Page 5 Infographics Continued

Effective Infographics

Effective and Ineffective Visually Represented Information

When designing or choosing visual information to supplement written work or when considering infographics, be very aware of the needs of readers.  The average online viewer gives a piece of media only three seconds to engage his or her interest before moving on. The use of too many visuals can hinder understanding and cause viewers to disengage from the graphic altogether. 

EFFECTIVE Traits of an Infographic	INEFFECTIVE Traits of an Infographic
contains a descriptive accurate title	title missing or irrelevant
highlights interesting information	information or statistics inaccurate or unreliable
presents relevant information that contributes directly to purpose of graphic	contains insufficient data
focuses on a valuable topic	does not represent the significance of the issue
is original and inventive	lacks originality in design, intent, and information
presents information simply and visually pleasing	uses layout that is messy or difficult to navigate or read
represents information creatively	presents too much information
uses a clean, good quality design	possesses distractors, such as advertisements or self-promotion
is of appropriate length	does not include the name of the creator
uses the best data possible	does not cite sources or does not cite sources accurately
is not self-promotional
incorporates name or brand of creator
gives clear and obvious visual goals for the viewer to see and learn
cites accurately all data used (where it was found/obtained)

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View “The Olympics: An Animated History of Snowboarding.” Notice this infographic cartoon is arranged similar to an essay. 1) It provides the viewer with an impression of what the text is going to present or argue. 2) It provides key ideas and supports key ideas with visual data, anecdotes, examples, and various details.