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Gone are the days of fifty-page reports or hour-long presentations padded with data. Organizations today must compete with short attention spans and even shorter retention, making it critical to catch and maintain your audience’s eye to sustain engagement. Whereas audiences get dizzy staring at numbers in a document, utilizing infographics can turn your data’s complexity into connection.

An infographic, short for information graphic, is a data visualization tool that illustrates data in digestible visuals. Simply put, infographics help people better understand the numbers. Whether you’re sharing the results of a survey or projected earnings, good infographics make compelling narratives out of data.

The Human Brain and Visualization

Look at the graphic above. Now close your eyes for 10 seconds.

Welcome back! Do you remember which band aid design Throughliners preferred? We bet you the answer is yes. The human brain is wired to recognize patterns and images more easily than numbers. Visuals can transform quantitative data into insight and action. This is the power of infographics.

Crafting an Effective Infographic

So, what makes an infographic truly effective? Well, that all depends on your audience, messaging and intention. An infographic should do more than just look appealing or grab attention — it must also convince the viewer that the information is valuable. Before designing an infographic, ask yourself what you want your audience to remember. Go beyond just the visual appeal. Give people a reason to care. Get a second set of eyes to ensure the content is clear and easy-to-digest. Your infographic should tell a story.

Storytelling with Data

What can you assume about Throughliners from this infographic? Do you see a team of mostly adventurers whose instinct is to think big and deliver boldly? From just one data point, you can tell that Throughliners shoot beyond the moon to give clients the galaxy. That is the story our infographic is telling.

The best infographics don’t just present facts, they guide the audience through information. They build a narrative that makes information memorable. They are intentionally structured towards a set goal and are useful to an audience. Infographics are only as effective as the story behind the data. Without clarity, momentum or purpose, an infographic is no more engaging than a dense, overwhelming report.

Good infographics capture attention. Great infographics steer an audience on a journey.

To Sum Things Up

Infographics are not the only way to visualize data, but they are effective at simplifying confusing information, sharing data in a visually engaging format, enhancing retention and telling a stimulating story.

Find yourself curious about how we’ve used infographics in our work or what an arsenal of data visualization tools can do for you? Let us know. We promise to shoot beyond the moon.

‘Til next time,

The Throughline Team