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Introduction to Infographics

Steps to Creating an Infographic

  1. Establish a Purpose 

  1. Gather Research 

  1. Outline your Content  

  1. Create your Visualizations 

  1. Review and Finalize your Infographic 

Establishing a Purpose

Infographics can be used for a wide range of reasons, and the most important thing to consider when making your infographic is whether or not your infographic has a strong and clear purpose. Ask yourself,  

  • Who could this help?  

  • Can I express this concept as an infographic without reducing or misrepresenting the issue or topic at hand?  

  • Do I have reliable sources for this information?  

Once you’ve determined what your infographic will actually discuss, consider what style of infographic might best suit the kind of information you’re hoping to express.  

  • Will a timeline help clarify your discussion?  

  • Are you hoping to communicate mainly statistical information, or is it instructional in nature?  

  • Are you going to remain neutral on this topic or are you making some kind of argument based on your research?  

  • Does your data lend to these presentation styles? What other research needs to be done to create this work? 

How Do I Find Data & Statistics?

Start examining the available data, information/resources from an authority on your chosen topic (e.g., market authority, research paper), primary source material, and other secondary research. You can use school or public libraries, online databases, reputable websites and articles to carry out this research. The University of Guelph McLaughlin Library has provided some useful tips on finding research data and statistics resources listed below;

  • Consult your local library to see if they have a data collection. 

  • Think about what kind of organization collects the data you are looking for.     

  • Search the organization’s website, using a phrase like “data download” in your search-string. 

  • Search a data portal (i.e. database). Portals strive to be one-stop-shops for specialized data sets. 

  • Use Google and Google Scholar to search for datasets by typing appropriate keywords along with ‘data’, ‘statistics’ or another word that describes your desired data format (.spss). 

  • Follow citations referenced in journal article, reports and newspaper articles. 

Check out the University of Toronto Scarborough's Research Help Tab for general help on getting started with your research! You can also check out UTSC's Research Guides by Subject Matter page in order to locate more specific resources!

The Okanagan College Library has also collected valuable general resources geared towards helping students locate reliable and scholarly data for free

Resources like Kaggle can also be useful for finding free to use datasets and demographic information!  

Free for Use & Use Constraints on Data and Media

If you’d like to use images, icons, or vector graphics in your infographic that were not originally created by yourself, you’ll have to find an open, royalty-free resource that provides images! Our Free to Use Media Resource List is a great place to start with locating images and graphics that can be safely used in your project! 

Like other intellectual properties, some data may come with constraints on their usage. Most data resources will make their usage restrictions clear and in educational contexts, most data can be reused and shared freely with correct attribution and citation, but this is worth paying close attention to while doing your research!

Cite Your Work!

Clearly citing any and all reference material, data sources, historical, or other scholarly material that you use in your infographic helps to illustrate to your audience that your work is reliable, valid, and authoritative, and is often a primary (if not the only) requirement that other scholars and data systems request users to do in return for use of their data. Be sure to check the terms of use in these situations!  Check out Purdue University's resources on Research and Citation Formatting for more details on how to properly format your citations!