Introduction to Infographics - What is an Infographic and How to Create One

Aug 30, 2026

Upload by Hazel

Introduction to Infographics explains what an infographic is by linking information with graphics and highlighting how visual processing makes data visualisations effective for communicating complex messages. It outlines infographic best practice, the anatomy of an infographic, and common types such as charts, lists, timelines, flowcharts, comparisons, maps, hierarchies, and visualised numbers. It also covers the creation process and digital tools for building infographics, with practical examples.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatDOCX

Pages1

AccessFree to download

Introduction

What is an Infographic?

Infographic Best Practice

The Anatomy of an Infographic

Types of Infographics

Creating Infographics: The Process

Digital Tools for Creating Infographics

Summary

References

Introduction to Infographics Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u HYPERLINK \l "_Toc140845375" Introduction to Infographics PAGEREF _Toc140845375 \h 1 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc140845376" Contents PAGEREF _Toc140845376 \h 1 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc140845377" Introduction PAGEREF _Toc140845377 \h 2 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc140845378" What is an Infographic? PAGEREF _Toc140845378 \h 2 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc140845379" Infographic Best Practice PAGEREF _Toc140845379 \h 2 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc140845380" The Anatomy of an Infographic PAGEREF _Toc140845380 \h 3 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc140845381" Types of Infographics PAGEREF _Toc140845381 \h 4 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc140845382" Chart: to present statistics, facts and figures PAGEREF _Toc140845382 \h 4 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc140845383" List: with a focus on text PAGEREF _Toc140845383 \h 6 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc140845384" Timeline: to present development over a period PAGEREF _Toc140845384 \h 9 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc140845385" Flowchart: to explain stages of a process PAGEREF _Toc140845385 \h 11 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc140845386" Comparison: to contrast and compare data PAGEREF _Toc140845386 \h 13 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc140845387" Location: maps with colour coded areas PAGEREF _Toc140845387 \h 15 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc140845388" Hierarchical: to present data according to levels PAGEREF _Toc140845388 \h 17 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc140845389" Visualised numbers: to add visual interest to numbers PAGEREF _Toc140845389 \h 19 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc140845390" Creating Infographics: The Process PAGEREF _Toc140845390 \h 21 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc140845391" Digital Tools for Creating Infographics PAGEREF _Toc140845391 \h 21 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc140845392" Visme PAGEREF _Toc140845392 \h 21 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc140845393" Piktochart PAGEREF _Toc140845393 \h 21 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc140845394" Summary PAGEREF _Toc140845394 \h 22 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc140845395" References PAGEREF _Toc140845395 \h 22 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc140845396" Full URLs PAGEREF _Toc140845396 \h 22 Introduction By the end of this tutorial you will be able to: Define the term infographic. Understand different types of infographics. Create an effective infographic using a digital tool. HYPERLINK \l "_Contents" \o "Back to contents" Back to contents What is an Infographic? Information + Graphics = Infographics. “A visual representation of information or data, for example as a chart or diagram: a good infographic is worth a thousand words.” (Oxford Dictionary of English, 2015) The human brain is very well adapted to processing visual information. This makes data visualisations and infographics very powerful tools for communicating lots of information in an easily digestible format. You don’t need to be a graphic designer or an artist to make effective infographics - there are lots of free online tools available to help you. HYPERLINK \l "_Contents" \o "Back to contents" Back to contents Infographic Best Practice The mark of a good infographic is its effectiveness in communicating a message concisely and quickly. HYPERLINK "http://davidmccandless.com/" \o "David McCandless information" David McCandless (2010) – data journalist and information designer - describes this as “knowledge compression”. See his website: HYPERLINK "https://informationisbeautiful.net/" \o "Information is beautiful" Information is beautiful. Watch his TED talk: HYPERLINK "https://www.ted.com/talks/david_mccandless_the_beauty_of_data_visualization?language=en&utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare" \o "The beauty of data visualization" The beauty of data visualization. Read his book (2009) HYPERLINK "https://find.shef.ac.uk/permalink/f/15enftp/44SFD_ALMA_DS21203368840001441" \o "Information is beautiful (StarPlus)" Information is beautiful. HYPERLINK \l "_Contents" \o "Back to contents" Back to contents The Anatomy of an Inf

FAQs

What is an infographic and why is it useful?

An infographic is a visual representation of information or data, such as a chart or diagram. It helps communicate lots of information quickly and in an easily digestible format.

What does infographic best practice focus on?

A good infographic focuses on effectively communicating a message concisely and quickly. It emphasizes clear, accurate, well-researched data and a design that supports the key message.

What types of infographics are covered in this tutorial?

The tutorial covers charts, lists, timelines, flowcharts, comparisons, location maps, hierarchical structures, and visualised numbers, each suited to different kinds of information.

Aug 30, 2026

Upload by Hazel