Before you sign up for a free infographic creator online and start to create infographics left and right, you should stop to consider what really makes up a good one. Or what makes a bad one.
All too often people create infographics for no reason, with no real design or structure in mind. Not only that, but there does not seem to be any real editing process going on to create infographics. Instead of falling into this category of amateurs and unprofessionals, read some of the most common worst-practices, and learn from their mistakes.
1. Spell Check. Twice.
I look at a lot of infographics at my job. I could not tell you how many I have perused in my time. But I can tell you the number one, most common mistake is the fact that people do not edit their works for spelling errors prior to publishing. It is the easiest thing to do, yet way too common a mistake.
What kind of credibility can a professional or a company hope to gain from publishing an infographic if they cannot manage to edit out the misspellings? It is a simple process. And if you are too lazy to do it, then you will get just the amount of respect you deserve. None.
2. Bite Sized Information
Infographics are supposed to be convenient delivery systems for little nuggets of data. It should all be themed around one topic, all imparting a sentence or less of information, broken up into little bits all over the infographic.
That being said, it is rather odd to see what is labeled as an infographic that is just two paragraphs of text, copy-and-pasted into the body of the piece, with various, relating pictures floating around it. This is not an infographic, it is an essay with doodles. You want the viewer to actually read the piece. Giving them pictures with tiny morsels of info tucked inside is the way to do it.
3. Picture Size Is Important
Just like with the block of text, there are some pieces out there that are just a single picture with little snippets of fact floating around inside. The key to visual success of an infographic is a perfect balance between a flowing background, and the separate, little visuals representing each fact. When they tie together is when it is most successful. Anything that does not meld so smoothly will result in a sub-par infographic at best.
Learn from these mistakes. Do not find yourself picking up these habits because it is quicker and easier. Be sure to stop, edit, and adjust your infographic if you need to, before publishing it. As soon as its little feet touch the internet, it will be off and running, and you will never be able to take it back.