5 Infographic Design Principles for Data Visualization 

An infographic is a visual design that simplifies complex things with the help of charts, diagrams, tables, and graphs. The main objective of data visualization is to help the audience understand the date and subject in a more accessible and understandable way. Turning data-heavy content into readable visual context is a challenging task.

Here are some infographic principles one must keep in mind while making an infographic for data visualization: 

1. Organize the data 

The first step to creating an engaging infographic is to simplify all the data you have in hand. The audience must understand what you are trying to deliver in just one glance. You must clutter your data visualization by portraying all the rich content in just one slide. This will make it easy for your audience to navigate the content you are trying to display. Bread the range down categorically. Then, structure the data with bite-sized content. Ignore the insignificant information and limit your infographic to essential details. 

2. Create categories 

Every designer must keep in mind that there are three categories or layers an infographic must have:

●  “Must see”

●  “Should see”

●  “Can see”

The first category is the most important, where you add all the necessary details that can’t be missed. They are vital for your company. The second category is something that adds the data along with your perspective. It’s your perspective regarding the data. The third layer is what gives your infographic weightage. This last one will tie all the loose ends together.

3. Select the format 

Once you have decided how many categories you want to add and how you will structure your visuals, select the infographics format. Chart, Venn diagrams, or graphs? Along with the visuals being data-rich, they must also be visually appealing to the audience. If you have a lot of words to insert into your visuals, opt for tables. If you want to wrap it up with just numbers and avoid heavy usage of texts, then you go for charts and pies.

4. Use colors to highlight different categories

 If your data contains different categories and headings, using different colors to highlight additional details is best. All the differences can’t be in the same color because the audience won’t be able to grasp them quickly. Select the right fonts and font size, and use colors that contrast and position them at a good angle. Your data has to be both informational, insightful, and graceful. 

5. Build comparisons

One of the main reasons why you display a visual is to highlight comparisons with a lot of data. Your data needs to be compared engagingly. Bring all the information together and present them together. Avoid the excess information, stick to those that matter, and leave out the junk.

Conclusion 

To sum up, when designing effective infographics for data visualization, there are several key principles to keep in mind. By keeping these principles in mind, you can create infographics that effectively communicate your data and engage your audience. Your goal is to communicate the data through visuals. 

Your audience shouldn’t need to go through the abundant data to understand your infographic; it should be the other way around. You should be able to portray the data in your visuals so that the audience can understand everything by just looking at the picture. 

Taking a course in data visualization from Education Nest can help in providing you effective learning.