What Is an Infographic & How It Can Help Your Presentation

Are you using infographics in your presentations and marketing?

If not, maybe it's time to start. Infographics combine data and visual representation with analysis. As we'll see, they're a great way to enhance any presentation, using templates like the ones available on Envato Elements.

In this guide, I'll discuss what infographics are and how they help presenters. I'll also share some tips for creating better infographics.

What Is an Infographic?

Let's backtrack again to get clear on what infographics actually are. We often think of the term as being relatively new, but it isn't. People have used charts and graphs to present information for centuries, and those are effectively infographics.

BusiPro is a simple infographic presentation template — The simple infographic, BusiPro, from Envato Elements has many uses.

Google's Ngram Viewer shows that the term "information graphic" has been around for centuries, while people have been talking about "infographics" since the 1970s.

These days, when we use the word "infographic," we usually mean graphics that group data and facts around a theme, and which are shared online. Those can be pretty complex to create, but there's an easier way.

You can create a simple infographic within a presentation by using a Google Slides or PowerPoint infographic template. Learn more about how to customize an infographic template in the following tutorial:

Google Slides

How to Make an Infographic With Google Slides Using a Template

Sharon Hurley Hall

Benefits of Using Infographics

So, why does it make sense to use infographics in marketing? Here are a few benefits of using infographics.

First of all, people can be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of online information around. In the average internet minute, there are:

hundreds of thousands of tweets
tens of millions of messages via SMS, WhatsApp and other platforms
hundreds of millions of emails

Infographics provide a way to cut through the overload and help people make sense of the data that's available online.

From a business viewpoint, using infographics brings a lot of other benefits. There's nothing that says you know your stuff like sharing some data-rich research and analysis. That's why using infographics in presentations helps you show your expertise.

How to design infographs with a presentation template — You can find multiple infographic presentation templates in the Corporate Business Plan Google Slides Template.

Infographics are widely shared, which can help to increase awareness of your brand. DemandGen Report shows that:

56% of marketers use visuals in all their content
37% of those visuals are original material like infographics
infographics and original visuals drove more engagement than any other visual format

Finally, infographics are great for SEO because they build inbound links. Most people who embed an infographic on their site link back to the original source. If search engines see your site as the online authority for that content, that can only be a good thing, right?

Why Use Infographics in Presentations?

Clearly, it makes sense to use infographics to market your business, but is it also a good idea to use infographics in presentations?

Absolutely! There are several reasons why it makes sense to use infographics in presentations.

Say, you've got a public-speaking engagement, like a conference presentation. Instead of simply reeling off a list of facts, you can communicate business insights in an accessible way by using an infographic.

Even better, using infographics helps keep your audience's attention. In fact, the combination of text and data helps people visualize and retain key points in your presentation.

Pyramid infographic presentation slides — Use this attractive Google Slides infographic template from Envato Elements to help your audience retain key points.

As our roundup of 20+ Best Free Infographic PowerPoint Templates (for Data Rich Presentations points out, 65% of us are visual learners. That makes infographics the perfect tool for capturing and retaining attention and fostering engagement with the material you're presenting.

What's Included In an Infographic?

If you're going to create an infographic, and especially if you're going to us an infographic template, here are the elements you'll need to have ready in advance:

Text. Although infographics are visual, you still need some text to provide information for your audience.
Data. The research that you're presenting.
Charts and graphs. These are useful to help people understand the data.
Diagrams. These can provide another way to lead people through the data you present.
Images. Depending on the subject of your presentation, images may be a useful tool for illustrating your topic.

Next, I'll look at how you combine these elements to create an infographic.

3 Infographic Creation Tips

If you're ready to start creating an infographic presentation, here are three tips to help:

1. Don't Get Hung Up On the Visuals

OK, so here' s how to create an infographic. One of the most important tips is not to get too hung up on the visuals at the start. That seems counter-intuitive for a visual tool but let me explain.

Abstract Google Slides infographic template — The right infographic presentation template can help you tell your narrative.

An infographic tells a story, and the visuals support that story. So, it's important to have an underlying narrative that leads readers from point A to point B to point C, and to your conclusion.

The best way to make sure you do this is to plan and outline your infographic in advance. It's just like planning a piece of written content. You'll need:

a title
the main points you intend to cover, in order
the data
a conclusion

Let's look at these elements in a bit more detail. Like other content, a good infographic needs a strong headline or title. This is what will encourage people to read the rest of the infographic and to pay attention to the content.

You can use a tool like BuzzSumo to find popular headlines that you can use as inspiration. Learn more about writing headlines in our guide:

Design Theory

Writing and Designing a Killer Headline

Brian Casel

2. Focus On Your Main Points

Next, think of the main points you want to cover. Think of these as subheads in a blog post. Add the data that supports each point to the outline. You'll use the subheads to show people the different areas of your infographic.

Most people read on the web by scanning. The subheads you use to show different pieces of data need to keep your audience's attention. They'll be looking to see that your infographic delivers on the promise of the headline so they get what they expect when they keep reading. If they don't, that's a big turnoff.

Next, there's the data, which you'll display via charts, graphs, and some text. The "info" part of the infographic is crucial. Make sure the data you're using is up to date, and if you've got original data, that's even better. Outdated facts and stats won't help your reputation - or your business.

The Company Profile Google Slides Template from Envato Elements has plenty of ways for you to share your data.

Good places to find data include:

government data
academic research
research organizations and foundations
Google Trends and similar sites
company research studies

When selecting data to include, think about what best supports the point you're trying to make.

3. Remember Your Takeaway

Finally, consider the key takeaway you want people to get from your infographic. This is the point you're leading towards, like a conclusion in a blog post or article. While you may not include this explicitly, knowing where you're going will help you to plan your infographic properly.

Once you've collected this information, you can start thinking more about how you'll support your points with visuals.

Simple infographic presentation slides - Nature — Use a professionally-designed template such as the Nature Presentation Template to avoid clutter.

Let's talk design for a minute. While you want your infographic to be packed full of information, avoid clutter at all costs. As I said earlier, make it easy to navigate the infographic by using subheads to highlight different sections. This also works for visual elements.

One way to make your infographic work better for your audience is to create a visual identity. That means using the same visual elements for the same kind of information. For example, you can vary the icons used depending on whether you're presenting a stat, asking a question, or giving a warning. This improves both the user interface and the user experience.

Envato Elements icons — Download an unlimited number of design assets, including thousands of icons and images, from Envato Elements for a low monthly fee.

If you're looking for useful icons and images to illustrate your infographic, check out the graphics on GraphicRiver or Envato Elements.

GraphicRiver search for infographic presentation icons — You can download icons and images from GraphicRiver on a pay-as-you-go basis.

How to Include an Infographic in Your Presentation

Now that you know what's involved in creating an infographic, here's how you include infographics in your presentation.

First of all, create your presentation in PowerPoint or Google Slides. Read our guide on How to Create Great PowerPoint Presentations (With Top Examples) to help you to do that.

Make the process easier by using a PowerPoint or Google Slides infographic template from Envato Elements or GraphicRiver. Follow our guide to:

download the template
import it into PowerPoint or Google Slides to create your infographic presentation slides
customize the text
customize the graphics

Remember, make sure you've got your text, data, icons and images ready to make the customization process simple.

Learn More About Using PowerPoint & Google Slides

Learn more about PowerPoint and Google Slides in the tutorials below:

Find top-quality presentation templates in these articles:

Download Our New eBook on Making Great Presentations (Free PDF)

Need more help with your infogrpahic presentations? We've got a helpful resource that'll walk you through the complete presentation process. Learn how to write your presentation, design it like a pro, and prepare it to present powerfully.

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Start Adding Infographic Presentation Slides to Your Presentations Right Away

Now that you've learned how to make infographics you can see how infographics can make your presentations even better.

Try downloading and customizing a template to improve your next public- speaking engagement. Don't forget that you can get infographic presentation templates from Envato Elements or GraphicRiver.