Play, have fun

Information design is a serious communication discipline that requires both analytical, journalistic and statistic skillsets. But in the creative process, it is crucial to experiment and have fun in order to achieve remarkable and brilliant conceptual work. Genius ideas will only come if you truly manage to set creativity free. So go play, have fun.

Avoid information overload

So much to say, so little space? For fear of leaving out important information, you run the risk of cramping too much information into too little space.

But the risk is that the more you add, the more difficult it will be for your audience to digest and to remember your key message. Trust that your main story is good enough and be critical as soon as your infographic starts to overload. Don’t hide your key message in a haystack!

You are not looking close enough

In information design, the devil is in the detail. Small inaccuracies might make your designs completely misleading and impossible to decode. Have a closer look at your work. Your icons might be inaccurate, the scale of the graph misleading or the text might not match the visual. All details matter when you want to communicate clearly, effectively and convincingly. So have a closer look, be critical, adjust and refine.

Nothing is for everyone

All communication has a target group, a specific audience. When working with information design, knowledge about your audience should inform the decisions you make regarding style, tone of voice, etc. Avoid trying to  communicate to everyone - that’s impossible. The better you know your target audience, the better you will be able to communicate.

Use and exploit your basic visual toolbox

Data visualization is all about converting data into meaningful and effective visual representations. In order to do so, you need to become familiar with your toolbox of visual assets like size, color, direction, etc. Don’t use all at once but choose and experiment to find the most effective for the task.

Avoid chartjunk

Chartjunk refers to visual elements in charts that are redundant in conveying information or even distracting to the viewer, making the chart more difficult to understand.

There is a fine line between when visual elements are helpful and beneficial and when they turn into chartjunk. Visual elements should always support the story and communication rather than disturb the message.

Show what you say. Say what you show.

In information design, text and visuals are intertwined. The message should support the visual. The visual should support the message. This advice seems basic, but infographics often seem to fail in this regard. So ask yourself: Are your visuals and copy in sync and complementing each other?

Think less. Sketch more.

The fastest way to test your idea is to sketch it. Test and qualify your ideas by visualizing them in rough sketches. Without a concrete idea on paper, it is often impossible to qualify the idea or make any decisions about it. Stop overthinking and think while you sketch.

Leave out superfluous information

Data visualizations are often more complex than they need to be: A way to detailed axis, fine meshed grid lines that are unnecessary or additional technical details that just blur the core message. The more superfluous information you include, the harder it is to decode the information and the key message. Leave out all superfluous information and include only the information necessary or helpful for comprehension.

Use common data visualizations for common understanding

Information designers sometimes tend to favor more exotic and artistic data viz types. Though this can be inspiring and useful, it is important to be aware of the readability and function of the chart types. Basic data visualizations like a bar chart or a line graph work because everyone knows how to read them. Choose the data viz type that conveys the message the best and the one that your audience will understand.