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Making your infographic unified
“Regardless of your approach to colour, there’s no doubt that colour is possibly the most powerful way to set a mood.”
Unity incorporates many other principles by making all elements of a design work well together, unified within the space.
Making your infographic unified and harmonious
Unity is a principle that incorporates many of the other principles of design into a unifying philosophy, an infographic that just looks ‘good’. By ensuring that all of the elements fit together you have an infographic where the whole is one big design itself, as much as any individual part.
In order to achieve unity and a sense of harmony, you want to constantly step back to look at your design as a whole before refocusing on a specific aspect you’re working on.
Tips to achieve unity
By using these seven tips you will make your infographic stronger and more effective.
Stick to and focus on your main message
Try not overwhelming viewers with multiple messages. Always have your main focus in the back of your mind whilst designing. Having all the elements be clearly part of this message will create unity.
Typefaces and fonts
We recommend you stick with 2 typefaces throughout the design. It is a good idea for them to be very different in style. This will achieve unity and also ensure you have effective contrast between different elements.
Sectioning
Unity does not mean you cannot break your infographic down into smaller sections. Breaking up the information will make it more approachable. Just make sure the sections are related by colour/ theme/content.
Consistency
Use a consistent look and style throughout. Also, have a consistent layout and structure using boxes, shapes and grids.
Colour scheme
Have a brand colour/colour scheme. Create a colour palette that you use throughout your infographic. This is the single most effective way to ensure unity and harmony in your design.
Background
Again, this needs to be consistent with colour, gradient and/or (very basic) pattern.
Tips to create visual harmony
Visually, harmony is created by using some of the ingredients below. These are related so there is overlap.
Similarity
Using similar or related elements in different parts of the infographic can give a sense of visual harmony. Some of these have been mentioned above but it is worth repeating them here.
- Stick to the same fonts throughout - keep to two.
- Use the same types of imagery throughout - don't mix different styles of icon, different styles of photograph etc.
- Keep line thicknesses and styles consistent (unless you change for an obvious reason).
- Keep shapes alike and fill styles/effects consistent.
- Stick to a limited colour palette - this can still be quite colourful, just don't go crazy!
Look at the two diagrams below. The first is following the rules above, the second breaks every one of them!
Harmonious Design
In this diagram the fonts are consistent, the icons styles are consistent, the shapes and lines have consistent styles and effects and the colours work together (they are from the same colour scheme in PowerPoint called Aspect).
Inharmonious Design
In this diagram there are many different fonts, the dash styles and shapes are different, as are the bevel effects. The icons are of different styles. The shapes joining the circles vary and the colours were clearly chosen randomly.
Repetition
Having repeated elements within your infographic will help create the sense of harmony you need. In the harmonious diagram above, there was clearly repetition in the shapes, lines, fonts etc. But that was just one diagram; a whole infographic may have many different elements but repeating shapes and formats can make them come together.
Consider repeating the following:
- Shapes of boxes dividing up different parts of the infographic (rectangles, squares, circles, hexagons). Try not to mix.
- Line styles (thickness, dash type, arrow style)
- Title styles (font, size, background boxes)
- Icon styles
- Colours
Look at the infographic shown here, notice the repeated elements - the headings of the different sections, the icons used as bullets, the circles. This works together to make an overall harmonious design.
This example is not perfect, we would suggest avoiding so much text in all capitals as this is less accessible than title or sentence case. You are also unlikely to need logos or so many references as part of the infographic (these are usually given in a supporting document). However, it does have a harmonious look.
Image from the National Institutes for Health image gallery via flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Rhythm
Rhythm is achieved through repetition but it is more than just that. Whereas repetition of elements can be fairly random around your infographic, rhythm is more structured. Different types of rhythm can be achieved as follows:
- Regular rhythm - having equal spacing between elements; elements the same size.
- Alternating rhythm - alternating between two states (sizes, shapes, colours etc).
- Flowing rhythm - have elements form flowing patterns such as waves or zigzags.
- Progressive rhythm - changing the size, position or colours in a progressive manner.
Proximity & connection
The human eye and brain connect things together that are close to each other. So, you can use proximity to show how related things are to each other. How you use white (or neutral) space is therefore very important - larger amounts of space indicate less connection.
This is clearly useful for helping you and your viewer group ideas, concepts, etc. at a glance. Use it with caution though, if you use it too much the impact will be lost and your meaning confused.
You can also show connectivity using lines, boxes (frames), colours etc. Connecting them visually in this way means they are seen as a single unit when compared with items that are not included. Think of these as the equivalent of signposting words in your writing.
