What are Infographics
Syed Haris Hussain
Manager Marketing Pitch Deck Guru
Definition of Infographics
What are infographics? An arranged/compiled set of data or knowledge, whether available in print media (books, newspapers, magazines, etc.), published on a website, or any relevant social media platforms, that uses graphical projection to present information visually appealingly is called an infographic. Infographics definition can consist of many other topics we will discuss.
Types of Kinds (in brief)
The types of infographics are anonymous which may be statistical, social, general, political, educational, geographical, customer feedback, consumer behavior, market trends, or many other options that can be included in infographic examples nowadays.
What is data visualization?
Data visualization is a modern technique of data representation, which summarize tons of information in a light, cool, visually striking, understandable, and approachable infographic. Scrutinizing smaller sets of data for visualization process is easier, rather than presenting and explaining longer information slides.
History of Infographics
The basic history of graphical presentation is almost 200 years old, but the researchers of the current era believe that the current format of infographics was first used in its basic form in 1970. The journey of infographic evaluation gradually continued in the last 50 years. The designers and developers have contributed their share to this revolutionary form of data representation medium.
What is demographic
Demographic means an analytical research study of a population, based on specific factors such as age, sex, profession, income, spending and saving habits, marriages, relationships, behaviors, and reactions.
Companies dealing in consumer products use demographic population analysis to extract demographics of marketing for a specific product as per the interests of that population.
Moreover, demographics are being used to monitor the characteristics of the area-specific population such as towns, cities, states, and countries as well. For example, the demographic of USA, the demographic of Chicago, the demographic of Atlanta, etc.
What is the difference between demographics and infographics?
Demographic analyses are specific to the study of the human population according to their age, sex, habits, and choices while an infographic is a medium to represent any kind of data obtained for any purpose.
More precisely, demographics belong to the group of statistical data that refers to a certain group of people, while infographics are representations of any form of data making it easier to visualize and comprehensive to understand.
Which one is better, template or custom infographic?
Custom infographics have always an upper edge over infographic free template as custom designs are flexible to the need of the project while templates can be used only in a limited space of work. Custom infographics or designs give you the freedom of creativity and ideas to implement. However, it may depend upon the worth and value of the work which can finally decide whether to use pre-designed templates or there will be room for creative work
Benefits and Utilities
Although infographics are beneficial in so many ways, however in this blog we will focus on benefits as per their field of usage.
Can be a decisive factor
Infographics are playing the role of a decisive factor nowadays: Instead of pathetic long studies of content stories and statistical manuals, a few infographics can represent the whole data in a lesser time comprehensively.
Timeline Infographics
An infographic timeline represents the data about any subject with its various development phases in different time slots. These infographics are very helpful in the time management, planning, and implementation phases.
Historical Storyboard
Historical infographics are associated with history and can be of any concerning topic: legacies and cultures, customs and traditions, social and economic activities, creations and developments, marketing and sales, products and services.
Historical Infographics are produced for several purposes including measuring previous trends and forecasting better future planning and control.
Political Projection
Political infographics are related to the political history of any specific region of the world. This can be included a political timeline of different elected parties in different years, also political infographics can represent the political and electoral system practiced in that region during that time span.
Comparison Infographics
Infographic comparison is a quick and useful source to visualize comparative studies for two or more products, services, events, behaviors, influences, or time periods that are considered as opposed to each other. Comparative Infographics are helpful for the consumers to select the right products and services while it is helpful for the manufacturer or the marketer to introduce the new product with additional features to create favorable attraction.
Financial Infographics
Financial reporting can be of many types, but the most popular types are the timeline of ROI (return on investment), graphical analysis of sales against COGS (cost of goods sold), and charts of annual financial reports including profit and loss and assets vs liabilities.
Fundraising Utility
Fundraising infographics are one of the highly demanding in the modern business world. Such infographics are also an active and permanent part of investors’ pitch deck presentations.
Reflecting the current position and the worth of the business. A clear and understandable view of profitability and stronger equity returns can assure the desirable investment without any extra effort. This comprehensive information leads the startup to collect handsome seed funds or crowdfund investments as well.
Venture Capital (VC) Presentation
Venture capital is also a type of fundraising for startups. Visually precising risk-involved data is a typical task. However, infographics have made this as easier as a piece of cake. While searching for a strong venture capitalist, VC infographics are designed on profitability and the probability of business growth in the coming years. Investors, no matter whether individuals or financial institutions once make up their mind that the reward factor is higher than the risk involved, may agree to invest in the business accordingly.
Non-Profit Organizational Infographics
Non-Profit Organizations, need infographic services to represent their welfare projects and the utilization of donations they have called in the past. The non-profit firms have the same pattern of fundraising, but they usually focus on angel investor cum philanthropists, not interested in profit and equity but their concern is the right allocation of their funds.
Infographics designers have made this simple and easy, they prepare infographics for non-profit organizations as per their project activity, which represents the total funds received for that project along with its disbursement in the planned welfare activity. Sometimes visual support in form of reviews and thankful messages made the investors satisfy and encourage their willingness to donate more funds for future activities.
Financial Models Infographics
The financial model infographics reflect the initial business and financial plan for a new startup. This includes funds requirement, human resources to be hired, how products or services will be marketed, and how many funds will be allocated for administrative and overhead expenses.
Instead of market research and feasibility reports in which most of the investors didn’t want to waste their time. They are entertained with a perfectly designed soft-spoken infographic that represents all the necessary information they need in a self-explanatory and absorbent format.
Forecast Infographics
Forecasting is one of the basic elements for future planning and execution. The more you have accurate records of the previous history, the more you can plan a better future. The term forecasting applies not only to business and finance, but it encloses a large socioeconomic paradigm of the world.
Today forecasting infographics are the most popular type of infographic which portray the larger forecasting parameters in a simple graphical presentation. Data for a week, a month, a year, or sometimes for many years are compiled in a single-page infographic. The weather forecast infographic climate change infographic are common examples we experience many times in our day-to-day life. Other commonly used infographics are sales forecasting (based upon previous sale history), material forecast (based upon previous consumption history), financial forecast (based upon previous spending history)
Roadmap Infographic
Although, a roadmap infographic is a valuable part of an investor’s pitch deck, but it has an independent significance as well.
A roadmap infographic is a clear plan that determines how to start and what to offer in the initial stages of the business. How to grow the business in accordance with the timeline (timeframe) that can be divided into multiple phases with the same or different time intervals. Such timelines can be drawn in pie charts, single-line graphs, or any other required format.
Lifecycle Infographic
A lifecycle infographic belongs to the representation of a complete circle (from start to end) of life, whether it refers to a human being, a plant, or a tree, the time span of the solar system, life of a product or service or anything else fall within the definition of the lifecycle.
The lifecycle infographic presents the long and complicatedly expanded phases of life in just six to eight graphical designs and content points. Graphical points, designs, and styles may be different for the different types of lifecycles.
Flowchart Infographics
A flowchart is a diagram that projects workflow or work process in simple steps (one by one) towards the solution of a task.
An Infographic flowchart is commonly used to explain the expanded hierarchy of an organization (also known as an organogram). These infographics are commonly used in product or process info presentations.
Company Profile and Intro Graphics
Company profile-based infographics are those presented in the profile to identify the trade and nature of work the company or the organization is conducting, and how long the said organization is involved in the same business model. These infographics are usually smart and small, but their presence makes the profile stand out among many others prominently. Most design agencies provide company profile sample templates on their websites or sometimes in portfolios so the client can make up a mind for a suitable template according to his data requirements.
It is more important to understand that in the modern era of business, companies and their portfolios are commonly ranked with their profile reviews. An eye-catching preview of the company profile and infographic support is necessary to stay on top.
Organization Flow Charts
Organization flow infographics are very common, these graphics represent the flow of management and executives from top to bottom. Some organizations associate the workflow with the organizational flow so the designations and responsibilities flow together.
Map Infographics
The Infographic map is one of the most common categories. Maps can be of several types and can be used for multiple projection purposes. Sometimes map infographics are also used to present a comparative study of the same product in different parts of the world to monitor their demand and consumers’ social reaction towards that product.
Map infographics are easier to indicate customs, norms, trends, and habits of the people living in different parts of the world.
The classical skill of cartography is also connected to the latest technologies of infographics. Mapping the world is the strongest example of such a connection where the oldest geographical maps have been reproduced with creative designing technologies to enhance research and development work throughout the world.
Technology Trends Posters
Technology trends infographics belong to continuous research work happening in various parts of the world to monitor the current and upcoming developments in technology.
Moreover, these can also reflect the new emerging technologies and their adaption rate in the users. How comfortable do they feel with an upgraded software/application or any changes in hardware as well?
Blockchain Technology
Blockchain infographics are used to present the work structure and common flow of blockchain technology. These are designed to create awareness among new generations that how blockchain works and how a decentralized autonomous system ensures the security of your deposits.
The blockchain sector has built significant value in emerging generations that are interested in building their assets in digital currencies instead of classical fiat currencies.
NFT Infographics and Roadmaps
NFT roadmap infographics are used to determine the step-by-step timeline to set a clear example of marketing strategy implementation for a chain-based marketplace or some time for a coin-based community.
Whenever it comes to the business point of view it is better to understand that meetings, verbal and text communications cannot create a clear impact in the blockchain community. There is a need to express the roadmap in a clear and comprehensive pattern that is mind-making and convincing to the new impact generations.
NFT roadmap infographics are communicating that need accordingly. A single page or sometimes a small series of infographics produces the required results earlier than anything else.
Fintech Infographics
Financial technology aka Fintech has its own do’s and don’ts and it includes almost all the emerging and developed financial technologies. Starting from SMS and Internet Banking up to the latest mobile banking apps and digital wallets all charismatic changes are products of fintech development.
The design industry in total and infographics in specific contributed a lot to the fintech development. There are thousands of fintech infographics available on the search that reflect that the fintech industry has emerged with the help of the design and development industry.
Digital Graphs and Charts
Digital infographics are used to generate traffic through digital media and social networks. As one of the most active marketing and sales promotion tools, social media has its own users, viewers, and interactive communities. An appropriate digital infographic published on the relevant social media pages will not only increase the number of leads but also gradually improve your sales volume.
Product Management Presentation
Product management infographics are developed on a flow pattern that shows the different phases of a market product starting from product development, its need, justification, planning, pricing, marketing, branding guidelines, and finally it’s launching. These infographics are very helpful to communicate with the seed funding investors so they can visualize the whole scenario in a few diagrams. This is also very simple to idealize the timeline of the product in the context of its sales results.
Project Management Presentation
Project management infographics are mostly designed for project management teams. It is a complete timeline of a project with starting and finishing times of different project phases. Project managers present these infographics in their internal meetings so their teams can better understand the workflow and the target dates to prioritize their assigned tasks.
These infographics are also used in executive meetings to monitor the project performance, needs, and hurdles to complete it within the time frame.
HR and Jobs Search
HR infographics are most commonly inspirational and motivational in their nature. Recruiting teams express their deep concern to teach and train the newbies with the best available resources. Newly inducted recruits see company presentations where facilities, benefits, and evaluation procedures are highlighted gracefully.
Moreover, some outsourced recruiting agencies use HR research and development infographics to disclose hiring trends in different regions of the world, which are very helpful for job seekers to plan their careers in an evolving field with better earning opportunities.
Product Based Infographics
Product-based infographics are designed to present all the main features, qualities, and pricing with the comparison of other similar products, their market share, and the positive impact that this product has distinguished from the others.
Timeline sales performance and comparative study with other products can also be a part of product-based infographics.
Amazon Product Infographics
Although the amazon marketplace uses a large number and various varieties of infographics, however, amazon product infographics are one of the specific terms that are related to its sales accounts.
Most Amazon sellers with their amazon sales account always try to seek customers’ attention in a unique way. Keeping in mind that hundreds of sellers are selling the same articles, an infographic works as a marketing tool to highlight the hidden features of the product or to mark a discount price offer to take a different position among the rush of sellers.
“How to” Infographics
How to infographic design works like a user manual attached to a newly buy product or service. These graphical presentations are the next step of the planning process.
When you got a well-balanced and easy-to-execute plan your next thought will be how to do it? The “How to do” infographic is to fix the responsibilities in a new or ongoing project/task.
“How it Works” Infographics
How it works refers to the same content we have already discussed in the business model section. To make it easy we would like to say How it works is How a business model works?
Infographics that represent the business model from planning to execution and the final launching are part of how it works.
Product Features Infographic
Product features infographic bears the details of features and their pricing structure as per different subscription plans. In the case of IT products and services the product features fall under three major plans:
- Free Services (Beginners)
- Standard Plan (Professionals)
- Premium Plan (Corporate Teams)
These plan headers can be different as per different product plans.
UX-based Infographics
UX-based infographics are designed over a detailed data analysis of user experience with any product or service provided for their certain needs. User experience is considered the best criteria to decide a product’s success or failure.
Being a part of web designing UX-based infographics contains potentially stronger information as compared to other ordinary types of infographics
User Journey Infographics
User journey infographics are one of the most popular forms of infographics. Such infographics are relevantly simple and consist of a few natural steps that commonly any user can perform.
The customer starts his journey from an existing product or service to switch to some similar but updated product as soon as he discovers that the existing product is missing some required features.
He then searches for a similar product with the addition of his required features. After selecting some of the products he evaluates the best among them that suits his requirement and demand.
Then he decides to purchase that new product to replace the existing one.
Finally, he purchases the new product and experiences its new features.
Then he makes a post-purchase evaluation of the product.
User Persona
User persona infographics are an interesting type of infographic that is considered an influential type of user infographic.
A user persona or customer persona is a fictional character that is created as a customer of a new or existing product who shares his experience of using that product and its key features along its edge over all other similar products or services.
Today’s Ai world has an unavoidable impact of fictional characters over personal and group meetings to discuss marketing plans. That is why the user persona is considered the future of marketing agents.
Progression Infographics
Progression infographics are designed to explore the progress of a certain project. The project may be of any type or kind.
For example, if there is a business startup project the progression infographic will show the following or like the following stages:
Search – Idea – Analysis – Fundraising – Marketing – Launching
Although each of these topics has its separate details and analysis the progression infographic is to summarize all the phases into a pictorial timeline sheet.
Healthcare Ideas
Medical-based trending or healthcare infographics are referred to ongoing health situations of any specific region and sometimes non-specific worldwide pandemics like COVID-19
Medical awareness based on infographic health campaigns run throughout the world around the clock, so the significance of these infographics is universal.
We have seen in recent years when the global pandemic hit the world that these infographics have played a vital role in public awareness through social media and other mediums. This is the reason that many medical corporations have hired or outsourced the design work and allocated a special budget for this purpose.
Child Health Infographics
Global health institutions like WHO and UNICEF have a clear focus on child healthcare. They spend a large portion of their budgets to create and spread awareness about childhood diseases and their cure plans. The most active part of their plan now depends on social media campaigns.
Child healthcare infographics are playing a prominent role to support these awareness projects on all the social media pages including, official and non-official pages on the national level and internationally.
Coronavirus Infographics
Coronavirus Infographics are worldwide recognized and played a vital role during the pathetic pandemic tenure.
Details already mentioned in the healthcare infographic section
Weight Loss Brochures
The weight loss phenomenon is very common throughout the world. Especially in the current era, the increasing ratio of diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease has increased the importance of weight loss accordingly.
One can see many weight loss infographics in web search results, healthcare web pages, and weight loss applications. Common internet surfers and specific social media users view many weight loss infographics in a few hours daily.
A high-quality weight loss infographic can attract a willing client to purchase a weight loss plan or subscribe to an exercise project for the same purpose.
Keto Diet Plans
Keto diet infographics becomes very popular among health-conscious people all over the world. Keto is a natural diet plan to burn fats from the body to keep it energetic and active for long hours. This plan has now many users in almost every region.
It is considered that through social media activities and continuous posting of diet plan infographics such companies have an increasingly large number of potential customers.
Healthy Food Pyarmid
Healthy food infographics are popular among health-conscious populations around the globe. They are always found in search of hygienic and healthy meals to avoid health problems.
There are thousands of social media pages that are promoting these healthier food packages with acceptable proof of their results. Designers attached to the health and food industries have many projects at the same time to execute.
Healthy eating pyramid or food pyramid infographics got global popularity due to their unique acceptability among health instructors and users equally.
Resume Infographics
As all kinds of individual and collective presentations are going digital rapidly, that is why old and classical resume has also turned into visually engaging and attractive infographic.
Keeping in view the thorough shortlisting and segregation process in most HR departments single-page infographics for resume plays a technically sound role in the selection process.
Resume infographic templates are available on many free and paid sites as well as these pages provide many formats of cv for example online cv forms, and fill-in data forms. Candidates use these templates to create an impressive resume, especially for online job opportunities.
Chart-based Infographics
Chart-based infographics have made the reporting system easier, handier, and more presentable. Anyone from the MIS (management information system) can imagen the monthly, quarterly, and annual reports that were prepared with written contents charts and diagrams to explain the ongoing situations and planning. Now a simple and eye-catching chart sometimes multiple graphic charts merged into one 3D infographic has replaced the longer and value-deleting reporting activities.
Moodboard (Mood Board)
What is a moodboard infographic? Moodboard is a visual presentation of our thoughts, ideas, and concepts. It consists of many different articles like pieces of paper, multiple photos, and pictures or arranged forms of text.
In the classical age, the moodboard was prepared on canvas paint boards which are non-potable and time-consuming and used for any planning purpose.
The infographic revolution has made its way very easier to idealize, visualize, prepare and edit any kind of moodboard in a very shorter passage of time.
Mental-model Infographic
As mental models are a set of thoughts about anything happening that develops in our conscious or subconscious mind with the passage of time. One person can have different mental models about different subjects of life. Sometimes these models may change with some positive or negative experiences in life. The mental model is one of the common subjects that is discussed among personality groomers and motivational speakers.
Keeping in view the complications of the subject, Mental-model infographics are designed in a comprehensive and easy-to-understand manner that multiple situations can be concluded as an ocean in a drop.
Mind Map Infographics
The term mind map is used to represent the visual arrangement of information in an organized manner so the implementation steps may be visible one after another.
It is also a process of developing new themes with engaging relevant ideas.
Mind map infographics are designed to express the new workouts, emerging themes, and brand-new ideas. A new concept or theme even a new thought-provoking idea will remain locked inside the brain until it is discussed with someone having the skills to make it visualize for others. Infographics are the leading medium to convert an idea into an executable project.
Cognitive Bias Codex
Cognitive bias codex was a long-time undiagnosed human error that becomes a part of human nature; therefore, it doesn’t feel like the person who is committing that error. It is the connection of positive or negative biasedness that develops and grows with time and association.
As the designers’ contribution is serving all the other likewise human issues, the cognitive bias codex is also best explored and recognized by the large communities of the world after it was visualized in understandable and engaging infographics. Due to their multidimensional expression nature infographics can handle many biases codex in on diagram.
The study of bias codex is developing and due to its versatility and variety in its types and kinds, one cannot define the limits or any ending points soon. Therefore, there will be a vast field of designing infographics in this specific field in the coming years.
Steps and Keys Infographics
Steps and Keys is the sequence order to do something symmetrically to achieve the best-targeted results. These steps and keys may be sections of a work plan, a timeline, or maybe some stairs to complete one phase and enter to another.
These infographics can be used to reflect an organized and formal way to achieve a certain target in its true letter and spirit.
PowerPoint Infographics
PowerPoint infographics templates are the most searchable infographics on the web. These infographics can be divided into two main categories. Newly designed customized infographic and Ready of use templates.
There are tons of thousands of templates available on different free and paid websites and these are very popular among short-term designing activities and newbies in the freelancing field. But remember to use a readymade template PowerPoint timeline or design structure must be flexible to adapt changes and replace content.
However, the real and original experience of an infographic is hidden inside the creative mind of a genuine designer. A creative infographic has the quality to paint the client’s idea on a blank canvas. Commercially produced templates can never be a replacement for creative and thought-provoking work.
Social Media Infographics
Infographics for social media have no need to be defined and further elaborate as these are acting as the backbone of the entire social media stories and trends.
Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn, and many other likewise social media pages and applications could never have a visual attraction without infographics in their informative and subjective posts. Any sort of posting, status updating, news, views, blogs, and articles can never create a long-lasting impression unless it is represented with an eye-catching infographic. In simpler words nowadays infographics have an influential impact on social media campaigning. An attractively visualized infographic has the potential to convert an ordinary news/post into a trending story.
Pathway Infographics
Pathway infographics are similar to timeline infographics, however, some types of pathway infographics ideas made them a bit different from the timeline. Usually, the pathway is a format that describes the several steps of a work plan with their expected ranges of time and the work completion. Or sometimes pathway reveals a series of works with their starting and ending time limits or brackets. The public and private sectors are commonly using such infographics to publish their current project progress and future plans as well.
Minimal Infographics
Minimal infographics are simple, to the point, and productive. These are less detailed but with very few points, colors, and visual effects their quality is expressive and impressive in presenting the information.
A4/A3 Size Infographics
A4/A3 or legal-size infographics are used where printed formats of documents are necessarily required. Book format, presentable charts format, or submittable file documents are the fields of interest. However, it also needs to know that formatting and resizing of infographics is not an issue nowadays.
Poster Infographics
An infographic is a combination of data whether quantitative or qualitative and a story that visualizes the application of that data, while a poster covers the story that can be with or without any specific statistical data.
So, a poster infographic includes both the story and the data, but its story side is more influential than its data side. There is a large number of template for poster design available in professional designing websites and applications.
Website Infographics
Infographics use in different websites to describe the main motive of the website along with its planning and visitor interests are named website infographics.
Today even a single page of a popular website depends upon an informative, eye-catching, and smoothly designed infographic.
Closing Words
In the end, we humbly state that the types and kinds of infographics are uncountable, and it is impossible to cover all of them in a single blog post. However, we have tried to make our sincere contribution to compiling the types of infographics commonly used in the design world. And we hope this will be appreciated and will be a resourceful asset for designers, researchers, and content writers.
