LESSON 2: USING INFOGRAPHICS TO REPRESENT

DATA

In the previous lesson, we have learned the elements of design and the
principles of design and how they are applied in today’s visual media. In this lesson,
you will apply your previous knowledge in making an infographic for your project.

At a quick
glance, what
do you see in
this poster?

What can you

say about the
design?

Since the advent of minimalist design, we have seen many infographics like the
one above in every area of our society, from printed materials to websites, and
even in campaign ads. No matter what the medium is, they all represent
information in a more eye-catching way than text-only materials. In this lesson, we
will discuss and learn what makes infographics work and what to consider when
making them.

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Activity 8: Write down your thoughts on the differences between Graphic Design
and Information Design.

GRAPHIC DESIGN INFORMATION DESIGN

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What is an Infographic?
The representation of data using colors, shapes, line, and other visual
elements is called data visualization. Through data visualization, information
overload caused by a mass of disorganized information can be avoided. Charts
and graphs were the most common methods of data visualization in the past, but
nowadays, it serves as but a part of a more comprehensive way of presenting not
only data but other kinds of relevant information. This visualization is called an
information graphic, or simply, an infographic.

Elements of an effective Infographic

Source: https://infogram.com/page/infographic

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Types of Infographics
Visual Article – an infographic in which wordy content is made more visual. Best
used for information spread via social media and has a strong title and lots of
content.

Timeline – outlines events chronologically. Can either be simple or complex.

Invites the viewer to go on a historical journey through interesting and relevant
content and design.

Flowchart – designed to make the viewer answer a series of questions to reach a

particular answer. Often funny and lighthearted, it also works well on social media.

Cheat Sheet – serves as a quick reference for different kinds of information. Can
also be in the form of a step-by-step process on how to do things.

Comparison – a visual comparison of two things. Best used with effective visual
presentation and large amount of data.

Numerical – an infographic whose primary content is comprised of numbers,

charts, graphs, or statistical data.

Photo Infographic – pictures are used to tell the story or message of the
infographic. Usually design in a simple manner using actual photos to answer
questions or describe something.

Data Visualization – also used for large data, but the focus is on creative
visualization. Highly dependent on design to be effectively visualized.

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Creating Infographics using Canva
If you are already familiar with image authoring tools, you can easily create your
own infographics. If not, there are tools that are freely available for you to use to
create infographics.
One example is Canva. It is an easy-to-use web-based graphics editing tool that
allows users to create professional-looking infographics, posters, and other visual
graphics material, without the need for extensive experience in graphic design
To build your infographic, you will need to first sign up for Canva by creating a
free account. You can sign up using your email or with your Google or Facebook
account.

1. Choose an infographic template

Once you’re logged into the editor, choose the dimensions of your final image.
You can select a custom size or choose from one of the pre-built templates.

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Search for “Infographics” on the homepage. The default size for an infographic is
800 x 2,000px.

2. Select your design style

After you have chosen the right size canvas for your project, Canva rolls out a list
of layout options that will serve as the base of your infographics. There are literally
hundreds of designs to choose from, but the first 50 are typically the most
customizable

3. Customize the background and select fonts

Now that you’ve selected a stunning template, it’s time to choose an eye-catching
background. Canva provides unique infographic skins for free, and you can pick
from a library of different patterns, colors, and design elements.

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To change the background, click on the background icon in the left sidebar. The
background options are sorted by color and include everything from solid colors
and macro-photography, to quirky sketches and minimalist patterns.

Changing color palettes is simple. Just click on the canvas, then click on the multi-
colored box at the top of the design space. Use the search box that pops up to
find a variety of relevant color schemes.
Canva offers 20+ different filters which you can apply to photos you find within
Canva or images you upload from your personal stash. You can adjust brightness,
contrast, X-Process, and saturation to get a sophisticated image that matches
your website’s style.

Add or change fonts in your graphic by selecting the text icon on the left side.
Drag and drop the type of text you want to the canvas, remove the demo content,
and start typing. There are thousands of fonts to choose from in Canva. Select a

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font that works with your branding and the content of your infographics. Use the
standard text editor features to fill out the details of your infographics.

Because the typography can be so dramatically customized, using certain

fonts can affect your infographic’s template. Make sure you’re paying attention to
the readability of the content.

4. Add graphical elements

The ease at which Canva lets you add graphic elements is a big reason why we
decided to choose Canva for our ‘how to create an infographic’ guide.
Infographics are so effective because they use powerful imagery to convey key
data points. Be sure you’re picking relevant images to represent your info.

To select an element, double click on the type you want. You will find several
styling options available for each type (“grids”, “icons”, etc.). Simply drag and drop
the elements you like and resize to fit your design by dragging the corners. If
you’re looking for something specific, use the search box provided to filter the
results.

5. Download your file

When you’ve settled on the perfect design for your infographic, click the
download button to bring up a list of file types.

Adjacent to that button is the sharing option. Canva allows you to share your
Infographics directly to social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. You can
even use the embed tool to add your infographic to a guest post and boost user
engagement. Sharing your content is an important step in generating brand
awareness.
Reference: https://themeisle.com/blog/how-to-create-an-infographic/

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Activity 9: Types of Infographics

Instructions: Use the internet to search for the definition of each type of
Infographic and provide an example Infographic for each type. Instead of putting
the image in the example column, paste the link address to the actual image
instead. The first one is done as an example.

TYPE DEFINITION EXAMPLE

An infographic in which word
content is made more visual. https://visme.co/blog/wp-
Visual
Best used for information content/uploads/2020/02/What-
Article
spread via social media. It has a is-an-infographic.jpg
strong title and lots of content.

Timeline

Flowchart

Cheat Sheet

Comparison

Numerical

Photo
Infographic

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Data
Visualization

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Processing Questions:
1. How effective do you think are infographics in relaying information especially
through social media?
2. During the COVID-19 quarantine period, what is the most memorable
infographic you have encountered?
3. What do you think is the role of infographics in our post-COVID pandemic
society?

Student’s responses:

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III. REFLECTION
Answer the following questions briefly.
1. What do you think will be the future applications of infographic in societal
development?

2. What is the importance of using infographic responsibly in relaying

information?

3. What is the importance of using infographic responsibly in relaying

information?

4. What Ignatian values should you manifested after completing this module?
Give examples.

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