4 Simple Infographic Tips to Get Your Audience Hooked in Seconds
4 Simple Infographic tips

4 Simple Infographic tips

Infographics are everywhere. In fact, they are so ubiquitous, we hardly realize how useful they can be.  Calorie charts and cooking instructions on food packaging? Yes, those are infographics.

How about the metro map you pull up on your phone to get around the city? That’s one of the most classic examples of an infographic! That chart sitting in your Pinterest feed showing you twenty different ways to pair scarves with your outfits is an infographic too.

To clearly define what it is: an infographic is a catchy visual representation of data that uses drawings, color, lettering and graphic symbols to pack data equivalent to several pages of text into a single image. It is information delivered in graphic form. Info + Graphic. Simple, really.

We all love infographics and with good reason. Yet, not every infographic actually succeeds in achieving what it sets out to do. There are good ones and then there are great ones. What makes an infographic really effective? To understand this, we need to first appreciate what they are meant to do.

What Do Infographics Do?

Remember how you were always told that an image speaks a thousand words? That’s what an infographic must do, but even better.

The function of an infographic is to quickly and succinctly communicate information through visual representation. This approach not only saves space but actually helps viewers retain the information better.

And sometimes visual representation offers the most efficient way to organize and store information in an easily accessible and manageable way. Think family trees going back several generations. Now try imagining them in the form of descriptive text. Which would you prefer? The tree captures complex relationships between people in ways that no prose can.

Let’s take another example. When you see a simple line drawing of a cake of ramen noodles (represented by a few squiggly lines densely clustered together) cooking in water (more squiggles) with a few thin vertical squiggles above it (indicating steam), this instantly tells you that the water should be boiling. It gives you a sense of the ratio of water to noodles and tells you how big the utensil should be. All this information is packed into one square centimeter of

All this information is packed into one square centimeter of area on the package and even takes up lesser ink to print than a few lines of text would. It is elegant, simple and, most importantly, effective. Also, who wants to spend time squinting at minuscule text when an image works even better? Even somebody who is not literate or who does not know that language can instantly understand how to cook their ramen. Text simply cannot compete!

But wait, we are not talking about a battle between text and image. In fact, a good infographic must contain the ideal balance of both elements. Then there are dont’s of infographic design; for example, it shouldn’t be all color, pattern and caricature with no actual content. Of course, we are always drawn to those that catch our eye, but which ones really remain with us? The ones that prove themselves useful and meaningful, of course!

Simple Infographic Tips for Effective Results

It takes creativity and experience to learn how to create a good infographic. If you are looking for infographics for your website or blog, you could always hire a professional graphic design company to create them for you. Alternatively, if you are attempting to create some of your own, here are some infographic tips to bear in mind for a stellar result:

Accuracy
When designers set out to create infographics, they are faced with one big challenge. How do I summarise this data without oversimplifying it, or worse, making the graphic completely inaccurate?

Granted, one will have to do away with a good bit of detail, but the best infographics are those that deliver accuracy in a form that is easy to digest. This demands a sensitive understanding of who your viewers are going to be and what they are looking for. Get your data from trustworthy sources. You will need to study the source material carefully to be able to sift out the essential bits from the fluff.

How will your infographic reach its audience?
Does it form part of a talk or presentation where it will be explained out aloud by a speaker? In that case, it may need some text but not much.

On the other hand, if it’s going into an instruction manual accompanying a children’s game set, images will have to be large, bold, attractive and as expressive and self-explanatory as possible without text. This is why context and an understanding of the audience matters above all.

Think of yourself as a curator leading viewers around an exhibit.
Where would you like them to begin and what path should they take? The best infographics always have a clear overarching concept that draws all the content together tightly and dictates how the design should look.

For instance, if you are telling a story, you may opt for a linear format or a comic-book panel format. A recipe for ramen is really a story about how to cook. You begin at the top or the left.

On the other hand, if you are representing the results of a sociological study about how different age groups spend their money, you may have multiple stories radiating from a central point because there is no clear beginning or end. Each story stands for itself but also makes sense when it comes together as a whole in whatever random order.

New media, new directions.
Digital infographics are all the rage nowadays. But why limit yourself to 2D images that give up all their content upon first glance?

You could offer an interactive multi-level infographic that allows the viewer to decide what depth of information they are looking for. Incorporate 3D renders, gifs, hyperlinks, mouseovers or even scrolling designs into your infographic to make it playful, detailed and intense. A fantastic example is the zoomable Tree of Life created by Imperial College London to represent the incredibly complex timeline of species evolution.

At the end of the day, a successful infographic is one that stays with the viewer and sparks off conversations and discussions. It should be able to make information relatable and easy to understand without losing out on precision. At the same time, it must have heart. This is where your understanding of the audience comes in. The ability to make that connection is what sets the great ones apart from the rest.

About the author;

Meenakshi is the co-founder of Hashtag17, a company that provides solutions for designing, developing, SEO, branding, and managing websites for optimum conversions and high user satisfaction levels.  

5 Tips to Launch a Successful Startup from Shark Tank Experts
Shark Tank Formula for Startup Success

ABC’s Shark Tank has inspired an entire new generation of entrepreneurs to get out in the world and follow their dreams and launch a successful startup of their own. But just like in the tank, not every startup will experience success. In fact, the reality is that about nine out of ten startups will fail, and 50% of new businesses don’t make it past the four-year mark.  Why do so many startups suffer this fate? Here are some of the most common reasons:

Bad Financial Planning

Money is tight in the early stages of a business, so if you don’t watch your spending, it could be the end for your startup. For example, don’t hire more people until you absolutely need to, instead, take on more roles yourself.

Yes, this means you will be working more hours, but that’s the life of an entrepreneur. If you have to go on business trips, don’t fly first class until you can afford it. In the beginning, you have to be mindful of how you spend every penny, otherwise it could mean the end for your startup.

Lack of Passion

Being an entrepreneur is a 24/7 job, so you have to be passionate about what you do in order to succeed. If you don’t believe in your product, you won’t be able to get others to believe in it either, so you should never get involved with a company unless you want to live and breathe it. If you don’t have this mindset, you won’t be able to turn your startup into a well-established, successful company or launch a successful startup in the first place.

Unable to Secure Investors

Most startups rely on the help of investors in order to make it through the first few months or years, but when they can’t nail down an investor, the business collapses.

If you’re having trouble finding an investor, tap into your network on social media or search for pitching competitions or funding opportunities in your community. Before you go in front of investors, role play with a friend so you can practice your negotiation skills. Remember, you usually only get one shot at this, so make it count.

Problems With the Market

Some companies release products or services without doing research to see if there is a high demand for them in the market. Even if the product is innovative, affordable, and well-made, if there’s not enough demand for it, it won’t succeed on the market. To avoid running into this problem, startups must do market research prior to launching their products or services.

How to Launch a Successful Startup According to the Shark Tank Experts

Now that you know why so many startups fail, take a look at this infographic to learn more about achieving success with startup tips from Shark Tank:

How to launch a successful startup infographic

4 Inspirational Infographics to Help Start Your Business
Infographics to Start a Business

If you have dreams of starting with a simple notion and turning it into a billion-dollar industry in under a year, chances are you’re getting a little ahead of yourself. But, you don’t need deep pockets or a fancy set-up to start a business. You can begin with nothing more than a great idea and a little support from like-minded individuals. And if you’re looking for some inspiration or motivation then just have a look at these 4 info-graphics.

No Money, No Problem

The first thing entrepreneurs often think they need a ton of right out of the gate is money. Marketing and SEO are two of the most expensive aspects of starting a business, but the advent of email marketing and the use of social media for brand-building have helped businesses reach a wide target audience without spending much and have influenced purchasing decisions.

On top of this, there’s a whole host of SEO tips and tricks available to business owners that can get their websites noticed and give them credibility.

According to this Forbes article Appster began with an initial investment of $3000, and Carol Craig of Craig Technologies started with $150 and is pulling in nearly $45 million a year today.

If you don’t have a hefty life saving lying around, there’s more than one way to gain moderate amounts of capital without generating business revenue first, which is good news, because according to below infographic by QuickBooks, 64% of businesses start with an initial investment of $10,000 or less:

Business that started wit less than $10000

Business that started with less than $10000

You Don’t Need a Huge Office to Get Started

Google, Apple, HP, and Amazon all started in a garage, and Craig Newmark of Craigslist worked out of his living room for the first five years.

Having access to a fancy office building may seem necessary, but a space to work is really the only crucial part. You may be going after customers that you need to impress, but waiting until you have enough money to acquire an impressive home base is not the way to get them.

No matter what service you’re providing or what product you’re selling, you can start with little more than a single room. Some of the biggest names began in unconventional places, as this Washington State University infographic illustrates:

No Time? How about 30 hours per week?

The third thing most people don’t think they have enough of is time. While there’s no way to launch a successful business without a substantial time commitment for the first several years, it’s not necessary to quit working altogether and sink everything into a business.

It’s possible to start planning, developing, and implementing in your spare time and then save the satisfying show of saying goodbye to your boss for good for when your business is stable. Rest assured, if you have passion and determination, you have the time:

How to find time to start a business

Isn’t 30 hours per week enough to pursue your dreams?

It’s Now or Never

No matter your perceived limitations, there are steps you can take to get your dream off the ground right now. The last thing to consider is this infographic, which describes the anatomy of a successful entrepreneur, and says nothing about money, space, or time:

A typical journey of an entrepreneur

An Anatomy of an entrepreneur

Are You Going to Start a Business This Year?

We sincerely hope these info-graphics will help you to start a business. With crowdfunding, shares spaces, co-working spaces and many other facilities it’s now easier than ever to start a business so you have absolutely no excuse not to pursue your dreams.

And finally keep in mind that ideas are cheap, its the execution that matter.

How to Make Resolutions That Actually Work

When you want a change or to deviate something in your life that is not beneficial anymore, you practice what’s best for you by creating resolutions. A resolution is a firm decision to do or not to do something. But is it easy to make resolutions that actually work? This infographic tells you how to make resolution that actually work for the best.

how to make a solid resolution

How to Make Resolutions That Actually Work