Tips for Designing an Infographic

 

An infographic is a visual representation of data or information in a simple and creative way that helps others to easily understand complex or confusing stats or information. Therefore, they should communicate the information through visuals with little text.

To design or create your infographic, you can use an online resource such as Piktochart, which helps to create fancy information visualizations. You can also use PowerPoint, Canva, Adobe Photoshop, or Adobe Illustrator. It depends on your experience and how much time you are willing to spend on your infographic. Online software such as Piktochart and Canva has templates that you can modify and are easier to use. For other software such as  Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator, you would have to create it from scratch unless you download a free template online.

Your infographic will be geared towards your future audience of either your students, clients, customers, or your colleagues. It will be based on one of the following Cybersecurity topics:

1. Online Scams 
2. Malware
3. Phishing
4. Secure Passwords
5. Privacy
6. Data Breaches
7. Safe Computing
8. Mobile Protection

For any of the above topics you choose you must inform your audience how to protect themselves from these cyber threats. You also have the freedom to tackle another cybersecurity topic.

When creating your infographic:

1. The first thing you need to do before working on your infographic is to gather your information on the topic and put the information in a Word document.
2. Secondly, look at online templates. There are a plethora of templates or examples online. You can look at the templates on Piktochart or Canva to get an idea of how the information will be displayed. If you are using PowerPoint or Adobe, you can use Google to help you think of a layout by doing a quick search. Here is a video on40 Best Infographic Designs to Jumpstart Your Creativity. (Links to an external site.)
   
3. Once you've decided on your infographic's outline or template, start looking for images you want to include. Free websites such as Pixabay, Pexel, and others have free graphics. Remember that your images should complement or be based on your information. 
4. When creating your infographic, keep in mind the design layout, color scheme, and overall visual impact your infographic has. They should all complement each other instead of being disjointed.
5. Use a color palette with complementary colors. Some templates have a color scheme that you can use but you can edit it and use your discretion as to what is best for your intended audience.
6. Keep the clutter at bay. The infographic should have adequate spacing throughout and keep it uniform. Keep the text very minimal and remove any access graphics or information that does not help in communicating your message.
7. Reference or cite your data. Your sources deserve the credit and make sure you are using credible information or data.

Your infographic should creatively relay the information. It should be easy to read and understand and it should be self-explanatory. These are just a few tips to help you on creating your infographic.