Its an Infographic assignment

Creating a digital infographic is an emerging tactic that has been successfully used across industries for different purposes (e.g., increase public awareness, marketing, tracking trends, etc.). Infographics have become increasingly popular with the growth of highly visual social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Infographics are eye catching, help people connect and remember information, and are easy to share.

So what exactly is an 'infographic'? It's a visual element that integrates text, statistics, and visual images and illustrations to tell a data-driven story. It provides a visual representation of statistical numerical information to convey a message clearly (Perch, 2013).

The infographic (on the right) - The Google Yourself Challenge - is a good example of an infographic that blends images and contextual information with statistics to educate the public on the importance of 'Googling Yourself' to learn how much information about yourself is available on the web to virtually anyone and why it matters.

Do You Remember the 'Google Gotcha! Activity? The "Google Yourself Challenge" infographic was selected as an example because it's a good follow-up to the "Google Gotcha!" activity (with discussion board) that students participated in!

TIP! To view the enlarged infographic, see the article by Anson Alexander in Technology Trends (July 30, 2012) on the following webpage:  https://ansonalex.com/infographics/googling-yourself-and-why-it-is-important-infographic/#infographic (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Best Practices

Best practices in the design and promotion of infographics include the following key insights: (Perch, 2013; Recipe for an Infographic, 2014)

· Seize the data. If there is no data to communicate, you probably do not need an infographic. Infographics typically include statistical information, in addition to text and images.

· See it to believe it. The data or topic should be easily represented visually.

· Know your audience. A clear definition of the target audience is key. Before anything else, ask yourself, "Who is this infographic for, and how will they use it?". For example, the target audience for the "Google Yourself Challenge" Infographic would seem to be young adults, adults, and particularly, professionals, unemployed persons, or recent graduates who will be looking for employment at some point in time.

· Answer ONE question. Focus your infographic on one topic; i.e., have your infographic answer ONE question. This will minimize clutter and going in too many directions in your infographic.

· Tell a story. Finalize a streamlined story with a beginning, middle, and end that includes both the benefits and challenges. The best infographics communicate a clear story by pairing creativity with insightful images and data.

· Keep it simple and clear. Eliminate medical or scientific jargon and use clear graphics to translate complex data. Don't add anything extra that doesn't support your story; clutter only weakens your overall message. Focus on your story, and keep to the main points. Consider the readability of your text for your target audience and write in plain language.

· Be Unique. Your infographic should be a unique representation of the data you want to share. Be creative!

· Promote, promote, promote. A great infographic without a solid promotion plan will not be successful. Consider web and social media channels.