How to make an infographic for business insights

Ever been bombarded with reams of text or articles that leave you drowning in a sea of data? Wish you could grab attention and explain complex ideas about your business in a flash?

If you're a storyteller and data enthusiast, it's time we step into the magic of infographic design: visual aids that transform dry numbers into eye-catching narratives.

Forget boring spreadsheets. Infographics are the rockstars of communication, marrying stunning visual content with clear insights to make information dance. Whether you're a design guru, a marketing maestro, or simply love captivating stories, this guide is your crash course to creating an infographic from scratch.

Image source Scientific Infographics

Infographics take numbers, facts, and even the driest research and weave them into tapestries of understanding that even your grandma can appreciate (and maybe even share on Facebook).

But why should you care?

Ready to swap text-heavy snooze-fests for vibrant, shareable stories that captivate, educate, and inspire? Let's start this adventure with Linearity Curve, a powerful tool to help you unlock the secrets of crafting professional infographics. 

Dos and don'ts of infographics

Let's dive into the nitty-gritty: the dos and don'ts that will transform your infographic design process. 

The do's of great infographic design:

• Clarity is king: Ditch jargon and complex sentences. Speak the language of your target audience, keeping your text concise and punchy. Remember, less is often more (especially with words).
• Visualize, visualize, visualize: Informational infographics like charts, graphs, and icons work best. Translate data into vibrant imagery that pops off the screen, making complex concepts instantly relatable.
• Color your world strategically: Colors evoke emotions and guide the eye. Choose a palette and color scheme that complements your theme and enhances your story. No rainbow explosions unless your topic is, well, rainbows exploding.
• Embrace the negative space: Don't cram your design. Give your bar charts room to breathe, creating a clean, sophisticated aesthetic. Think spacious art museums, not cluttered flea markets.
• Storytelling superpowers: Don't just present data; weave a narrative. Infographics should take your audience on a journey with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Make them curious, excited, and wanting more.

The don'ts of infographic design:

• Information overload: Resist the urge to cram everything into one infographic. Focus on a single key message and keep it digestible.
• Clip art catastrophe: Avoid boring clip art graphics and rather create custom visuals that reflect your brand and resonate with your audience using software like Linearity Curve, which allows you to be unique and bold—anything but boring!
• Font frenzy: Too many fonts clash like cymbals in a library. Stick to a limited palette of two or three fonts that complement each other and enhance your design's readability.
• Accessibility oversight: Not everyone sees the world the same way. Ensure your infographic is is friendly to all users, featuring appropriate font sizes, and providing alternative visual text descriptions. Inclusivity is key. 
• Trend-chasing trap: Don't blindly follow every design fad. Choose elements that support your message and create a lasting impact, not just a fleeting trend.

Remember, creating great infographics is about finding the perfect balance between information and inspiration. By following these dos and don'ts, you'll be well on your way to crafting visual stories that captivate, educate, and leave your audience begging for more. 

But enough of the basics, let's get into our step-by-step guide to making your own infographic. 

How to make an infographic in 7 steps

Get to know your tools: Linearity Curve

First things first, open the Linearity Curve software on your desktop, iPhone, or iPad. We'll be using a Mac for this post.

Next, select one of our infographic templates, like this LinkedIn Infographic template. Its contemporary and colorful design makes the layout fresh and modern, with various shapes to play with.

Get this template

If you haven't used one before, here's how to use Linearity Curve templates on the platform:

• Click Open Template, and your chosen design will download.
• Open the file in your Mac (or iPad) Downloads folder.
• With Linearity Curve installed, the template appears in your Linearity Cloud Gallery.

Here are some great infographic templates we've made to inspire you:

Get this template

Get this template

From the Templates modal that appears, head to the section on the left and select an Artboard template that suits your presentation format.

Transform your data into visual representations

Crafting your infographic is all about deciding how you want to tell the story of the numbers in your story using visual elements to get the point across fast and in a more creative way. 

Here's how to transform your data into visual representations in three easy steps:

1. Select your data point:

Start by choosing a specific data point you want to visualize. In this example, let's illustrate some interesting marketing statistics: "65% of customers opt for interactions with brands that employ environmentally conscious direct mail approaches."

So our number is 65%.

2. Choose the right visual element:

Image source: Creative Routines by Info We Trust

Image source: Creative Routines by Info We Trust

3. Calculate angle or size:

Calculate the degrees of the angle corresponding to your percentage to create the circular chart.

For instance, if you have 65%, we need to work out what angle 65% is of the circle before we can illustrate it.

The key to doing this is to remember that a full circle has 360 degrees, and each degree represents 3.6% of the full circle. 

So, for a circle chart representing 65%, the corresponding angle would be 234 degrees. You can use this angle to draw or create the segment that represents 65% of the circle in your infographic.

Phew, that's about enough math for today. Let's move on to the fun part of bringing your numbers to life. 

Create your graphics 

Drawing a circle or ring using Linearity's Shape Tool is easy, even for those without design experience or skills. With a click, the Shape Tool allows you to create pre-made geometric shapes, such as rectangles, circles, polygons, straight lines, stars, and spirals.

First things first: open a new document in Linearity Curve. Creating your first document is incredibly straightforward. No need to be a pro; just follow these simple steps.

Spot the plus sign (+): your gateway to creativity

Look for the handy plus sign (+) in two key locations:

• Top right corner: Glance up at the screen's top right corner. There, you'll find the plus sign waiting for you to set up your new canvas.
• Gallery's New Document button: Within the Dashboard gallery itself, you'll see a dedicated New Document button prominently displayed with a bold plus sign.

Next, let's create your bespoke Artboard:

1. Once you've clicked New Document you'll find the Document Picker, where you'll craft the perfect canvas.
2. Either scroll through the template options or click Custom Size at the top to make your own custom size.
3. Give your custom canvas a descriptive name—think "Bold Banner" or "Cosmic Illustration"—for easy future reference.
4. Enter your desired width and height, choosing from a range of units like pixels, inches, or millimeters.
5. Click Create and watch your vision materialize—a blank canvas, perfectly sized to your specifications.

Now, let's make some shapes. Choose the Shape Tool from the Toolbar on the left and activate the circle shape by clicking the Oval Button or pressing the O key on your keyboard.

Holding the shift key while drawing your shape allows you to create a perfect circle instead of an oval.

Next, break up your circle into portions that are representative of your percentage.

In step 2, we found that 65% equals 234 degrees. To show that on a circle, we placed a line between the center of our circle using the and then selected in the Shape Tool menu and adjusted the Stroke color to white in the Style tab to make it visible above the black circle.

Duplicate the line shape and rotate the second line by 234 degrees using Rotate Mode.

From this point, you'll have the angle you need to separate the two portions accurately and either create a single circle (illustrating how the smaller portion fits within the whole) or break the diagram into separate 'pie slices' to emphasize their differences in your infographic.

Let's copy this shape onto our template layout using a simple copy-paste command, taking the lines from the draft document and pasting them directly onto our template.

We've been able to use the template's existing pie chart layout, and it's already starting to look good. But its missing the spice we're looking for to make a captivating infographic.

Add labels and context

Let's bring the information back. It always helps to create more context for your infographics, so make sure you label your charts clearly, indicating what the percentage represents.

In this case, we’re adding the label “65%” and moving the text back on top of the star shape that we hid in the layers panel while working on our pie chart.

Add any additional context or captions to help your audience fully understand what they're looking at, like headlines or important citations, using the Text Tool. The template we're working with puts prominence into the headline, which is great for presentations and grabbing attention.

Use color wisely

Working with the right color palette and fonts creates a winning infographic. Customize the default background color theme with your color themes that match your vision and create a sense of cohesion.

Only use three to four colors (including your primary color) to avoid overwhelming the design.

Apply colors strategically to distinguish between the data percentage and the remainder. This makes it visually appealing and aids comprehension.

Balance your visual elements harmoniously

Now, it's time to arrange your infographic's elements into a balanced layout. Experiment with layout options by prominently placing the headline or main text (like at the top of your canvas), followed by the infographic, copy, and other graphic design elements.

Make sure there’s plenty of space around the elements to create a clean and organized look. The information hierarchy needs to be clear and understandable from a quick look.

Add interesting background elements that don’t distract from the main feature.  Add some bold headlines, and use bright colors where you need to draw attention. You can also add branding elements to make your brand clear.

Click send and get the word out

Once you're happy with your infographic's design and content, share it on social media, embed it in blog posts, and watch it go all over the world.

To save your design in a format that's easy for others to share, opt for a web-friendly image format like .png or .jpeg.

Click on the Export icon on the far right at the top of your screen, select your image format, and tweak any of the settings.

Then, click Export.

Unleash your inner info-hero

Now you have the key to crafting infographics that captivate, educate, and inspire. But it's just the start of your journey toward making visuals that propel your business into the stratosphere—and we are here for it, every step of the way.

Dive into Linearity Curve and explore the full potential of infographics with our user-friendly platform. Sign up for a free Starter plan now, or find out more about early access to Linearity Pro.

Frequently asked questions