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How to make an infographic: from data to a clear picture
How to make an infographic people understand at first glance: one main point, reliable data, the right chart type, hierarchy, color and testing it on people.
- Put one main point from your data into a single sentence
- Pick a chart people read without errors, and know which ones to avoid
- Build the layout and test on real people that it lands
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Five steps to an infographic
- 1
Step 1
Put one main point into words
- 2
Step 2
Find and check the data
- 3
Step 3
Choose the chart type for the comparison
- 4
Step 4
Build the layout: hierarchy, labels, color
- 5
Step 5
Tools, export and testing on people
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This guide is for you if you are
Holding numbers you need to show
Survey results, a report, statistics for a post or a presentation, and you want people to get it without long explanations.
Learning graphic design
An infographic trains everything at once: hierarchy, typography, color and explaining complex things simply.
Looking for a portfolio piece
You want an exercise on real open data that shows how you think, not only how you draw.
In short
- An infographic starts not with a template but with one point the viewer should take away.
- Take data from primary sources and always say where it comes from.
- Bar charts, line charts and scatter plots are easiest to read; pie charts are harder.
- The title should state the conclusion, and color should highlight what matters, not decorate.
- Test the result on a person: ask them to retell what they understood.
Five steps to an infographic
- 1
Step 1
Put one main point into words
An infographic isn't every number you have; it's the answer to one question. Nielsen Norman Group advises asking yourself before making any chart: what point am I trying to make, what should the viewer understand, and what should they do next? An infographic usually combines several charts and visuals into one story, so without a main point it quickly turns into a collage of numbers. Before you start, write down:
- who it's for: colleagues, blog readers, event attendees, parents of schoolchildren;
- the main point in one sentence: "In three years, the number of X has doubled";
- 2–4 pieces of evidence: numbers or facts that support it;
- where it will be seen: a social feed, a presentation, a printed stand or a web page.
💡 If you can't state the main point in one sentence, you have too much data or an unclear question. Narrow the topic before you open an editor.
- 2
Step 2
Find and check the data
A beautiful infographic with a made-up or inaccurate number does more harm than no infographic at all. For a learning exercise, use open data from primary sources. Ukraine has the data.gov.ua open data portal, with datasets by category: finance, economy and business, energy, infrastructure and transport, and more. Our World in Data collects international statistics: its charts and its own data can be reused under the CC BY license as long as you cite the source, while data from third-party providers (WHO, UN, World Bank) follows those providers' licenses. Before you draw:
- open the primary source, not someone's retelling in an article or post;
- write down the period and the territory the data covers;
- check the units: percent, thousands, hryvnias or dollars;
- save the link: it goes into the "Source:" line at the bottom of the infographic.
💡 Does a number look too round or too impressive? Look it up in the primary source once more. It's the fastest way not to spread a mistake.
Check whether people understand your infographic
The best test for an infographic is people seeing it for the first time. Post yours in the community and ask people to sum up the main point in one sentence.
Share your infographicFree. 1,504 designers are already in the community.
- 3
Step 3
Choose the chart type for the comparison
A chart is a tool for a specific comparison, not decoration. So first decide what you're comparing with what, and only then choose the form. According to the research Nielsen Norman Group cites, people read bar charts, line charts and scatter plots most easily:
- bar chart: compare several values; if labels are long, make the bars horizontal so the text doesn't have to be rotated;
- line chart: show change over time; mark the points when data was collected;
- scatter plot: show the relationship between two variables;
- pie, bubble, waffle and Sankey charts are harder to read because the eye has to judge angle or area; use them only when a simple chart can't do the job;
- stacked bar charts (segments on top of each other) are among the charts with the highest error rates; make several separate simple charts instead.
💡 Put the things to compare next to each other. If the point is the before/after difference for each group, group the bars by group, not by time.
- 4
Step 4
Build the layout: hierarchy, labels, color
Nielsen Norman Group sums up a good chart as three Cs: context, clutter-free and contrast. Context is the comparison without which a number means nothing: "24%" says little, "24% versus 17% last year" says a lot. Then remove everything that carries no data and highlight what matters:
- a title that states the conclusion rather than describing: not "Login rates before and after redesign" but "People log in more often after the redesign";
- start with gray: make every element gray, then add color only to the key value. NN/g quotes this tip from Jonathan Schwabish's book;
- label data directly next to bars and lines: then you don't need grid lines or a legend the eye keeps jumping to;
- no 3D, shadows, gradients or textures: they distract and can distort how values are perceived;
- one reading direction: top to bottom or left to right, with clear blocks and consistent spacing.
💡 Color must not be the only way to convey meaning; the WCAG accessibility standard requires this. Add labels, shapes or patterns, and keep important graphic elements at a contrast of at least 3:1 against the background. Be careful with red and green.
Infographic looks overloaded? Show it to the community → - 5
Step 5
Tools, export and testing on people
Free tools are enough for a learning infographic. You can draw a chart by hand in Figma or Canva, or generate it from a table in Datawrapper: on the free plan you can create and embed interactive charts, maps and tables and download them as PNG; the image carries a "Created with Datawrapper" credit, and PDF and SVG export is on paid plans. When the layout is ready:
- check that every number matches the source table and that axes start at zero wherever you compare bar heights;
- add a "Source:" line with the name and date of the data;
- if the infographic goes on a website, add a text description: W3C recommends a short alternative for complex images plus a longer description of the key data nearby;
- show it to someone from the target audience and ask them to retell what they understood in their own words. If their version doesn't match your main point, go back to steps 3–4.
💡 Highlighting the main point is fine; bending the data to fit the conclusion is not. If a number doesn't fit the story, don't hide it: honesty matters more than effect.
You're not alone with these questions
We counted what people ask about most in our community. Learning, portfolios and Figma are the top three. By the way, this chart is a small infographic too: one point, simple bars and labels right next to the data.
Messages by topic in Spaceberry Community, July 2024 — November 2026. Keyword search.
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Which app can I use to make an infographic for free?
Figma or Canva on their free plans for the layout, and Datawrapper for charts built from a table. On Datawrapper's free plan you can create and embed interactive charts, maps and tables; images download as PNG with a "Created with Datawrapper" credit, and PDF and SVG are on paid plans. A Datawrapper chart is easy to drop into Figma or Canva and finish with a title and labels.
Where can I get data for a practice infographic?
From open primary sources: Ukraine's data.gov.ua portal or the international Our World in Data, whose charts and own data can be reused under CC BY with attribution (third-party data follows its providers' licenses). Always state the source and the period of the data.
Can I use a pie chart?
You can, but carefully. Research cited by Nielsen Norman Group shows people judge angles and areas worse than bar lengths. If the same point can be shown with a bar chart, choose that. A pie chart works at best when there are two or three parts with a visible difference between them; label the percentages directly on the slices.
How much text should an infographic have?
As much as it takes to understand the main point without you: a conclusion title, short data labels and a source line. Anything that can go without losing meaning is better removed. Label data right next to bars and lines instead of using a legend. If the infographic goes on a website, add a text description of the key data nearby for people who can't see the image.
Is the Spaceberry community paid?
No, Spaceberry Community is completely free. It's supported by Spaceberry Foundation, a non-profit public organization. All you need to join is a Telegram account: tap the button on this page, introduce yourself and ask your first question. The community has 1,504 designers who share their work, give feedback and take part in design games with the same brief for everyone. Conversations are in Ukrainian.
Get feedback on your infographic
Join 1,504 designers who learn, share their work and play design games. Show your infographic and find out whether the main point comes through. The community talks in Ukrainian.
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Updated · Spaceberry Foundation
Sources:
- Nielsen Norman Group — Choosing Chart Types: Consider Context
- Nielsen Norman Group — Clutter-Free Charts
- Nielsen Norman Group — Contrast in Charts
- W3C — Understanding WCAG 2.2: Use of Color
- W3C — Understanding WCAG 2.2: Non-text Contrast
- W3C WAI — Complex Images tutorial
- Datawrapper — Pricing
- data.gov.ua — Ukraine's open data portal
- Our World in Data — FAQs