Infographics

In the last few days, I have been doing some research on info graphics and icons. It all started by watching a webinar, and has since really peaked my interest.

What I found most interesting was relating the importance of good info graphics and icons to the way that the brain indexes information.  The brain looks for visual imagery before reading text...no matter how large your headline is.  The brain can also index, interpret, and recall imagery much more quickly than written word. 

For example, if you're on a website looking for the contact link, your brain will find and translate the image of the envelope much quicker than it will find the word "contact." 

CONTACT

A few key points that really stood out to me?

1. Icons should always be designed in sets.  This includes using a standard color pallet and lighting effects.  Mismatched icons are jarring and look awkward.  If you're looking for a set of icons, there are many free sets at Iconfinder.

2. Keep in mind colorblindness.  If you're using red, yellow, and green dots to represent progress, your icons will leave many users uninformed.

3. A good info graphic is worth a thousand words.  Keeping in theme with the recent beer posts, this info graphic on The Best Beer in America is a good example.