With all of the free tools on the internet, anyone can make infographics these days. Unfortunately, not everyone can really be good at it. A quick internet search will net you scores of examples of terrible infographics. There are even Pinterest boards dedicated to cataloging and memorializing these poorly crafted examples. If you don’t want your own creation to end up on one of those lists, then here are 10 tips you should follow so that you can be a better info graphic designer.

Colors

Did you know that graphics with complementary colors get on average 10% more tweets and shares than those without? If you are using an infographics maker, choose a template with a simple color scheme to ensure that the final product is visually appealing, and use complementary colors to make sure it is easy to read.

Fonts

Larger fonts will also net you more tweets and likes on social media, but more importantly, making sure that your font is of a reasonable and readable size will prevent you from cramming too much text in when you create infographics.

Research

When you create infographics, the first thing you should do is have good research and statistics to back up your main points. There are plenty of research based websites and programs like Statistic Brain, and StatSilk, but do not underestimate the value of also going to real authoritative sources to get what you need.

Data

Approximately 65% of the population learns better visually, so using charts and graphs where appropriate will ensure that your infographic is more accessible.

Graphics

A professional info graphic designer will use custom images and graphics to stand out from the crowd. You should, too.

Layout

As an information graphics designer, remember that the great majority of web pages scroll vertically, and so a vertical layout for your infographic will be more successful among internet users.

Shareable

Is your content relevant, and interesting? You might be the best info graphic designer in the world, but if there is no reason to care about the subject of your infographic, then it will never get shared.

Writing

A good clever title will pull in people to view your infographic, but the writing within the infographic will help guide viewers from one point to the next. Spend a little more time on the writing to make it humorous and informative and you will be rewarded with more shares.

Proofread

Make sure that there are no misspellings, and no grammar errors anywhere in your title or body of the infographic. With so few words being used to begin with, people will notice, and nothing looks less professional than careless errors.

Fun

You might think this last tip is a throwaway, but it’s not. If you hate making your infographic, anyone reading it will be able to tell. Enthusiasm for the subject matter will translate to a better design, writing, and overall product. If you can’t muster the enthusiasm yourself, get input from someone who is invested in the subject matter!

These ten tips are only a small sampling of what it takes to make a great infographic. The more that you look at and analyze them, and the more that you create, the better you will understand what elements contribute to infographic success, and what elements contribute to abject failure. Start with these tips, practice, analyze, observe, and learn as you go.