Infographics are trendy, they’re fun, and they’re terrific for social media. On the other hand, from the point of view of the average website owner, they’re a serious investment — certainly in time, and probably also a financial investment as well. It therefore makes sense to get the most out of that investment by creating effective infographics and using them in ways that get the most ROI.
That’s what The Power of Infographics: Using Pictures to Communicate and Connect With Your Audiences is all about. Infographics artist Mark Smiciklas goes through the reasons that infographics are good for communication — and will continue to be so, even if the current trend runs its course.
Once you’re convinced that infographics are a good idea, Smiciklas walks you through how to get your data into visual form. This is not an art lesson, but a discussion of the different ways in which data and relationships among elements of that data can be represented visually. Smiciklas looks at some classic types of graphic organizers, such as timelines and Venn diagrams, but also delves into the question of how to use metaphors to create compelling infographics.
There’s some discussion of tools and resources for creating your own infographics, but this book really isn’t about how to make infographics. Once you understand how to organize your information and how you might create infographics, the book moves on to ways to publish them, promote them, and get the most value from them. The suggestions are sensible, up to date, and accessible — they don’t require enterprise-level budgets or extreme tech skills to implement.
In addition to all that practical stuff, this is a fun book to read, and it’s illustrated with plenty of nice infographics.
[Disclosure: The publisher of this book sent me a copy for review. I am not paid for reviews, and you know I always tell you the truth.]
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