Infographics help your organization cut through the deluge of text people are exposed to every single day (from news headlines to updates in their Facebook feeds). People who might not have read a report may pore over an infographic, because these visual representations of information or data are easier to digest than straight graphs and descriptions. To get started with infographics, think about intention, distribution, and which tools to use.
Intention: What is your infographic trying to achieve? It's important to use visuals and text that support, rather than detract, from this central intention. Are you trying to draw attention to a disparity? To inform people about improvements that have been made because of the work of your organization? To evoke an audience's emotional response to a specific issue? Setting an intention before you begin work on the infographic is important, as it will affect everything from placement of text and statistics to the choice of colors. If you scroll to the bottom of Classy.org's "10 Non-Profit Infographics to Inspire and Inform," you'll see Amnesty International's infographic on solitary confinement in prison. The colors and font, in conjunction with the information, work well to evoke bleakness and isolation--all part of the infographic's purpose to make a reader question the humanity and efficacy of American incarceration practices.
Distribution: Will the infographic be shared as an image on social media? An attachment in a monthly newsletter email? Will it only be available on your organization's website? Who will the audience be? This affects whether you download the infographic as a JPEG or a PDF, how much information the infographic contains, and even
Tools to use: Below are three websites that allow users to make infographics for free (although being a non-paying user means some restrictions, with more options unlocked with premium subscriptions). There are many more websites for infographics out there, but these three had relatively simple user interfaces and an aesthetically pleasing selection of templates.
1. Canva
2. PiktoChart
3. Easel.ly
If you have someone on your team with a design background, you might want to consider using more complex tools. (Check out this Quora thread for more information.)
Infographics to look at for inspiration:
NGO Storytelling's Infographics About International Development Issues
GOOD's Infographics
10 Non-Profit Infographics to Inspire and Inform
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