‘Infographic’ is not a noun … it’s an adjective
... The world's changed ... it's time for a rebrand
... The world's changed ... it's time for a rebrand
“I’d like an infographic”, the email said.
“An infographic what?” I wondered … and so the conversation began.
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I’ve been having this conversation since 2009, when the term ‘infographics’ exploded into wider consciousness. (Personally I owe David McCandless a drink or twenty for the amount of work I’ve picked up off the back of Information is Beautiful). That book prompted an ‘infographic gold rush’; everyone wanted visuals to communicate with their audience. For a while they were the hot new thing, the go-to for marketing departments around the world.
Now, as we shift into new faster, more condensed ways of communicating, experiencing and learning, it’s time for ‘infographics’ to get a rebrand. The conversation isn’t happening on blogs any more, it’s being swiped in Instagram stories, selected on scrollytelling websites, sit-back-and-enjoyed through explainer videos, laughed at in GIFs and experienced through AR and VR environments …
However, this has led to a bit of a race-to-the-bottom when it comes to … dare I say it …information.
As brands try to muscle in on personal feeds with an authentic voice, behind the scenes shots and cutesy-animations the real information is relegated to a “see link in bio” or “click for more details”.
And who’s going to click on that?
It’s time to put your message, your insight, your expertise back in front of those eyeballs. Forget trying to drive traffic back to your website. Make the most of each social platform with a “here’s our product/message/story” laid out… without the click.
Just think how these meaningful and intelligent messages will stand out online - presented clearly, and with engaging graphics, a refreshing change from the clickbaiting, tiktok-dancing, unboxing content we’re drowning in.
That swiped Instagram story now offers some valuable information, your blog now teaches your visitors through interaction and engagement, and that GIF … even that now arms your audience with real insight to help them make smart decisions.
So I’ll say again … infographic is not a noun.
We need to start thinking of ‘infographic’ as an adjective, because it’s a WAY of communicating instead of the ‘piece’ of communication - a way of bringing clarity and insight to a complicated concept. Carefully curated and structured graphics do the heavy lifting, allowing the viewer to connect with the information in a way that a well-filtered photo could never do.
You’ve still got something to say … so let’s get it out there.
I’m Caroline Beavon - I make infographic things.