13 Infographic Design Do’s and Dont’s You Should Know

Importance of infographic in marketing

You are living in an age of massive information overload. While you are absorbing data, you also generate content for others. In such moments, you have to create content that propels conversion in a glimpse of an eye. Infographic is what is needed to make it happen. It skyrockets your user engagement compared to a chunk of text. You can simplify massive data to make your audience reach you first. According to scientists, your brain can process visual information in 13 milliseconds, which is why infographics are such sufficient collateral — if done correctly. Let’s check out the do’s and don’t of infographic design.

Do’s and don’t of infographic design

You aim to tell your audience a compelling story through an infographic. Here are 15 common mistakes you can avoid to meet your goals –

• Incorrect or weak data visualization
• Never-ending length
• Cluttered visuals
• Absence of visual language
• Typography overload
• No visual order
• Crazy colors
• Disorganized content
• Overuse of illustrations
• Irrelevant theme
• Icon problems
• Wrong resolution
• Trivial things

• Incorrect or Weak Data Visualization: As a designer, this is your biggest pet peeve in infographics. Inaccurate or weak data misleads the potential of trusting you. Despite choosing the right chart, you still need to present it crystal clear for your audience. Small things such as ordering, labeling, color use, or comparison can add to big things.
• Never-ending length: Do you want to lose your customers to the large size of your infographic? Customers need new information. But if your design is making them scroll endlessly, they’ll bounce back. Your infographics are languishing because it puts your customers off.
• Cluttered visuals: The world is already cluttered as it is. Why do you want to add an unpleasant design to it? A clean design is more than a trend. In a customer-centric world, only a perfect design can speak volumes. Your brand message will be clear only when your design is clean. In short, a clean design is the elimination of unwanted elements.
• Absence of visual language: Well-researched data is likely to be lost in translation if there’s no visual consistency. Language is an essential aspect of communication. But if you lose the sense of this very aspect, you cannot convey your brand message.
• Typography overload: Just because there are many fonts, you don’t have to use them all – at least not in one go. With random fonts, you’ll end up having intrusive headers and indiscernible labels. Font inconsistency doesn’t bode well for preserving your visual brand.
• No visual order: Apart from loads of visual junk, hierarchy is another careless placement of elements. You cannot deliver a clear message without letting your customers know what to see first. You are probably missing out on prioritizing your items.
• Crazy colors: Colors have their way of expressing your message. With eye-popping colors, you leave the customer feeling mesmerized. But how well do you know the color wheel? Every color you select adds up to your design. Sometimes, a wrong tone can push your brand image down.
• Disorganized content: Nobody will read if your content is clumsy. Typically happens when you try to be pushy with your content. Readers get confused when your data and other elements are not aligned.
• Overuse of illustrations: Illustrations are an excellent interactive tool, but to what extent? Overuse of anything backfires. You’ll lose its impact because of overuse.
• Irrelevant theme: A theme is a great design tool to keep the elements cohesive. Everything you do revolves around the idea. When you are designing for college students, you can take a theme that relates to music. You’re probably not on the right path.
• Icon problems: There are many icons – some are cliche, and some are confusing. One of the thorns in designs is the terrible usage of images. If the customers don’t find your infographic up to the standard, it puts the whole thing in jeopardy.
• Wrong resolution: A lot of infographic design is sabotaged simply by picking the incorrect format. It makes the design incompatible with the devices or platforms in the infographic. Your sound design can thus get stale because of its form.
• Trivial things: In infographics, the devil is in the details. It’s small things that collectively affect how the viewer experiences. Things like poor alignment, inconsistent illustration styles, or spacing can degrade your infographic (and, by default, the perception of your brand).

Rules to stand out in the virtual world

Most of the problems mentioned above stem either from the lack of information or inappropriate design. In both cases, your connection with data is missing. Remember: Your goal is to share a meaningful message by enhancing your design. Here are 13 how-to-fix tips you should follow –

• Brush up on your data skills to make an impact. Kickstart by designing the most simple charts and graphs. Once visuals are ready, review them to see what adjustments you can make to increase comprehension.
• Please don’t lose your content by reducing it. Instead, create small segments of an infographic series to receive more mileage for your work.
• Keep your thought process and visual focus to maintain clarity. A clear key takeaway will be alive in your potential customers’ minds. Remember: simplicity is the key to unlock conversions.
• Make your style sheet, which sets a predefined format structure as a guide. It helps to produce a design that is strong and easy-to-understand.
• Restrict your font families to 3 or 4 and keep it consistent throughout your design. Font talks a lot about your brand’s tone. Choose wisely!
• It will be helpful if you set a wireframe of hierarchy before designing. You’ll come half-way through when elements placement is planned well in advance.
• There’s a helpful rule of thumb rule when it comes to color selection. Use 1 or 2 dominant/warm colors, plus 2-3 accent colors. Know colors that represent your brand values. Also, make sure you’re thorough with your brand style guide.
• If you want to enhance design through illustration, choose a few elements to bring to life. You can do more with less.
• The design should always depict your story. Choose a single theme that intuitively reinforces the narrative. The right theme graphic will tell your customers at a glance what knowledge you wish to communicate.
• Make sure your design does the heavy lifting of telling the story. For example, a single visual element may explain something more significant than a block of text. Check out some infographic examples.

Finally, watch out for these small infographic mistakes. A little mistake can change the complete meaning upside down. Avoiding these pitfalls can elevate your work to the top of the pack, garnering the attention that lasts longer. Get inspiring ideas on infographic designs with All Time Design