Infographics are great for interpreting information and data through visuals. Information can be simplified by using graphics that explain their importance, allowing the viewer to easily understand what they’re being shown. Audiences are currently more receptive to viewing images than trying to interpret a great amount of data; therefore, resulting in infographics becoming more popular. They present facts to viewers in a way that’s not only visually appealing but also digestible. Let’s go into more details about vector infographics below.

What Are Vector Infographics?

Image via Flickr by  Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

Sometimes, graphics need to be changed around to better express what they’re trying to say. Vector infographics occur when parts of graphics are formatted to meet the needs of what you’re trying to communicate to your audience. The sizes, colors, and shapes of the graphics can be altered without depleting the original graphic’s quality.

Raster images, also known as bitmap images, are pixelated. When they’re sized larger, you can see each individual pixel. With vector graphics, you’ll get smooth images, no matter what size they are. This can be done by creating a graphic yourself, paying someone to make the vector, or finding online resources that provide both free and paid vector images.

Vector infographics can also be greatly modified, while raster images can’t. Vector infographics are composed of mathematical equations. They can be made into pictures using curves and lines. A graphics file can then be changed to any size without losing their dimensions.

For example, if you were to make your vector larger, you wouldn’t see pixelation like you would with raster graphics. Vector infographics come in EPS (Encapsulated PostScript), SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics), AI (Adobe Illustrator Artwork), and PDF (Portable Document Format). They work best as simple illustrations and logos.

Why Use Vector Infographics?

Infographics are a beautiful and visually appealing way to display data in a simple form. An audience can easily interpret what the numbers and facts are covering.

Vector infographics add a little more dimension and detail to the graphics, making them stand out even more and enabling them to attract audiences. Colorful and enticing graphics filled with valuable, easy-to-read information can benefit your company by bringing in more prospective clients and partners to work with.

If you like to play around with graphics sizes without taking away from the graphic’s original design, vector graphics are the way to go. You don’t want to spend all of your time creating a raster graphic only to have it be sized incorrectly or pixelated at huge dimensions. You can avoid this by using vectors for your infographics.

Vector Infographic Examples

There are plenty of examples of vector infographics to study online. Many of these are free; however, there are paid resources, too. Let’s look at some examples of vector infographics.

Weekdone Infographics

Weekdone infographics provide a package of vector images that go great with a variety of themed infographics. The kit comes in several hues of bright orange and comes with a world map, timeline, several pie charts, and other graphics. The kit comes in a dark or light version. If you have orange as one of your only business colors, then part of the infographic work is done for you through the kit.

Brand EPS

Brand EPS, like its name, provides vector graphics pertaining to many popular logos. More than 3,000 brand icons and 9,000 brand logos can be used here. The downloads are free and come in PNG (Portable Network Graphics), JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group), and SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) formats. If you aren’t sure what to look for, punch some keywords into the search box and browse from there.

Infographics Element Pack

The Infographics Element Pack comes with basic, yet important components to create a successful vector infographic. Bright blue, purple, red, green, and orange are found on the world map as are icons of people, smartphones, computers, tablets, pie graphs, bar graphs, and other icons that can be added to different themed infographics.

Infographic Elements template pack 01 provides stock images of vectors. Shapes and icons are used to draw attention and categorize data. Another way to draw attention to the infographic is to use bright colors, which are displayed on the graphics. There’s also a tree diagram, a world map with markers, a pyramid, a bar diagram and a pie chart. They’re all customized to fit the needs of your vector infographic.

123RF

123RF has some beautiful illustrations that can be used for infographics. For those looking to create an infographic about energy, 123RF has some great vectors that can be applied. Light bulbs, world maps, and dollar signs are some just some of the vectors that can be utilized for your energy infographic.

These images can also be used for infographics on sustainability, energy consumption, or eco-friendly products. For those interested in creating a sports-related vector infographic, 123RF has some great illustrations relating to sports.

Business Infographics

This infographic kit for business is ideal for various business-related infographics. These beautiful graphics stand out due to their flat designs and long shadows. The red, yellow, orange, and blue coloring all the graphs, pie charts, and bar charts cause these graphics to stand out.

Shutterstock also has some great examples of vector infographics. One of their examples is for a computer technology set. The graphic is appealing, despite the simple, to-the-point appearance. The viewer can tell the graphics are about technology just by looking at the images of computers and cell phones.

With vector infographics, you can change the image’s dimensions to meet your company’s design without taking away the quality of the graphics.

CopyPress has some great examples of infographics, viewable to potential customers. They have a variety of static and interactive infographics to view and play around with. CopyPress is one of many online resources where you can get infographics made for your thriving business.

Dreamstime has a great example of a 3D graphic of a world map. Most of the shapes on this infographic are 3D. A gloss and glow feature was added to the graphic, making it stand out even more. The pie diagrams and globes can be changed to fit with your business colors and design.

Other Vector Graphic Suppliers

Bigstock is another graphics company that is gaining headway in supplying vector graphics. Bigstock offers flight infographics for those who work in or with the airline industry. Airplanes, weather icons, callouts, and other airline-related graphics are found with this set, which would be great to use for an airline or travel infographic.

For healthcare and medical infographics, check out Depositphotos for some great vectors. You can find a heart icon, a man and woman next to a world map, other human organs, a pie chart, and various health related bar graphics (if you’re creating a health-related infographic). The bright colors are eye-catching, as well, which will draw viewers to the final infographic and to your business.

Graphic sets can be used through the website iStockPhoto. They can be used on a variety of infographics. Many graphics can be modified for tablets, smartphones, and desktop computers. Examples of available graphics are world maps, globes, pyramids, pie diagrams, a histogram in 3D, callouts, flags, and labels, just to name a few.

iStockPhoto has other great infographic sets for elements with icons. The scientific shapes are familiar and come in bright colors. Chemical laboratory devices, such as test tubes, burners, and beakers in vivid orange and green liquid, are a few of the graphics that come with the set. Other pictures and details include a map of the United States (with certain states emphasized), a light bulb, world map, battery, and a CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light) bulb.

Vector Infographic Tips

How can you make your vector infographics stand out from the rest? Instead of spending years attempting to make your infographics stand out through trial and error, keep these tips in mind when planning, creating, and executing, regardless of whether you create them yourself or hire someone else to do it for you.

If you plan on making your own or hiring someone to make vector infographics for you, make sure to have a clear idea of what you want. Give detailed instructions and pictures so you’re satisfied with the end result.

If you choose to hire a professional to create your vector infographic, leave no doubt about what you want from the start. You don’t want to be given the final product when it’s not what you wanted in the first place. Be specific and clear from the start so that the process can be a smooth and successful one.

Make Your Own

One option for one-of-a-kind vector infographics is to make your own, but where do you start? After you do some research on what exactly your graphic will look like, you’ll need to get some tools to help you start your project. There are many software and hardware tools that will help you make beautiful vector graphics to show clients on your social media platforms.

If you decide to make your own, investing in a Wacom tablet can help add details to the graphics by using Bezier tools. The Bezier tool is an option when using the pen on the Wacom tablet. These tools can take time to master, but they can add beautiful components to graphics and make your infographic stand out, even in a professional crowd.

Formatting the final vector as a TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) might save you in the long run. Start it as a CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and key) file, then transfer it as a TIFF file. Composition and color issues can be avoided by transferring with this method.

Most importantly, don’t forget your audience, who will view the final result. You might want to use one data type, but if it’s not what your audience wants, the final infographic will be a waste of time. Do your research to find out what your audience wants to know.

Another option is to purchase graphics or use free graphics from websites to put together as an infographic. There are many resources to find paid and free graphics. Vexels is a design stock and editor website. You can find thousands of free vectors to choose from for your infographic.

The website even has a place where you can edit the image to your liking so it fits with your business design. For example, you can change the text and colors. Flaticon offers over 790,000 vector icons to choose from. These icons are available in JPEG, BASE64, PNG, EPS, and SVG.

Vector.Me offers over 280,000 vectors to choose from. Vector.Me’s team couldn’t find a free search engine for vectors, so they created their own. If you’re only looking for a few images to add to your infographic, you can even find separate icon and logo vectors. FreeVectors.net is a place for vector creators to display their finished works and is free for the public to use.

As you can see, vector infographics, when created correctly and displayed in the right places, can add a positive impact to your business. You can reach a huge audience that is hungry for information by providing that information with your infographics. By providing the right data in a beautiful, visually appealing way, you can make connections with other businesses and an audience who may become future clients.

Infographics are an extremely useful and efficient method of marketing. When planned out correctly, the highly visual and carefully designed layout of the infographic makes it more appealing to consumers. Utilize the following tips for making infographics to create a marketing tool that reaches and inspires your target audience.

8 Tips for Making Infographics

Image via Flickr by india7network

Before you even get started, be sure to choose a strong topic for your infographic. It is important to pick a topic that is relevant to your business and that is also useful to your audience, as this will give readers a reason to click on and read the infographic. Infographics are often used to target a specific audience and to provide them with information about a product or service that is the most useful to them.

You will also need to find a way to set your infographic apart from others on the internet. The goal is to make your infographic newsworthy. This can be achieved by researching current trending topics in your industry. Use tools like Google Trends, Twitter Trends, Feedly, and Facebook trending to find out what topics are currently getting the most attention.

Competitive analysis is also a great way to find out what is currently important in your industry. Once you have narrowed down a topic that is likely to resonate with your target market, you will want to customize it to fit within your specific business industry. Check out these 8 great tips for making infographics to help you create yours!

Know Your Audience

One of the most important and most commonly overlooked tips for making infographics is to know your audience. Today’s internet users are unlikely to read articles from start to finish. Instead, experts estimate that most users only have time to read about 20 percent of a website’s content.

While you likely already had an intended audience in mind when you first chose the infographic topic, now it is time to really narrow in on the specifics of your target audience. The goal is to get your infographic in front of the people that will find it the most useful and that are most likely to convert.

There are a few methods you can implement to learn more about your target audience. The easiest and fastest way is to look at your current customer base. Where do your current customers live? How do they communicate with you? What are their buying habits? You can also research any target markets that are you are attempting to break into. Finally, do not underestimate the value of simply asking your customers. Many consumers are willing to share feedback about products and services.

Creating a buyer persona can help you detail the exact person you are trying to reach with your infographic. This step will also help you with creating your marketing strategy for promoting the infographic later on. Crafting a detailed buyer persona involves taking what you already know about your customer base and compiling it into one, or a few, customer profiles. This effort helps you narrow down your targeting and really understand what is relevant to your intended market.

Invest in Design Time

The overall design of your infographic is what your targeted audience will see; therefore, the making of the design tends to be one of the critical tips for making infographics. The completed image should be engaging, relevant, and aesthetically appealing. Keep things simple and straightforward with a layout that includes images and text that gets your point across. The design should ideally promote your product or educate your audience within the first few seconds.

Another important aspect of the design process is to focus on the background space. Pay attention to the image/data ratio. Infographics are very visual, so you do not want to overwhelm the space with too many images or text. White space, also known as background space, provides the reader with a visually appealing experience. It also draws the eye to the most important parts of the infographic, thus really driving your point across. White space improves the reader’s focus and can ultimately increase views and infographic conversions.

When creating a fully optimized design, stick to the common rule of thirds in design. Although this concept was originally applied to photography, it can also be used when designing infographics that are visually appealing. Instead of using the center of the page as your focal point, consider dividing the space into thirds. These imaginary grids can help you arrange the data, images, and content in a way that is appealing to the eye.

Choose Images Carefully

Think of images as the base of your infographic design. Images are used to draw the focus to specific statistics or text data. You can actually control which items your readers spend the most time viewing. You can also encourage the exact facts that they take away from the infographic. Stock images are free images that can be easily pulled from the internet. You can then use a variety of editing programs including PowerPoint, Adobe Photoshop, and Canva to personalize the images to your brand. You can also input paid images or actual images and logos from your business.

You will want to test multiple images in your infographic to see what fits with your current color scheme and patterns. It is also important to check the licensing agreements, date, and source of the image before using them in any of your infographic marketing.

Highlight Your Research

The supporting data of your infographic is just as important as the images chosen, as they’ll need to correlate with one another. You can also increase the visual aspect of the data by displaying it in bright, colorful, and catchy ways. Draw the reader’s attention to the most surprising statistics. Avoid lengthy or wordy captions. Display the information in short and concise blocks to get important points across.

You can further enhance your research with pictograms, charts, and graphs. Visual displays of information tend to do better than simply listing it. If you must list the information, be sure to use bullet points as they hold attention longer. Also, stick to primary colors to avoid an overwhelming design.

The data used in the infographic should also be relevant, interesting, and accurate. If you are unable to find an accurate source of information, it is best to leave it out of the infographic. Infographics are a great way to establish an authority and expert role in your industry, as long as you are offering information that is accurate. Avoid using sources like Wikipedia or Facebook for data, as these sites are often not checked for accuracy and anyone can post or edit them.

The data used in your infographic should also be current. Using data that is accurate, yet outdated, can result in it no longer being relevant to the industry. New research is constantly replacing older research, and including inaccurate or outdated information on your infographic is a quick way to lose brand trust and damage the authority of your business.

Make the Most of Your Content

Although there is minimal content in an infographic, it is a necessary and important part of the design process. The content needs to be carefully planned and worded concisely to meet the minimum space abilities. Outsourcing your content creation can help you make the most of your minimal content space.

The content should also take advantage of previously researched keywords. Keywords will help with search engine optimization (SEO) and will help users find your infographic during an internet search. Keywords should be relevant to the information in the infographic, as well as to the industry. If you want users to specifically search for infographics within your topic, you will also want to rank for the word infographics.

The entire purpose of creating an infographic is to draw attention and convert traffic to your product or service. While it is important to educate and inform readers, you also want to leave them with something to take away. Call to actions encourage the reader to take action, whether it is signing up for a newsletter, sharing the content, or making a purchase. Include branding on the infographic so readers can associate the information with your brand.

Another important part of the content process is creating a headline. The infographic headline is the first thing that your readers will see, and it should grab their attention while also giving them an idea of what to expect throughout the design. Utilize keywords in your headline to target specific readers looking for information about a product or service. Avoid headlines that promise but do not deliver.

Optimize Formatting

You have carefully selected the images for your infographic. You have fact-checked the statistics and data you want to include. You hired a professional copywriter to make the most of the minimal content space. It is now time to fit all of these important aspects of the infographic into a completed project that is formatted for your readers. The size of the images and the format of the information is an important part of the visual experience.

It is best to start with standard size recommendations and then customize it to fit your specific marketing needs. You will also want to consider where your viewers will be accessing the infographic most often. Once the infographic is completed, you will want to publish it to multiple sites, including your own. Staying within sizing recommendations will ensure that it properly shows up on these sites. A good rule of thumb to follow is to stay within 600 pixels wide and 1,800 pixels long.

Some platforms also have minimum formatting requirements. Facebook, for example, requires that all uploaded infographics are a minimum of 403 x 403 pixels. If the majority of your target audience is likely to access the infographic through mobile use, you will also need to format it for mobile devices. Most tablets can successfully show infographics that are formatted for desktop use. Smartphones, however, cannot go over 288 pixels in width. Infographics that are meant for a smartphone should also be optimized with larger graphics and font sizes for easier readability.

Edit Multiple Times

A single error can ruin your entire infographic. Editing multiple times can help you catch grammatical and structural errors. You also might want to consider outsourcing a professional editing service to look for any additional errors. Keep in mind that editing differs from proofreading. The designer of the infographic will complete basic proofreading tasks while creating the design.

Proofreading looks for basic grammatical errors or missing punctuations. Editing, on the other hand, scans the infographic for content clarity, voice tone, and any structural or mechanical errors. Both proofreading and editing are necessary tasks, especially when the content will be used in marketing materials.

Market to Your Target Audience

Once you have a completely finished infographic, it is time to get it in front of those that will find it the most useful. You should already have a target market in mind and have a good idea of where they are at. Share your infographic across multiple relevant platforms. Include social media share tabs on the content so users can share it with their network. Share it with your own businesses social media accounts. Expand the visibility even more by outsourcing your promotions through native advertising, publisher connections, and social promoting.

You can also use programs like Bitly to shorten the URL of the infographic site. Internet users are more likely to share the link to the infographic if it is concise and easy to copy. Also, including a specific call to action that invites readers to share is a great way to increase infographic views. Monitoring the success of this particular infographic also important. You can use the feedback, share data, and analytical results to make improvements to future infographics.

Creating an infographic from scratch might seem like an intimidating process. However, with these tips for making infographics, you can design an effective marketing tool that provides your readers with value and information about your product or service.

Infographics are used to display marketing information in a way that is visual and informative. Approximately 65 percent of people are visual learners by nature, meaning that infographics simply resonate better with the general population. By combining images and relevant information with visually appealing fonts into timeline infographics, you can create brand loyalty and drive website traffic that ultimately leads to conversions.

The History of Timelines

Image via Flickr by americaspower

Timelines are not a new concept. They were originally used in historical materials and in print. They have always been an effective method of grabbing the reader’s attention and directing them to the most important of information. The only difference today is that we now have the ability to implement technology into the design of infographic timelines.

With technology, we can design timelines that are even more interactive and engaging. Users can actually click on specific parts of the infographic to learn more about the specific point or the business itself, or businesses can use infographic timelines to include call to actions that lead to increased conversion rates.

While timeline infographics have traditionally been used to portray important historical timelines, product developments, and the history of important public figures, internet timeline infographics can go a step further with the addition of a business’ history and changing statistical trends.

Why Infographics?

Infographics do well because they are so visual. Interactive infographics are even more effective because they encourage the reader to participate in the experience. Content that is not visual enough can lead to information overload and can leave the readers overwhelmed and confused. Studies show that not only are consumers more engaged with infographics, but they are also more easily persuaded by them. This fact makes them a great marketing tool.

Timeline infographics take the visual aspect even further by giving the reader a guided experience. By arranging the images and content in a way that tells the reader where to start and where to end, the reader is able to better focus on the content. Furthermore, by highlighting the most important parts of the infographic timeline, you can actually specify the exact points that are memorized and retained.

Types of Infographics

An infographic is a visual image that is used to display data. But, there are many different ways to use infographics to display information.

• A flowchart asks the reader questions that eventually lead them to a solution or an individualized product. This type of infographic tends to do well with younger audiences on social media platforms.
• Versus infographics take two ideas or concepts and compare them with supporting data and images. These infographics are a great way to portray a large amount of data in a concise and interesting way.
• Number or data infographics display large quantities of content through charts and graphs. When you have large amounts of data to display, you risk boring the reader and losing them altogether. The data infographic requires a carefully planned design in order to display the pertinent information in a way that is also engaging.
• Photo infographics focus on descriptive images that answer a question or showcase a product. Although most infographics include a good amount of images, the photo infographic bases the entire design on high-quality images that are meant to educate and convert. Not as much focus is given to the content or statistical data with photo infographics. This type of infographic is great for educating readers about a new product or business.
• Timeline infographics are another common and extremely valuable type of infographic design. Similar to a traditional timeline, timeline infographics are used to display data in a chronological format. With timeline infographics, you have the ability to take the reader from step one to the completed process. Designing a timeline infographic, however, requires careful detail to the specific time points in order to hold the focus and interest of the reader throughout the entire time period.

Creating a Timeline Infographic

The goal of a timeline infographic is to take the reader on a journey. The design of the timeline will dictate the exact path the reader takes. Where do you want them to begin the journey? Where will the informative journey end? What are the most important stops along the way? Not only will you need to carefully select the most important stopping points, but you will also have to choose visually appealing and relevant images that complement those specific points. The timeline infographic journey should be interesting, engaging, and educational.

Create a Plan

In order to fully maximize the content of the timeline infographic, you will want to first create a plan. What dates and events are the most important and most relevant to include? What timeline activities are your readers most likely to find interesting? Before choosing any images or supporting data, carefully lay out the specific events to include in the timeline.

Depending on the desired length of the timeline infographic, you might have to cut out or combine stops. Avoid filling the timeline with non-relevant points to meet length requirements. It is best to have a shorter timeline that is more engaging than one that is long and filled with mediocre points.

Design a Timeline Layout

The goal is to display the specific events of the timeline in a layout that maximizes its readability. You can choose between a horizontal, vertical, or coiled timeline. Where you choose to display your timeline infographic upon completion will dictate this decision. Vertical infographic timelines tend to work best with smartphones and tablets. If you are planning on marketing your infographic timeline with print, however, you might find a horizontal design more accommodating.

Many timeline infographics utilize the central focus point. Imagine that you are drawing a line right down the middle of the vertical page. This line is the starting point for each of your timeline events. From here, it is best to alternate each side as you begin to display the timeline events. Use this imaginary line to format images and text boxes as well.

Multiple optimizations of your infographic can help you reach different target audiences. For example, a vertical timeline infographic might be ideal for your smartphone users but is unlikely to be as effective as a print marketing material. Fortunately, you can reach these different targets by making multiple optimizations of your timeline infographic and using them in the appropriate settings.

Unique Timeline Infographic Designs

Although many timeline infographics are vertical and central focused, this is not a hard rule. If you want to use your timeline infographic to be a little more creative, there are other options available for a more personalized layout.

A historical layout follows the timeline of a historical event. It often includes dates, important events, and images that correspond to the date in history. Biographical layouts are ideal for describing the major contributions and life points of a famous person or business. They are a great way to showcase the historical growth of a company.

There are also ways to customize the actual layout of the timeline infographic. If a center focus infographic does not appeal to you, you can instead try a left or right aligned layout. The left or right focus timeline infographic is a great choice if you have large amounts of data that you want to include. Sectional timelines allow you to really get creative, as you can change up the colors and fonts between each section. Coiled timelines, sometimes called spiraled timelines, also add a little more creativity and personalization to your timeline infographic.

There are many methods you can use to customize your timeline infographic design. A few options include using scrolling effects, implementing clickable images, or using images you have taken yourself. You can also use programs like Canva and Adobe Photoshop to add business branding to your infographic project. Not only does this protect your design from other businesses using it as their own, but it can also increase brand awareness among your readers.

Engage Through Fonts and Headers

Because timeline infographics often include a lot of important information, it is necessary to find a way to display it so that it is still visually appealing. You can draw focus to specific data points or sections with the use of colors and bullet points. These extra design elements are also what will showcase your businesses personality and hold the attention of the reader.

Always consider the placement of your infographic when choosing the fonts and design colors. Your choice of fonts and colors can really make or break the success of your infographic. Smartphone users might have difficulty reading font that is too small or too complicated. Inputting too much text without using headers can make the timeline infographic busy and overwhelming. Also, using font colors and styles that do not complement one another can produce a final product that is confusing.

When creating a timeline infographic, choose between labels that are text, numbered, or interactive. Consistency is also important in an infographic design. Use the same headers and font styles among similar sections throughout the timeline. A successful timeline infographic easily flows from one point to the next. Be sure to view it multiple times and pay attention to what grabs your attention and what causes you to skip over entire sections.

Choose an Appropriate Length

Choosing an infographic over other types of marketing materials is often done to appeal to visual learners. If the infographic is too long or contains too much content, you also risk losing your reader. If the infographic is multiple pages long, consider adding bullet points and short paragraphs to improve overall readability.

Visual hierarchy is also more important than ever when creating longer infographics. Visual hierarchy involves taking your design resources and using them to prioritize the most important content. You can dictate the focal points of your timeline infographic by focusing on text size, text color, saturation, and the text layout. The most important points throughout the timeline are not necessarily the starting point and the ending point. Instead, you might choose to highlight other important events somewhere in the middle.

You can test your visual hierarchy effectiveness simply by viewing the infographic with fresh eyes. Take a step away from your project and then come back to it later, specifically paying attention to the layout. You can also take advantage of professional services that improve the data visualization of your completed infographic timeline.

Creating Content for the Timeline

A timeline infographic displays events throughout a period of time. The starting point will set the tone for the rest of the timeline’s content. Each of the content points should flow smoothly, creating a story about your product or business. A physical line should also connect each of the events to one another. This line makes it easier for readers to visually flow through the timeline.

Because timeline infographics often highlight specific events throughout time, it is important to include data that is accurate and relevant. A single error within the infographic can damage the credibility of the entire timeline, as well as the brand of the business. Always double check the facts that are included. It can also be useful to hire a professional copywriter to create content that is informative and accurate.

Marketing Timeline Infographics

Infographic timelines are just as effective as other types of infographics. Once your timeline infographic is complete, you will want to market it to those that are likely to be the most interested in the information it provides. You can increase the views of your completed infographic timeline by including social media share plugins on your website, sharing the content with your email audience, and if relevant to your industry, printing the timeline and physically giving it to your customers.

You do not have to be a professional graphic designer to create an engaging and informative timeline infographic. These tips will help you start from scratch and complete a project that is sure to highlight your timeline information in the most useful method.

Sharing technological data and concepts can be especially difficult to do in a way that is engaging to an audience. Technology infographics is a visual marketing tool used to display technological information to an audience in a way that is both interesting and easy to read.

Industries That Benefit From Technology Infographics>

Image via Flickr by Nguyen Vu Hung

Technology infographics are useful in any industry that works with a lot of research data and statistics. Just a few of the industries that could benefit from the use of technology infographics include app developers, web designers, banking institutions, information technology, medical research, financial services, healthcare, and logistics departments.

The one component that each of these industries has in common is the need to display large amounts of data in order to market a product or to gain authority in their industry. Infographics can achieve this purpose by displaying the information in a way that highlights the work of the researchers, yet is also easily understandable by the reader. The infographic can also be used in a way that makes analytical information engaging. These industries can take advantage of technology infographics to increase their brand credibility, engage potential consumers, and convert readers to a sale.

Infographics in the Technology Industry

Unless you are involved daily in the tech industry, you might find some of the terms to be confusing or overwhelming. Because infographics are highly visual, they are a great way to highlight the most important information in a way that the average reader can easily understand. The technology infographic design sets the tone and the reader process by directing them to the most important statistics and images. From there, the infographic directs the reader through a process, pulling together the most important information along the way.

Technology infographics are great at educating the general population too. About 65% of humans process information in a visual manner. Because infographics are primarily visual and are designed with optimal visual aesthetics in mind, they tend to appeal to a larger group of people. Additionally, displaying analytical data in a visual way is a great way to display statistics in a way that is memorable. The purpose of the infographic is to educate and eventually convert the reader into a customer.

Technology Infographic Design

Designing any type of infographic requires careful attention to detail, relevant content, and a good selection of supportive images. Displaying technological information in a visual infographic can be even more challenging. The technology infographic requires a careful balance of images, text, and negative space. Although hiring a professional graphic designer is not necessary to create a successful technology infographic, it is important to pay attention to the design ratios.

Most infographics are displayed in a vertical manner, but this component is not as important to the design as the images and text to negative space ratio. Aim to create a completed product that is visually engaging but not overwhelming. The goal is to encourage an interactive process and navigate the reader from a starting point or topic introduction to an endpoint. An infographic design with too little of negative space or too much text can lose the reader along the way.

Using a contrasting color scheme can help with the visual flow of the infographic. Use alternating colors that are on opposite sides of the color wheel. If you combine colors that are too similar in the same sections, you can confuse the reader and it will be difficult to make important data points stand out. It is best to stick with a maximum of two to three font types throughout the entire technology infographic.

Additionally, keep page limitations in mind during the design process. Text and images might fit nicely within the infographic on your screen, but users on other devices might see an image with cut off corners or improperly scaled text. As a general rule of thumb, keep at least a 20-pixel margin around the exterior of the entire infographic.

Choosing Technology Infographic Images

The specific images used in a technology infographic are an important part of the design process. Because technology industries often use numerical data, choosing images that appeal to the visual side of the reader can reach a wider audience. There are many sites on the internet that you can download free or low-cost stock images from. A few of these sites are Pexels, Flickr, Pixabay, and iStock.

When choosing images, make sure you select ones that are of high resolution and that are relevant to the technical data you are sharing. It is also important to credit the image source when required. Just as you would credit a study that you are using as a source, it is necessary to credit any images used in marketing materials.

Always aim for a responsive design when creating a technology infographic. The concept of responsive design is often used in web design, but the same visual advantages also apply when creating a technology infographic. The idea behind responsive design is to create a product that is compatible with all devices. While many infographics are viewed on the internet, you cannot dictate the specific device that your reader will use. Creating an infographic with responsive design in mind will cater to the majority of internet users.

Market research can also help you better target which devices your intended audience uses most often. If your research concludes that many of your users are accessing your sites via a mobile device then you can optimize for mobile use. If your target market is primarily on a desktop, you will create a design that is best used there. You will also want to consider where you will primarily market your completed technology infographic. If you find that you have audiences in multiple settings, it is possible to create separate versions of your technology infographic.

Designing Technology Infographic Visual Graphs

Graphs are a great way to visually display data when creating technology infographics. There are many different types of infographic graphs you can choose from to display data. The specific one that you choose will likely depend on the type of data that you are sharing with the reader. When creating a graph, the goal is to design the graph so that it speaks for itself.

While you can add text and headers that display interesting information, the reader should be able to get this information themselves from the graph. Avoid using graphs that are too busy or that are not relevant to the purpose of the technology infographic.

Comparison charts use highlighted date to compare multiple concepts or theories. Comparison charts are ideal for two or three topics. Distribution graphs are especially useful in the technology industries. Correlation and causation are often considered in technology fields and distribution graphs can display multiple values that evaluate these facts. Using line histograms in a distribution graph also gives you the ability to include large amounts of individual data.

Scatter plots are another useful graph type commonly used in the tech industries. Scatter plots create a visual image comparing two theories and their relation to one another. These data plots can be displayed with either scattered points or by using colorful bubble charts.

Other useful infographic types for displaying technology information include top list charts, line charts, pie charts, and column charts. Consider the type of information that you want to display and then choose a display chart that best highlights this data without losing sight of the overall design. You can also play around with different charts and see which one fits well within your technology infographic. You can create infographic charts using free online programs including Canva, Piktochart, PowerPoint, and Infogram.

Gathering Technology Data

Technology is an ever-changing industry making it difficult to ensure your technology infographic includes the latest and most accurate data. If your technology infographic includes statistics from external sources, make sure the sources used are trusted and credible. You can pull technology data for your infographics from sites like The Verge, Tech Crunch, and Tech News. Be sure to cite the source of the data somewhere in your infographic. It is also important to check the accuracy and date of previously published studies.

Some technology companies also create infographics to display their own research results. If you are pulling data from your own research, it is important to include your research process as well as links to where the readers can find additional information.

Edit and Review

One of the last steps of the technology infographic design process is editing and reviewing. Because there is no universal resolution requirement across all infographics, it is best to view the completed product in different browsers. In addition to editing the technology infographic for grammar and sentence structure, you will also need to edit it for accuracy. Technology infographics often include a lot of data, and it can be easy to overlook minor research errors. Hiring an editor can help you identify any content errors as well as update sources of information.

Market your Technology Infographic

Technology infographics can be marketed in a few different methods. They are a great way to display large quantities of information in business presentations. Business meetings and sales meetings are often time-sensitive and the infographic can highlight the most important parts of the proposal. Technology infographics are a great way to quickly display business plans to decision makers without overwhelming them with irrelevant information.

Technology infographics can also be used to increase brand awareness and to establish an authoritative role within a specific industry. A great way to do this is by sharing the infographic with other industry professionals that are likely to find it relevant and useful. You can swap links with other businesses by guest blogging and driving traffic back to your site. Not only will this assist with SEO, but it will also increase the trustworthiness and awareness of your website.

Finally, you can take advantage of social media platforms to market your infographic. Some technology professionals remain hesitant of social media. However, with the right type of marketing, technology infographics can do well on social media platforms. LinkedIn is one platform that is suitable for technology businesses.

The Future of Technology Infographics

Because infographics have so much potential and value for technology businesses, marketing professionals continue to come up with new ways to take them into the next era of technology. The technology industry has an advantage over other industries because they are already familiar with the latest technological abilities. A great example of how the technology industry is influencing content marketing and infographics is with animated technology.

Animated technology infographics allow readers to interact with them in a way that they cannot do with other forms of marketing. Animated infographics are similar to the traditional infographic except that they are displayed in a scrolling image format. Sometimes, the information is further highlighted with audio effects. The purpose of the animated technology is similar to that of an infographic, except that the designer or presenter has even more control over the engagement of the user experience.

Viral Marketing

Viral marketing is a marketing attempt at encouraging readers to share your technology infographic. While you cannot guarantee that a well-designed infographic will go viral, you can ensure that it has high-quality images, a relevant concept, and an overall design that is visually appealing. These factors often lead to higher share rates and to greater attention on the internet.

You can further improve your chances of sharable technology content with a design that is search engine optimized (SEO), has a strong social media marketing strategy, and a digital marketing plan to put it in front of those that are most likely to resonate with the topic. Provide your readers with information that is useful to their industry and you are likely to notice an increase in shares and, ultimately, conversions.

Technology infographics are a useful marketing tool for taking highly-analytical data and presenting it in a way that is engaging, relevant, and educational. These tips will help you design the ideal technology-based infographic for your business needs.