Show, Don’t Tell: Storytelling

With Infographics

Breakfast Learning Series4/27/2016

Delia Coleman,VP Strategy + Policy @DeliaChristina

Kathleen MurphyDirector, Communications @Kat_MurphyToms

#Goals

Understanding why Infographics are the made for communicating dataWe’ll understand basic principles of how people process information

Infographics: It’s more than data We’ll understand how to best fit the right kind of data to the right kind of infographicWe’ll understand basic principles for creating an infographicWe’ll understand the questions to ask when thinking about presenting data

Workshop your own infographic Translate your organization’s data into a beautiful, shareable, informative and

engaging piece of content to promote your cause and tell your story.

Why

Infographics work.

People only read and process 28% of text on web pages

The brain processes visuals 60,000x faster than words.

An infographic can make information more easy to interpret and easier to connect with.

Cool Link:13 Reasons Why Your Brain Craves Infographsics

Why

Your Advocacy Data

User Experience

BadInfographic

• Textextextextextextext• Bad/Inaccurate charts• Using data as a starting point• Incoherent story• Content doesn’t match audience• Unknown purpose (what will it be used for?)• Boring• Bad sourcing of data (if you’re using secondary information)

DecentInfographic

AwesomeInfographic!

Gates Foundation, 2014

Deciding What Data to RepresentHint: Don’t Use it As a Starting Point

The #1 mistake most people make when they want to create infographics is to use their data as the starting point

Readers don’t exactly care about your data, they care about the story you are telling.

Think about what you want people to learn and take away after they look at your infographic.

More than Data

Usa

Case Study: Forefront’s SROI reports

Forefront data before

• Printed• Hidden on website• Superfluity of TEXT• Long• Boring• Unused

Forefront data after

• Online• Story-driven• Social• Advocacy-oriented• Accessible• Visually compelling

Visualizing Your Story: Finding your Narrative

1. Audience & Purpose (How will people *use* it? Where will they use it?)

2. Introduce the topic, striking title design, typography, brief summary of what your graphic is about

3. Introduce the problem or conflict4. Present central argument: let the data shine5. So what? End with a call to action (a url is not a call to action)

Visualizing Your Story: Organizing

• Timeline• Comparing and Contrasting• Data Representations (stats heavy)• Process Infographics (how we get from a to b)• Geographic Infographics• Hierarchical Infographics

Visualizing Your Story: Design Principles for Effective Visual Communication

Venngage

Visualizing Your Story: Design Principles for Effective Visual Communication

Venngage

Visualizing Your Story: Design Principles for Effective Visual Communication

Venngage

Visualizing Your Story: Design Principles for Effective Visual Communication

Venngage

Visualizing Your Story: Design Principles for Effective Visual Communication

Venngage

Visualizing Your Story: Design Principles for Effective Visual Communication

Venngage

Visualizing Your Story: Design Principles for Effective Visual Communication

Venngage

Visualizing Your Story: Design Principles for Effective Visual Communication

Venngage

Visualizing Your Story: Design Principles for Effective Visual Communication

Venngage

Visualizing Your Story: Infographic Hacks

1. Go to Venngage, Pitkochart Templates page

2. Pick one or a few you like. Then use that as the base style.3. Create an outline of the infographic with all the charts and elements

(on paper)4. Create the infographic on a tool like

Venngage (using the outline and template)5. Change the color, fonts and other elements to create your own style

derivative. (ColorLovers.com)

Resources

People• Ann K Emery

(annkemery.com)

•Cole Nussbaumer(Storytellingwithdata.com)

Tools to make you look like a genius

• Piktochart• Canva• Venngage• Easel.lyLinks

The Ultimate Guide to Infographics for Nonprofits

myforefront.org