We keep hearing talk of the death of infographics as a content form. Can it be that the super content format  of several years ago is being relegated to the sock drawer?

Let's be clear: infographics are not dead. Infographics have been around for a long time, and are not suddenly exiting the stage.

But we do expect to see improvements in the way content practitioners use infographics in their work. Too many infographics are standalone creations that are nice-to-have designs but that don’t serve a clear function within the overall content experience. They feel random and disconnected.

TALKING DESIGN

One way to ensure better integration of infographics into surrounding content is to start talking about the design aspect of content early in the development process.

Discuss how an infographic can best illustrate a theme or concept in the planned editorial and make sure the designer is given a clear remit for how the design is expected to relate to the surrounding copy.

Consider other design elements such as photography and layout, and ensure the planned copy, design, and artwork are consistent with the main editorial.

• Use the graphic to include additional facts or statistics for presentation.

• Draw on previous articles or studies as the basis for infographic treatment.

• Consider illustrative and interactive elements.

Simply generating a title for an infographic and plugging this title into an editorial calendar for production with a few outline notes is not enough.

We don’t expect infographics to die off but we do expect them to become better integrated into the content that surrounds them.