Olympic Games Infographic of the Week: 5 Secrets of Stellar Infographics for Marketers
By Gauri Sharma, CEO, Lab42
The newspaper industry has understood the power of graphics for years: Studies show that readers are drawn first to photographs, headlines and captions. With 65% of people being visual learners, it’s not surprising that graphics help us digest and remember information more easily than text.
Infographics get to the heart of what you need to communicate in a way that words alone cannot, and we’re able to create our own compelling infographics that go far beyond boring pie charts or stock photos.
Take our most recent Lab42 infographic, based on our respondents’ knowledge of the Olympics games. Although there was a lot of fascinating data to share, we narrowed it down to the key insights. The headline, “Let the Games Begin,” is playful and inviting, as are the colors. The font and text is consistent, which creates a fluid movement and keeps the eye moving instead of causing confusion. It ends with a great call to action.
So the next time you’re sitting on some fascinating information, but you don’t know what to do with it, consider beautifying your data with an infographic. Here are the five key points we consider when creating our own:
1. NO INSIGHTS, NO INFOGRAPHIC.
You have to lay a strong foundation for your infographic with unique, accurate, and timely information that people want and need to know. It doesn’t matter how visually stunning an infographic is—if the information isn’t meaningful, people won’t give it a second thought.
2. LESS IS MORE.
Whittle down your information to one or two key insights that lead your story. In total, we aim for 10 to 15 insights. Any more than that, and people get information overload and lose sight of the main points.
3. HAVE A CLEAR, STRONG STORYLINE.
People should see and understand the overall message quickly and more easily than with text or other visual aids. Concentrate first on creating this strong message with your insights; then back it up with visuals that support your story and a layout that is fluid, dynamic and easily understood.
4. MAKE IT UNIQUE.
You want your infographic to be visually stunning but not overdone or confusing. At Lab42, we focus on presenting the information in a way that is relevant for a given industry, but unique enough that anyone would want to share it.
5. CALL TO ACTION.
Speaking of sharing, the highest compliment is when people share your infographic via social media, email, etc. or have the desire to learn more afterward. In many cases, it’s important to include some type of “call to action”. As long as it’s not too gimmicky, you can include an exclusive download code or a link to a website where they can learn more.
Here’s a look at our “Let the Games Begin” infographic below (you can also see it broken into smaller pieces on Pinterest here).
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About the author: Global thinker and visionary, Gauri Sharma brings years of marketing, strategy, and client services experience to the table as the driving force for new business and innovation at Lab42. Under Sharma’s leadership, Lab42 has taken market research into a new era, where quality information is affordable and presentation-ready for companies of all sizes within days – something unheard of with traditional market research firms. Lab42 is a next generation market research firm that creates and fields surveys among social media users, customizes compelling infographics, and compiles insightful research that helps businesses unclutter and prioritize goals. Lab42 provides quality, accurate results with quick turnaround for small businesses and Fortune 500 companies alike. For more information visit www.lab42.com
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