The 13 Types of Infographics and Where to use Them

An infographic presents information with images and minimal text to make a message easier to understand. The article explains that its types vary by purpose, presentation, and the objects they use, often combining elements to reach one goal.

• Why it matters: Short captions and visual elements can make information easier to digest and share.
• How it works: The purpose, presentation, and objects in the material guide which visual elements belong together.
• Case in point: More than one infographic type can be combined when a communication goal needs several visual elements.
• Reality check: Too much color or too many icons can leave readers unsure where to look.

Simply put, an infographic is a type of content that presents information using images and minimal texts. It does that in a simple way, facilitating its comprehension by the readers.

There are many types of infographics, which makes it possible to use them in a wide variety of situations for several reasons.

They differ in terms of purpose, how the information is presented, and the types of objects they use, for example. However, most of them combine elements of more than one type to achieve a specific goal.

It’s actually kind of amazing to see how often infographics pop up once you start noticing them. They sneak into social feeds, news articles, even instructions for assembling furniture—though, okay, maybe those IKEA ones could use a designer’s touch. Still, the mix of visuals and short captions just works, especially when you’re staring at a wall of text and your brain is firmly in “too long, didn’t read” mode. My point: people crave quick, vivid explanations, and infographics deliver.

You don’t need to be a design pro to put one together, either. There are loads of easy-to-use tools now—Canva, Piktochart, that kind of thing—where you basically drag and drop your info into pre-made templates. I’ve seen businesses save hours (and sometimes dollars) by skipping complicated slide decks in favor of one well-crafted graphic. Just don’t overdo the flair: too much color or too many icons and suddenly nobody knows where to look.

Besides that, infographics are easy to digest and very shareable. So they are helpful to spread information faster and engage the audience.

For these reasons, it is vital to include this versatile and compelling content in your visual marketing strategies.

Keep reading to find out the main types of infographics and for which purposes they are recommended.