Some people in our industry really hate infographics.
I’ll be honest:
I never woke up one day and said “I want to create a couple thousand infographics.”
But I did like getting top tier links for our clients and at the time, infographics were the best tool to achieve this.
The reason was simple: Most publishers didn’t have the design capability in-house but they knew that readers love this type of content so the marketers could fill in the gap and in exchange get exposure for their clients.
And this was the reason why we chose to double down and only produce infographics for the last couple of years.
Fast forward to 2017 and visual content is no longer new.
Lots of publishers now produce their own simple infographics.
Infographics, even great ones, are finding it hard to push through the noise.
So, should we all close up shop and start selling guest posts?
Thankfully not, there are lots of format types beyond infographics and in this post I will share with you 13 great examples you can use in future campaigns.
And the great news is, if you’ve ever made a great infographic, you can apply the same skills to creating different types of great visual content; creativity, research, copywriting and design.
I have purposely ignored interactive content such as:
It adds another layer of complexity (development) that is not already part of the core skills mentioned above that you’re currently applying to infographics.
1. Maps
Maps are often given as an example of the original infographic with the first known map seen in back in 600 BC.
Maps work well because they are something that we can call recognise and understand.
They don’t need to be boring maps like you find in an atlas, they can be as creative as you want.
As history has proven, Rand was a little quick to declare infographics as losing effectiveness back in 2013. But he was right about moving to a visual assets and charts at some point.
Good charts work well because they take something complex and make it easier for the reader to understand.
Every audience will have some issue that is very complex that can be made easier using a good chart.
Having the confidence to produce just one chart is tricky and forces you to focus your ideation, research, content and data visualization design but the end results can be phenomenal.
3. Photo Manipulation
Photo manipulation used to be something only available to those with massive budgets.
You will be amazed at what can be done with a creative idea and someone who knows how to use Photoshop.
Perceptions of Perfection
Source: Superdrug
Update 8th January 2018:
Since this post was published, the team at NeoMam experimented with photo manipulation and developed seven hybrid cities for Expedia.com.
It was a lot harder to pull off then we expected, but we are pleased with the result. With regards to results, this content got featured on the web with some standout features from Lonely Planet and Archdaily, and the team are still promoting it around the web.
4. 3D Design Renders
Another benefit of the increase in computing power available to consumers are the 3D renders.
It provides you with the ability to create something totally unique.
At the end of 2017, we produced an idea that took something we all knew and loved – The Simpsons home and re-imagined it in 8 different architectural styles.
We also decided to use a simple gif transition and then ended up with the above. This campaign went everywhere and 98 features across the web including Boingboing and apartmentherapy.com
Based on the results of this campaign we are going to do a lot more ideas that take something we can all relate to and show it in a new way.
9. Flow Charts
We all remember reading flow charts in the back of Cosmogirl back in early 2000’s?
Maybe that was just me, but you get the idea.
Flow charts are simple to digest but a real pain to produce, often a good sign when it comes to content.
As the producer of the content you are responsible for presenting the information, so the reader can easily digest it without reading and understanding lots of text.
Cafe Art’s MyLondon Calendar Project
A photography calendar created by people who have been homeless. Unique photos, inspiring stories.
The logistics are not easy as you actually have to get input from lots of different people. But when it works, journalists love it.
11. Illustrations
Custom illustrations allow you to create something totally unique.
As everyone now has access to a stock image service, lots of visual content looks really similar.
But no one will have has access to the illustrations that you create.
In an effort to sustain results for the long form infographic, we have moved to an illustration dominant style but we have also seen many uses of illustrations on their own.
The Literal English Translation of Unusual Foreign Phrases
The great thing with this format is how flexible it can be and you are restrained only by your creativity.
12. Animated GIFs
Gif’s are well and truly back as you can see by checking out the popular tab on Reddit.com.
And today, designers can do some really awesome things with them. I have covered Eleanor Lutz before when I last talked about animated infographics. Eleanor Lutz and Jacob O’Neal show you that you can do more with the format than just create animated memes.
Planet Earth Control Deck
What Earth’s control panel might look like if it was a spaceship piloted by humans.
I really hope this post has been useful and that it will inspire you for your next campaign.
This list is certainly not complete, so I would appreciate if you could share any content you have seen or even created yourself that deserves to be included.
Finally, remember the best content in the world is no good unless you know how to promote it.
Download the same template our outreach team uses below.
Until next time.
Featured Image Source: ValeStock / Shutterstock.com
Article by:
Danny Ashton
Coming up with ideas for our campaigns, thinking about what’s next for the content we create, and making sure we work with the right clients.
