Frequently asked questions

As long as the message needs and no longer. A single-point piece for social media often works best as one screen. A long vertical infographic for a blog post can run five to seven sections, but if you need more than that, you probably have two infographics.

It depends on where it will be seen. For print, work from the paper size at 300 pixels per inch, so US Letter is 2,550 by 3,300 pixels. For the web, a width of 1,200 to 1,600 pixels covers most layouts. Social platforms each have preferred aspect ratios, which change from time to time, so check the platform's current help pages before you export.

Two typefaces at most, often one family in two or three weights is enough. For color, one neutral for most of the content plus one or two accent colors for the things you want people to notice. More colors make readers hunt for a meaning that isn't there.

Designers often use Adobe Illustrator, Affinity Designer or Figma. Canva and similar web tools have templates that are fine for simple pieces. For the charts themselves, a spreadsheet, Datawrapper or Flourish will produce accurate charts you can bring into your layout. The tool matters less than the plan.

Start with official statistics: national statistics offices, central banks, the World Bank, the OECD, and U.S. agencies such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau. Large survey organizations such as Pew Research Center publish methods with their numbers. Our data sources guide covers how to check a source before you use it.

Put a short source line on the graphic itself, naming the organization and the dataset or report, with the year. Add the full reference and a link where the infographic is published. A source that only appears on the web page gets lost when the image is shared.

Yes, as long as rounding doesn't change the comparison. Round consistently, say so if it matters, and keep the unrounded figures in your working file. Never round in the direction that helps your story.

Only if the license allows it. Many icon sets are free with attribution, some are free for any use, and some are not free at all. Keep a note of the license for each asset you use. Data facts themselves are generally not protected by copyright, but someone else's chart design and text are.

Give it alt text that states the main point, publish the key text and numbers as real text on the page, keep contrast at WCAG levels, and don't rely on color alone. The accessible infographics guide goes through each step.

The InfoGlyphs Team, a small independent group of people who make charts and editorial graphics. The site doesn't take sponsored posts and isn't connected to any design agency or to earlier owners of the domain.