Infographics Do's and Don'ts

  

                                picture is worth 1000 words

      Infographics are, "graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge intended to present complex information quickly and clearly. (Turner and Hicks, 2016, p.60)" Infographics are commonly used to present data in a way that is easy to intemperate. Infographics can be great tools for teachers to use to present new information or ideas to students, as well as a great opportunity for students to explore others arguments, and create their own.  Even though infographics CAN be great tools to display information, they must be done correctly for them to work as intended. 

Here are the Do's and Don'ts when creating your own infographics. 

View my own infographic below for reference.

https://venngage.net/ps/35qIuRzodic/benenefits-of-using-infographics-in-classrooms 

DO

1. Do over simplify. The purpose of infographics are to over symplify complex information. Use less words, more pictures and graphs to show the data. Over simplification will draw in your audience and keep them hooked. (Turner and Hicks, 2016, p. 62)

2. Do make it visually appealing. Using vibrant complementary colors will make your infographic visually appealing. Adding boxes and charts will bring a structure to your infographic. Also, keep the lines clean  when grouping similar topics. Note in my attached infographic that there are two sections. One is for why teachers should use infographics and the second is why students should use infographics. You can distinctly tell the difference between the two sections because a.) there is a title and b.) one cessation is in rows and the other is in columns.  (Turner and Hicks, 2016, p. 65)

3. Do have evidence to support your argument. You must check your sources before creating your infographics. 

   
   

                             EVIDENCE is EVERYTHING

You don’t have an argument without evidence. Don’t forget to add primary sources as evidence (Turner and Hicks, 2016, p.69). Notices on my infographic there is a primary source of an anonymous 6th grade student saying they “love when Ms. Davis uses infographics. The pictures help me understand the content.” Primary sources are a great way to make your audience feel connected to the argument.

DON’T

1. Don’t jumble up your layout. You must create a template that will clearly tell the story of your argument. Infographics are indeed created to tell a story. Think, when you read a story in a book you go left to right. You know how to read the book. When creating an infographic, give guidance to your audience of how to read the story. (Turner and Hicks, 2016, p. 74) Note my infographic attached. The layout clearly shows you read the infographic top to bottom left to right. Simple, easy, effective layout. 

2.  Don’t write an infographic if you don’t have an argument. The whole point of writing infographics is to present an argument in a simplified easy to interpret way. Use your infographics to present new arguments to the world in an appealing way. 

References 

Turner, K. and Troy H. Argument in the real world. Heinemann Publishing, 1 Nov. 2016, www.heinemann.com/products/e08675.aspx. 

Infographic. (2021, January 11). Retrieved February 16, 2021, from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infographic