By Presentation Studio

August 14, 2017

What’s the difference between illustrations and infographics?

This question is something we get asked at Presentation Studio all the time _?_ and the best way to answer it is to show you.

Illustrations and infographics have much in common, but play different roles in communication.


Illustrations

Illustrations are used to illuminate your content. They usually take a more holistic approach to a subject and bring in related non-quantifiable information.

They help tell the story (think of how drawings work in a comic strip or book).

It is usually necessary that each one is drawn by hand, or stock images.

Infographics

Infographics work wonders at simplifying large amounts of data and numbers. They are very effective for complicated concepts or when you are presenting comparisons.

They are reportedly 30 times more likely to be read than simple text!

Infographics are generally created for telling or explaining specific data or a sequence of facts and insights.

These two examples visualise the difference.

Using the example of the Australian census in 2017 this illustration depicts the scene of local houses on that day:

illustration and infographics

Whilst the Infographic explains some of the data that was recorded that day:

illustration and infographic

So next time you want to visualise your message use infographics to help your audience comprehend different sets of information, and an illustration to help build emotional engagement of what you are saying. 


Remember, illustrations are visual support for stories and ideas _?_ infographics are best for explaining context and numbers.


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