoid visual tension.

An infographic design can potentially have any size of margin you desire but it's important to keep the margin consistent all the way along the edge of your canvas.

A good rule of thumb is to keep all objects and elements at least 20px (one square on the grid) away from the edge of the canvas.
Return to Table of Contents
4. Use the right infographic layout for your data

Pick the best infographic layout for your data. There are hundreds of possible infographic templates out there to choose from.
This quick video guide will help you pick the best type of infographic layout for your data:
For example, you could use a one column layout for a minimal infographic, or create a list infographic by spitting the layout into two columns, like in these examples:

Here's an example of a two-column infographic design:

You can read a more in-depth article on selecting the right infographic template for your data in our blog post on How To Make an Infographic in 5 Steps.
Return to Table of Contents
5. Follow data visualization best practices

Pro tip: always start your infographic planning with pen and paper. This way, you can work through concepts and designs roughly before finalizing a digital copy.

Choose the best chart types for your data

The type of data you are trying to convey will determine which chart type is the best for your data. To decide which type of chart would best convey your data, you first have to determine what kind of data you want to present: a single important number? A comparison between data points? A trend over time? An outlier?

The types of charts most commonly used in infographics are pie chart, bar graphs, column graphs, and line charts. For example, a column graph is one of the easiest ways to compare data.

And to convey a trend over time, the most common type of chart to use is a line chart.

But if you think of a more unusual chart that would convey the data effectively, don't be afraid to get more creative. For example, you can identify and show the trends such as sales over time, correlations such as sales compared temperature or outliers such as sales in an unusual area.

A good rule of thumb is that your charts should be easy enough to read that it only takes readers ten second or less to understand. You can read a more in-depth article on choosing the right chart type here.
Return to Table of Contents

6. Incorporate different infographic design elements

Typography

Typography is a very important element for infographic design and your one way to explain your ideas and information when images, graphs or icons can't. That's why it's important to choose the best fonts for your data.

That being said, try to limit the amount of text you include on your infographic. The best infographics have visual impact, with the text acting as a secondary explanation for the visual content.

This infographic design relies on icons, dates and headers, with minimal explanatory text:

First and foremost, make sure your type is legible. In most cases, avoid decorative or script type as it tends to be hard to read.

To keep infographic designs cohesive, limit your use of fonts to a maximum of three types, but also don't stick with just one. A tasteful use of two brand fonts can create a nice dynamic and hierarchy of information.

This infographic design uses one font for the headers and one for the body copy:

Alternatively, a number or statistic in one font type next subtext in another creates a hierarchy of information:
Return to Table of Contents
7. Use photography in your infographic design

The use of photography can be tricky if there is not a photographer available to take the shots of exactly what you need.

There are ways to work around not having a photographer at hire by incorporating stock photos that are royalty free from places like Pixabay, Unsplash or Pikwizard. The only risk is that using stock images can look uncreative and, frankly, cheesy. That's why you need to take care when deciding which images to use.

Be sure that the photos you use have a consistent style and lighting. Try to pick photos with the same lighting effects, same backdrops, same amount of dark areas, etc. It's important to stick to a certain style as images that clearly don't fit the set will distract from the information being communicated.

If you're going for a simple modern use of photography, use only images with flat colour (or white) backdrops. If you're going for a neutral newspaper approach, use only black and white images.

Photos that take up a majority of space in your infographic, which can distract from information. This issue can be solved by using a cropping such as circle frames.
Return to Table of Contents
8. Use contrast in your infographic design

Contrast creates visual impact by placing two strikingly different elements beside each other. If an infographic has a light background with bold colored shapes, our eyes are immediately attracted to the bold colors. This allows you to organize information by having a certain element more prominent than another.

Contrast using colors

Color selection can have a big impact on your infographic design.

Try pairing complementary colors to make your headline pop. One of my favourite combinations is a darker blue with a brighter color like orange which makes your headline stand out.

Contrast using typography sizes

A header is usually the largest text on an infographic, followed by the subheader and then the body copy. The header should pretty much always be the largest point size so that the viewer knows the subject of your infographic right off the bat.

Contrasting visuals

Use a tinted image contrasted with a chart overtop to add context.
Return to Table of Contents
9. Create symmetrical and asymmetrical balance

An infographic with visual balance is pleasing to the eyes because everything fits together seamlessly. A balanced infographic keeps the entire composition cohesive, especially in a long form infographic.

If there are heavy visuals on the top of an infographic, you should keep the flow going right to the bottom. There are two types of balance: symmetrical and asymmetrical.

Symmetrical balance is when each side of the composition has equal weight. This layout is effective in a comparison infographic like this one:

Asymmetrical balance is more natural and less uniform than a symmetrical composition. It creates a more complex relationship between objects. It can make an infographic more dynamic since the composition is not repeated excessively.

For example, if you are creating timeline infographics, alternate text between both sides of the timeline for a balanced composition.

Check out these creative timeline templates.
Return to Table of Contents
10. Use color effectively

Decide on a color scheme before creating your infographic. A good rule of thumb is to design your infographic with two or three main colors, and to use minor color accents.

When choosing your color scheme, decide on the tone of your infographic. Is it a business infographic? If so, try using neutral colors like blue or green, or, of course, your brand colors, especially if you're including your logo.

For fun, eye popping infographics, use brighter hues, but be careful not to use large amounts dark or neon colors as they can be straining to the eyes when viewed on the web.

Color can also be used as a sectional tool. Add blocks of color to section your infographic, giving the eye some breathing room as viewers scroll down.

Here are a couple of helpful tools on the web to help you choose a color palette:
Adobe Color CC
11. Make sure there's consistency in your infographic design

In order for your infographic design to flow from start to finish, the design elements need to be consistent. If you are using icons that are filled in, rather than line art icons, then keep using the same style throughout the entire infographic.

The same goes for the style of images you use, the font style, and the color palette. This will prevent your infographic from looking cluttered, and will actually make it easier to read.

Confused about how to use icons properly in your infographic? Our video will teach you in under 3 minutes:

Return to Table of Contents

12. Leave plenty of negative space in your infographic design

Negative space is the blank space surrounding objects in a design.

Negative space has a big impact on your design. If your infographic design is too crowded, it can overwhelm readers and make it difficult to read the information.

Creating space around the elements in your design allows readers the breathing room to process the information. Pro tip: if you are using a 16pt size, the line height should be no less than 1.2.

Leaving negative space can be as simple as making sure there is enough space between lines of text. Just look at the difference that a little space makes in the example below:

13. Practice, practice, practice

This is going to sound cliché, but when it comes designing infographics, it will probably take your a couple of goes at it to get the hang of it. You will need to figure out what works in a design and what doesn't.

Luckily, this learning process is made a lot easier by infographic templates and guide. And there are certainly a lot of examples out there for you to draw inspiration from.

When in doubt, ask someone else to look over your design before you publish it--they will be able to tell you if there is any information that is unclear, or if there is any way that you could make your design even better.
Return to Table of Contents
Read our step-by-step guide to creating infographics:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ultimate Infographic Design Guide + Design Tricks - Venngage

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
So you want to become an infographic design expert? You've come to the right place.