The best way to visually represent information is through an infographic. Think of charts and other images that explain a complex concept. They help visually represent information and data using minimum text.
Why are infographics important?
So why use an infographic? And what importance does it hold in the grand scheme of bringing your idea to light?
1. First, infographics can be easily understood.
If what you’re trying to convey is complex, you can use an infographic. Remember, “a picture is worth a thousand words”.
Infographics provide an easily understood overview of a complex subject or concept. Thus, it allows you to convey the concept by using little to no words.
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2. Infographics are effective
Biologically, all of us are wired to be visual creatures. A whopping 50% of the cortex (surface of our brain) is dedicated to processing visual information alone.
So with all of that powerhouse dedicated to sensing and analyzing visual information, it is obvious why marketers and advertisers are all for using infographics.
3. They work faster
While we want to convey our message to people most effectively, it doesn’t always work out as we hope it would. We need to be mindful of the culprit that often gets in the way of doing so—information overload.
Every day we are bombarded with thousands of different pieces of information and stimuli. To make sure that your customers absorb the information you produce, you need to use the best medium possible. Something that allows your viewers to easily digest information in the shortest amount of time.
Infographics achieve this brilliantly.
Our brains process visual information very fast—about 13 milliseconds, based on the research conducted by MIT neuroscientists.
So, an infographic does not only serve as a cool and compact way of presenting information, but it is also the fastest way to get your point across.
4. They are colorful
Colors play a huge role in grabbing our attention. Colorful visuals increase our willingness to pay attention and read what is written, making infographics a highly engaging information source.
Characteristics of great infographics
So we get it, infographics are awesome. But what determines if an infographic is actually good or not? Here are a few key characteristics all great infographics have in common.
Targeted
Awesome infographics are designed by keeping the viewers in mind. To sell your infographic, you cannot do without identifying your target audience. Just as one marketing strategy does not work across all age groups, one infographic style will not be appropriate for all business ideas.
Getting to know your prospects and viewers is important as it helps you add and omit the type of information you want to add within your infographic. You can then adjust your art and animation style accordingly.
Also, this can give you the space to visualize the data you want to present, thus making you better prepared to tackle all further steps involved in making an infographic.
So, before you decide to dive into the colorful world of infographics, identify the consumer group you are targeting.
Stories that speak
Great infographics don’t just inform; they inspire action. And this can only be accomplished if you have a strong base for your information in the form of an engrossing storyline or attention-grabbing context.
The bottom line is you can’t simply present your data for the sake of presenting your data. You need to have a good story to back it up.
It is amazing what stories can accomplish in terms of adding life to otherwise boring details and figures.
Text and visual balance
The point of creating an infographic is to help a viewer understand the topic and concept being discussed. Therefore, you need to make your infographic as eye-scannable as possible.
The simplest way to achieve this is when there is text-to-visuals balance.
A key thing that happens with balance is that it helps you ward off the temptation of adding way too much variety. The thing is, you don’t want to overwhelm your viewer. Rather, you want to get your point across in the smallest time possible.
For this purpose, good infographics utilize text minimally while using as many visual cues as possible.
Focus on relevance
Have you ever noticed that in the case of infographics, we only stick around to read simpler ones?
Great infographics contain only the most relevant information necessary to directly drive the message home. It is key to not make your infographic too busy. Otherwise, it can easily have the opposite effect by baffling your viewers.
Variety
We all love the subtle variety when it comes to infographics. An infographic should be scalable and eye-catching. Using bold fonts and highlights can help things stand out.
And when it comes to emphasis, remember, a little goes a long way. While variety is great, you don’t want to go crazy with text, color, or font varieties.
For both fonts and color selection, stick with using two or, maximum, three different types. And particularly for font selection, legibility should be your top priority. Although it’s tempting to whip out calligraphy-style fonts in an effort to look fancy, good infographics always prioritize fonts that are easy to read.
In order to select the right colors, the rule of thumb is this: use three main colors, with the lightest color forming the background, and the darker two colors breaking up different sections in your infographic.
Simplicity rules
We already talked about using only two to three different types of colors for your infographic. This rule of simplicity and minimalism applies to your illustrations as well. Well-structured infographics are not too busy. In fact, you will find that they often keep the style on the minimalist side.
So, when it comes to designing your characters or illustrations, keep them simple and ensure that they complement the data being conveyed in the infographic. Complex illustrations will distract your audience from what is important—the message you are trying to communicate.
Informational honesty
We are living in an information age, and fact-checking is easier than ever. For this reason, and to uphold your brand’s integrity, be sure to use only honest and authentic information in your infographic.
Remember, if you use third-party data in your infographics, you need to cite it properly. If you provide figures from somewhere else, back up these figures by using an asterisk in your sources.
Spacing
Part of what makes infographics easy to read is even spacing. Thus, there is a clear standard all professional infographics follow—evenly spaced margins. This also applies to elements within the design. Hence, all design elements should have equal spacing throughout the entire infographic.
Visual hierarchy
When you have the clean and professional look down, you can get on with adjusting the meat of your infographic—your information.
For this, follow the general rules of visual hierarchy. To start off, place the most important part of your infographic, the heading, on top. Naturally, the heading should use a bigger font and bolder style.
Then, the second most important piece of information will follow suit. Here you can use either a different font style or size to distinguish between the heading and subheading. Play with this recipe and add variety. And while you’re at it, make sure to use text as minimally as possible and focus more on incorporating illustrations and visuals.
When it comes to icons, make sure that all of your icons and illustrations follow the same style. Again, you can add variety as you see fit and play with your imagination. The limit though is that you try to not give your viewers a headache with too much of it!
Now that you have a clear idea of all that makes infographics great, you can enjoy watching our selections for the best infographic videos with an informed mind and a keen eye. Let’s get rolling!
Our top picks of the best animated infographic videos
Infographics are powerful and win viewers’ attention. But every great tool is only as great as its use. Our line-up of the best infographic videos demonstrates some of the best ways to use animated infographics.
Change the Way You Think About Food—WWF
Do you know that one-third of the world’s food goes straight to the dumpsters, unused?
We waste a lot of food. But unlike many other environmental pollutants, food waste does not get much coverage.
World Wildlife Fund WWF has a remarkable solution for it.
True to its title, this 2-minute video will change your perspective about food, and through it, about everything.
With clever use of simple, animated infographics and black-and-white color scheme, this video proves that you don’t need to be flamboyant to get your point across. So long as you stick with the basics and deliver a powerful message, you can hit a chord in your audience’s hearts.
What Is Big Data?—World Economic Forum
Tackling a complex concept can be tricky.
In “What Is Big Data?” the world economic forum offers a clear and concise summary for everyone looking to understand the idea of big data.
All of this is made possible by the appeal of moving infographics and animated statistics in a well-done infographic video.
The History of the Internet
The Internet, as we know it, was unleashed on us sometime around 30 years ago. However, its groundworks span much farther back in history—in 1957.
And even though it has been around for less than a fraction of human history, its impact is far greater than anything we’ve ever experienced.
So how do you condense the colossal history of the internet within a few minutes? With infographic animation and a clever script of course!
Read more: How to Write an Excellent Video Script
Is Ecosia legit?
Ecosia is a search engine that uses around 80% of its profit to plant trees around the world. You can plant trees by just browsing how you usually do. Sounds too good to be true, right?
To find out if Ecosia is legit, Our Changing Climate came up with a well-researched and engaging video. It walks us through several different stats and facts.
Pedigree
This advertisement is not trying to convey complex concepts or pack in a hefty amount of information. It just wants you to choose Pedigree as your go-to dog food for your furry buddy.
So how do they go about it? By placing the adorable star of the show, yes, the man’s best friend, as the highlight. And using simple and easy infographics to show the nutritional benefits of Pedigree. There, done!
How the Food You Eat Affects Your Brain—Mia Nacamulli
Ted-Ed is no stranger to using motion infographics for its awesome explainer videos. And this one is no exception.
This only goes to show how infographics can be used with superb versatility to break down complex concepts, all the while using text minimally.
AT&T Cargo View
This one shows some amazing color use in ultra-smooth transitions. The animations are cool. Beautifully executed design.
One thing though, the music could have been a tad bit lower to not overpower the voice-over, which it does at certain points.
UNICEF—A Generation Cast Aside
Tackling heavy subjects using animation, that’s the achievement UNICEF aims to accomplish with this one.
They discuss a phenomenon, NEET—not employed, educated, or trained youth in EU and OECD countries—the cast aside generation.
This shows that you can present complex graphs to a layperson, add stirring music, and hit your point home, without having spoken a word. Watch to witness.
NCAA Information Infographic
When bus travel is pitted against air travel, which one would you choose?
The BusBank team know their limitations, but they also know how to cash in on their strengths. Plus, they’ve got some helpful tips for their to-be athletic customers to prevent jet lag and deliver peak NCAA performance.
The cartoon-style animation is funny and engaging. The transitions and integrated animated infographics are top-notch.
Hulamin: An Aluminium Foil Packaging Company
This is the only planet we are going to survive on in the foreseeable future. And taking care of it should be our top priority.
Hulamin, a packaging company that produces aluminum foil, is set to help the planet in its own way.
How? They use 100% recyclable aluminum containers.
It is awesome how the advert uses photography with animated infographics to produce an uncomplicated, neat infographic video.
Marketing with an effective dose of environmental well-being, they are selling to you and converting you to recycling. How great is that!
Walmart LA
As advertisers, we all want to sell.
The golden rule is that in order to sell something, you need to think about your customers, not about you. So, problem-solving takes center stage in any business idea.
In 2013, Walmart was opening new branches in LA. So, how did they go about it?
A masterful, 3D infographic animation style is the foundation. It is coupled with a script that aims to solve problems of unemployment and even health care by employing more LA citizens. A prime example of some of the best animated infographics and a brilliant business strategy to catapult the action.
British Council—Social Media and You
Advertisers often use infographics to tackle big ideas and explain complex concepts.
But what if all you had to do was launch a social media campaign? No better way to accomplish that than with an infographic video integrating a flurry of social media icons and swift animation.
British Council’s social media campaign launched a few years ago, and this is how they decided to announce to the world that they’d gone ‘social’. Cool!
World Energy Protections by Energy Outlook
So, roughly how long do you think it will take you to deliver future seven-year energy projections in a presentation?
How does a little less than 2 minutes sound?
World Energy Projections by Energy Outlook nails it, big time.
As a top nominee, the video serves to show the astounding potential of infographics and sees the use of successful infographic strategies.
It predominantly uses green color to highlight the concept of ‘green energy’. Using only a sprinkle of yellow to highlight with fluid animation. Clean and clever.
Kordsa Global by Capmax Infographics
Stylistically, this one has so many things going on. A fusion of hand-drawn graphics with crisp animation. Then presentation-style slides condense a hefty amount of features.
Yet, Capmax manages to present Kordsa Global’s promise of “maximum economy, ecology, and efficiency” powerfully. All thanks to great design and fantastic animation.
Storygraph—Breaking Bad Series—Infographic Animation
You can take something as dark and riveting as episodes from Breaking Bad and summarize them, using infographic animation.
And make it work!
To all those accustomed to the ways of the Heisenberg, it seems surprising how infographics can explain the complexity of Breaking Bad.
Plus, funny enough, the animation style is reminiscent of the snakes and ladders we used to play as kids.
Yet, if you watch it, you’ll see how well of an explainer series it is.
Save Antarctica—Yu Hyeji
There are many causes in this world yet to receive the spotlight they deserve.
Yu Hyeji, a South Korean motion graphic designer, is on a mission to change that. Her video for Greenpeace’s Antarctic conservation campaign is a beautiful example.
The 3D graphic animation is gorgeous, reminiscent of Pixar’s Finding Nemo. Also, it shows how effective a combination of fluid infographic animation and natural sounds can be, even when it is backed by a voice-over in a foreign language.
Piriton Preroll Infographic by Nucco Brain
Allergies are frustrating.
The infographic advert for Piriton Preroll, an anti-allergy medicine, promises it will relieve allergic symptoms.
In fact, it makes you merry about such an icky topic as allergies. The brilliantly quirky idea wins thanks to superb animation and incredibly cute design.
Elequa
Elequa is putting sustainability in the waterworks by re-purposing used water through efficient technology. In this infographic fundraiser, abstract shapes and minimalist design transform the innovative idea into a concrete concept to save the planet.
Loneliness by Kurzgesagt—In a Nutshell
Kurzgesagt—In a Nutshell never fails to break down the complexity of an idea or concept it addresses. And “Loneliness” is no exception.
The video provides an in-depth overview of the silent health crisis with mega animation and professionally simplistic design.
The stylistic elements remain the same throughout the video, giving a movie-like feel, as it thoroughly explains the simplicity and complexity of loneliness.
Food Infographic Animation
As food waste accelerates as a global problem, so does obesity.
This marvelous, vintage-style animation summarizes almost an entire century’s worth of statistics and facts about the human-food paradigm brilliantly.
Fighting Hidden Hunger—DSM
How many of us are starved of micronutrients, but don’t realize it?
Watch the versatility of using infographics with DSM’s infographic video. It uses real-life filming to present a solution for a real-life problem.
No graphics, only simple photography with smooth transitions and hand-written style text animations.
And there you have it, a long list of the strongest contenders for the best infographic videos on the Internet.
These works of art will surely inspire you to whip out your imaginary pen and draw out your ideas because infographics are amazing. But how will you experience it if you don’t start using them more often? Here’s to hoping you’ll change that!
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Read more: Lessons from the World’s Best Animated Advertisements