Types of infographics: 9 formats and when to use each

People usually ask "what type of infographic should I make?" after they've gathered their content. That's the right moment. The type is a decision about structure: which way the eye travels and what the reader compares. Get it right and the layout almost plans itself. Get it wrong and no amount of color will fix it.

Below are the nine formats you'll see most often, each with the question it answers.

What are the main types of infographics?

The main types are statistical, informational, timeline, process, comparison, list, geographic, hierarchical and anatomical, and each one answers a different kind of question.

Names vary between design books and template sites. Some call an informational piece a "concept" infographic, and some treat a resume as its own type. The table covers the structures underneath those labels.

When should you use a statistical infographic?

Use a statistical infographic when the numbers are the story and the reader needs to compare them.

This is the format most people picture: a headline figure, two or three charts, and a source line. It suits survey results, annual reports and anything that answers "how much". Our gallery piece on where the 24 hours go is a statistical infographic built around one comparison.

The risk is crowding. Three charts that each make a point read better than eight that each make half of one. If you aren't sure which chart to use for a comparison, the chart choice guide walks through it.

When does a timeline or process layout fit better?

Choose a timeline when order and dates matter, and a process layout when order matters but dates don't.

Both formats run in one direction. A timeline answers "when", so the spacing between stops can carry meaning: a long gap on the line should be a long gap in time. A process infographic answers "how", so the steps can be evenly spaced, and each one should start with a verb.

A quick test: if you could remove every date and the piece would still make sense, it's a process. If removing the dates leaves the reader lost, it's a timeline.

How do comparison and list infographics differ?

A comparison sets two or more things against the same criteria, while a list gives a set of items that don't need to be measured against each other.

Comparison pieces work in columns. Every row is a criterion (price, speed, size) and every column is an option. The reader's eye moves across, so keep the criteria in the same order for each option and use the same units.

List infographics stack vertically and suit tips, checklists and "things to know". They are the easiest to make and the easiest to make dull. A list gets better when each item has one concrete detail, such as a number, an example or a short warning.

What about maps, hierarchies and anatomical diagrams?

These three formats show structure in space: where something is, what sits above what, or which part does what.

• Geographic infographics need a real spatial question. If the map only decorates a ranking of five countries, a sorted bar chart will be faster to read.
• Hierarchical pieces show levels, such as a food pyramid, an org chart or a family of categories. Size and position imply importance, so make sure the top really is the top.
• Anatomical infographics label the parts of an object: a bike, a cell, a web page. They depend on a clean drawing and short labels placed close to what they name.

How do you pick the right type for your content?

Write the one question your reader brings to the piece, then pick the format whose structure answers that question.

1. Write the message in one sentence, as described in the planning guide.
2. Turn it into the reader's question: how much, when, how, which, where, or what are the parts.
3. Match the question to the table above.
4. Check that your content has the right shape. A timeline needs dates; a comparison needs at least two options measured the same way.
5. If two formats compete for the main layout, split the piece or demote one format to a small section.

Mixing is normal. A long piece might open with a statistical section, then switch to a short process for "what you can do". The trouble starts when the reader can't tell which structure is in charge, and their eye jumps between a map, a timeline and a pyramid on the same screen.

Does the type affect accessibility?

Yes, because each format implies a reading order, and that order has to survive when the image is turned into text.

A screen reader user gets your alt text and any text on the page, not the layout. A timeline converts easily into a dated list, and a process into numbered steps. Maps and comparisons need more work: a table of values or a short paragraph naming the pattern. W3C's guidance on complex images recommends a short description plus a longer text version of the key information, and the structure you chose tells you how to write it.

Questions

Sources

• W3C WAI: Complex images tutorial
• W3C: Understanding WCAG 2.2, Non-text Content