Infographics are one of the most powerful tools in your content strategy. They are engaging, informative and highly shareable, breaking down complex ideas into digestible visuals and making it easier for your audience to understand your message. If you’ve ever wondered, “How do I create an infographic that stands out and drives results?”, this step-by-step guide will show you how to make infographics that communicate ideas clearly.
From planning your content and selecting user-friendly tools to testing your final design and distributing it for maximum impact, this article will equip you with the know-how to make an infographic that captures attention and elevates your brand.
- An infographic is a visual tool that simplifies complex information, making it easy to understand and share.
- Use infographics to explain processes, showcase data, compare options, highlight trends or tell stories in a visual and engaging way.
- To make an infographic, you need to define your purpose, choose the right design tool, create a wireframe, visualize your data and finally, test the design.
- To distribute your infographic and measure its success, share it on social media, embed it in blogs, use email newsletters and track engagement through metrics like clicks, shares and comments.
Why it’s important to learn how to make infographics
Infographics are a great way to present complex information in a simple, digestible format. When done well, they capture attention, simplify data and tend to be shared more than text-heavy content, especially on social media or in email campaigns.
To truly benefit from infographics, you need to understand how to develop infographics that align with your brand and message. This will give you the tools to turn your data into visually appealing assets that drive real business results.
A well-crafted infographic can drive traffic, increase conversions and boost your content marketing efforts. They are one of the ways to use interactive content for conversions, drawing in more customers and keeping target audiences engaged longer.
What makes a good infographic?
To be effective, ensure your visual asset has…
- A clear purpose: The message should be clear and focused on a single idea, making it easy for your audience to grasp.
- A clean design: Use an organized layout with readable fonts that guide the viewer’s eye. Incorporate different types of charts, icons and relevant imagery to break up text.
- Accurate data: Ensure the information is credible and well-presented, building trust with audiences.
- A logical flow: Organize content in a way that intuitively guides the viewer through the information.
- Brand consistency: Align the infographic with your brand’s visual identity for a cohesive look.
How to make infographics step-by-step
The best infographics tell a compelling story and communicate complex information in a simple, digestible format. To achieve this, adopt a thoughtful approach that blends strategy, good design and testing.
Step 1: Plan your infographic
The success of your infographic starts with strong planning. The more thought and effort you put into the planning stage, the more effective and engaging your infographic will be. This is where you define your infographic’s purpose, understand your target audience, select the right type of infographic and gather and verify your data.
Define the purpose of your infographic
The first step in creating an effective infographic is to determine its purpose. Whether your goal is to inform, educate, persuade or entertain, knowing what you want to achieve with your infographic will shape its design and content.
Decide if you want your infographic to:
- Educate: Break down complex concepts or processes, such as explaining how your service works using step-by-step visuals, simple diagrams (Venn diagrams) or flowcharts.
- Inform: Focus on presenting data, trends or statistics in a clear, easy-to-understand way using charts, graphs and data-driven visuals, with minimal text to keep the focus on the numbers.
- Persuade: Emphasize a call to action with bold typography, highlighted sections or visual cues directing the viewer’s attention to specific actions, like signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase.
- Entertain: Be more playful with creative visuals, bright colors and fun facts that engage the viewer while still communicating your message.
Flowchart infographic design by Lera Balashova via 99designs by Vista
Identify your target audience
Once you’ve defined the purpose of your infographic, the next step is understanding your audience. Who are you designing for? This will influence design choices like layout, font size, colors and even the language you use.
Use larger fonts and high-contrast colors to improve readability for older audiences and a minimalist style with modern fonts for younger audiences.
If your audience has little existing knowledge of the topic, simplify the content with easy-to-understand language and clear visuals. But if you’re speaking to industry professionals, you can dive into more complex data points and detailed insights, assuming a higher level of expertise.
Choose the type of infographic
With each serving a specific purpose and communicating information in its own way, the type of infographic you choose should directly support your goals.
Infographic design by yulianzone via 99designs by Vista
Select an infographic type that effectively conveys your message and meets your objectives:
- Informational infographics: Ideal for summarizing complex concepts, introducing a new topic or offering a high-level overview of an idea or industry trend.
- Statistical infographics: Perfect for presenting numerical data, trends or survey results to showcase customer satisfaction, research findings or product performance.
- Instructional infographics: Guide the viewer through a specific task with clear, actionable instructions, like assembling a product, filling out a form or using a service.
- Timeline infographics: Ideal for illustrating events or milestones to show the progression of a project, corporate plans, the history of your company or the development of a product.
- Process infographics: Focuses on explaining a sequence of actions or steps in a workflow, perfect for showing how something works, such as a step-by-step breakdown of a customer journey or an internal process.
- Comparison infographics: Perfect for persuading customers to choose a product over a competitor’s by highlighting key differences and making it easier to compare options side by side.
- Geographic information infographics: Best for presenting location-based data, such as regional sales or market performance, effective for highlighting trends by location or tracking performance across regions.
It’s possible to combine multiple types in one infographic. For example, blend a comparison and process infographic to both compare and illustrate steps.
Infographic in a brochure by tomcept via 99designs by Vista
Gather and fact-check your data
Once you know what message you want to communicate, it’s time to find data that supports it. Use government websites, respected research reports and reliable surveys to source data. Tools such as Google Scholar, Statista and industry-specific databases help ensure data accuracy.
Then make sure to fact-check. When using data from external sources, always double-check sample sizes and research methods. If you’re using first-party data—information you’ve collected yourself—make sure it’s relevant, well-organized and accurate. Verify the data’s integrity before adding it to your infographic.
Finally, reference your sources. Whether you’re using external research or your own data set, transparency builds trust with your audience and ensures your infographic is credible.
Infographic design that references data sources
Understanding how to develop infographics with verified, solid data is essential for creating visuals that not only grab attention but also provide valuable, reliable information.
Step 2: Design your infographic
How you present your information is just as important as what you present. With a clear purpose, the right type of infographic, an understanding of your target audience and accurate data, here’s how to design infographics that make a lasting impression.
Choose the right design tool
The design tool you choose will have a big impact on your infographic. If you’re comfortable with design software, Adobe Illustrator and Figma offer powerful features, giving you complete control over your infographic’s layout and styling. However, these design tools require a good understanding of design principles and a bit of expertise to use effectively.
With its user-friendly interface and built-in features, VistaCreate’s infographic maker tool is an accessible choice, perfect for those who want to create a professional infographic without the steep learning curve.
Customizable infographic templates via VistaCreate
VistaCreate is a free platform that offers high-quality stock images, vectors and other creative assets, plus customizable, ready-made infographic templates, making it easy to bring your design ideas to life.
Design tips for making an infographic
Making an infographic that’s both visually appealing and effective involves understanding the basic design principles. Your goal is to make the information clear and easy to digest using a clean, well-organized design.
Simplicity: Avoid overloading the design with too many fonts or colors. Stick to 2-3 fonts to maintain a clean, cohesive look, don’t cram too much information into a single section and focus on the key points. Choose simple color palettes that complement your branding, and don’t go overboard with too many shades.
Readability: Make sure your text is easy to read using appropriate font sizes. For body text, aim for a font size around 12-14 pt for print or 16-18 px for web. Leave enough white space between lines and sections, helping your audience to focus on the important content.
Alignment and hierarchy: Align text, images and charts for an organized and polished design. Font sizes and layout can help guide the viewer through the content and create a logical flow, starting with the most important information.
Use visual cues like arrows, icons and section dividers to guide the reader through your infographic.
An example of a clean, well-structured infographic
Design the wireframe
Now it’s time to build the wireframe—the basic structure that will guide your infographic’s layout. Think of it as a blueprint that organizes your content. Structure your infographic logically, whether in chronological order, by data flow or according to importance, helping your audience to follow the information and grasp your message.
Gather copy, images, icons and data, and arrange them on the canvas in a way that makes sense based on your chosen structure. For example, if your infographic explains a process, make sure the steps are clearly laid out in a sequence. Group related information together to avoid clutter and ensure each section flows smoothly into the next.
If your infographic will be used for print marketing materials, design with print in mind—include crop and bleed marks as you create the infographic wireframe.
Infographic design template via VistaCreate
Infographic design template via VistaCreate
Crop marks define where your design will be trimmed, while bleed ensures that your design extends beyond the edges to avoid unwanted white margins. Design with these considerations in mind to avoid potential printing issues down the line.
Visualize your data
It’s time to bring your data to life. The goal is to present complex information clearly and make it easy for your audience to understand.
Choose your data visualization methods:
- Pie charts: For showing proportions or percentages, like market share or demographic breakdowns.
- Bar charts: For comparing quantities or categories, such as sales across regions or customer preferences.
- Line graphs: For illustrating trends over time, like sales growth or traffic spikes.
- Area charts: For showing cumulative data over time, such as total revenue or visitors.
- Heatmaps: Show intensity or concentration in data, like the most visited areas of your website.
- Scatter plots: For showing relationships between two variables, like advertising spend vs. sales.
- Donut charts: A cleaner alternative to pie charts for displaying parts of a whole, with space in the center for additional information.
Get creative and match the data visualization to the infographic content, adding personality and relevance. For example, an infographic bar chart using Christmas ornaments to illustrate percentages directly relates to the data topic: Christmas card trends.
Bar graph infographic with a relevant visualization theme
Icons and images can enhance understanding. For example, a dollar sign for financial data, a calendar for time-related info or a checkmark for positive results.
Customize the design
Now that your content is structured and visualized, it’s time to customize the best infographic design to reflect your brand. To build a brand, consistency is key. Consistent branding helps make your infographic feel like a natural extension of your marketing materials, increasing brand awareness and recognition.
Use your branding colors, fonts and logo to create a unified look that aligns with your brand identity. And always include your logo and contact information—website or social media handles—to ensure viewers know exactly who created the content and how to connect with you.
Branded infographic design by LittleFox via 99designs by Vista
Step 3: Test your infographic
Test your infographic to ensure it communicates your message effectively. Focus on:
- Clarity: The viewer should understand the key message and purpose of the infographic at first glance.
- Simplicity: Make sure the design isn’t cluttered or overloaded with information.
- Aesthetic appeal: Is the design visually appealing? Use color, fonts and images in a balanced and cohesive way.
- Data accuracy: Verify that all data is correctly represented and isn’t misleading.
- Logical flow: Does the information flow logically from one section to the next? The progression of ideas should be easy for the viewer to follow.
An example of good design
Show the draft to a team member or small group for feedback, giving you a fresh perspective on the design. They can point out any areas that can be improved.
Step 4: Share and publish your infographic
When you’re happy with the infographic design, it’s time to distribute it. Infographics are versatile—they work just as well for digital marketing as they do for print. Print your design in brochures, flyers or posters, and share the same visual online to engage a wider audience. The flexibility to use your infographic across various platforms helps reach and convert more potential customers.
Choose the right distribution channels
Maximize the reach of your infographic by choosing the right distribution channels. While online and offline channels both have value, digital platforms provide a broad, cost-effective way to get your infographic in front of the right audience.
Start by embedding your infographic in a relevant blog post to enhance your content and keep audiences engaged. Infographics break up lengthy paragraphs, providing a visual summary that makes information easier to digest. Not only does this improve the user experience, but it also boosts visibility.
Include keyword-rich alt text and descriptive titles to improve the SEO performance of your infographic online.
Another effective distribution channel is email. Infographics grab attention in email campaigns and newsletters, simplifying complex data and making your content more visually appealing. To boost engagement, place your infographic at the top of the email, where it’s most likely to be seen.
Social media is another powerful tool for distribution. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X and Pinterest are ideal for sharing infographics:
- On Instagram, create a carousel post for large datasets, breaking them up into digestible slides. Use visual cues like arrows or sliders to encourage users to swipe through.
- X (previously Twitter) thrives on quick, snappy content, so keep your infographic concise and visually engaging.
- On Pinterest, design eye-catching pins that visually summarize your infographic, making it easy for users to share and repin.
For inspiration, check out effective social media content ideas for small businesses.
Promote your infographic
To maximize the reach of your infographic, leverage influencers, media outlets and strategic partnerships. Collaborate with influencers in your niche to share your infographic with their audience, pitch infographics to industry-relevant media outlets or blogs, and encourage Pinterest and LinkedIn groups to share your infographic within relevant communities.
VistaPrint’s Graphic design trends 2025 infographic in Social Media Today blog
Step 5: Track success and measure impact
To complete the process of how to make an infographic, it’s essential to measure how well your infographic has performed against the goals you set. Tracking its success helps you understand what worked and what can be improved for future projects.
To measure impact, pay attention to key metrics such as:
- Clicks: How many people clicked on your infographic, especially if it was shared online or included in an email campaign.
- Shares: How many times your infographic was shared on social media or through other platforms. This reflects how well your content resonates with your intended audience.
- Comments: Are people engaging with your infographic? Comments can provide valuable feedback and show whether your infographic is sparking conversations.
- Traffic: Use tools like Google Analytics to track how much traffic your infographic drove to your website, blog, social media pages or landing page.
Social media insights are also useful for understanding engagement levels on platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and X. These tools provide detailed metrics like reach, impressions and interactions.
Based on these results, adjust your future content strategy. For example, if you find your audience engages more with certain types of visuals or topics, focus on those in the future. Use this feedback to refine your design, messaging and distribution methods, ensuring each new infographic is more effective than the last.
Now you know how to generate infographics
From defining your purpose and selecting the right design tool to testing and distributing your design, you now know how to make an infographic that’s both effective and engaging. Whether you’re using them for digital marketing, social media or print materials, infographics can elevate your content, boost engagement and help your brand stand out. So, take the leap, get creative and make infographics a core part of your marketing strategy.
Making infographics FAQs
What are the key elements of a well-designed infographic?
A well-designed infographic balances clear, concise content with visually engaging elements. Key aspects include a logical structure, appropriate data visualization (like charts and icons), readable fonts, a cohesive color scheme and a clear, logical flow that guides the viewer from one point to the next.
How do I choose the right colors and fonts when making infographics?
Stick to a simple color palette that aligns with your brand and ensures readability. Choose fonts that are legible and complement each other—typically, one for headings and another for body text. Keep it minimal, and avoid using too many different fonts or clashing colors.
What are common mistakes to avoid when making an infographic?
Avoid overloading the design with too much data, ignoring your branding, using inconsistent or low-quality graphics, failing to cite your data sources and neglecting print specifications like crop and bleed marks.
How can I ensure my infographic gets my message across?
To ensure your infographic communicates clearly, focus on a single message or goal, use simple, effective visuals to support the message, and keep the design clean and easy to follow. Test your design with a few people to ensure it’s visually appealing and easy to understand.
