When you want your audience to pay attention to the data because that’s where the story is, use information graphics or infographics. I’ve been on the creative side of advertising for over 30 years and I thought infographics was a term we used to call charts and graphs. However infographics deserves its upgraded title. Infographics does a better job of increasing the cognition of data and thought. When people surf the web, they are on information overload and become grazers of content. Infographics present data as ideas that can quickly be understood. Infographics are about the connections we are trying to make in our brain between what we read and what our mind is imagining.
Research proves that when data is visualized in an infographic, it’s easily more digestible. For example 40% of people will respond better to visual information than plain text. Think back to the last time you examined Excel spreadsheets and Word documents. It took time to read through a bunch of data and then visualize it in your mind. 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, and visuals are processed 60,000X faster in the brain than text. (Sources: 3M Corporation and Zabisco).
The following infographic was done for our client, City of Pasadena, Department of Transportation. Green Street was tasked with evaluating a transit system emerging from its current brand.
The City Transit Staff had partnered with Art Center College of Design to develop a new identity. Green Street was tasked with establish focus groups, analyzing findings to help guide the City Transit Staff in their decision making about what direction to go in. The City got it quickly, and is now able to move forward.
To create an infographic, think of telling the true story the data represents. Keep the story simple. Then share it online or in presentations. Infographics are easy to read, understand and capture the viewer’s interest. To get started you can go the DIY method, use an in-house designer, hire an outside designer, or partner with an art student. Add value to your business, with your logo discreetly represented on the infographic, it’s a branding opportunity that could go viral.
