Creating Infographics with Sydney Czyzon
Every day we are overwhelmed with information. Whether it comes at us from the internet, radio, television, or just something we encounter in the world, our brains are constantly sorting through input and data. But a really good infographic can help to disseminate that information quickly and succinctly, highlighting the most important parts for us in a easy-to-understand visual format.
Last month, scrolling through stories on the Marquette Wire site, an example of a very successful infographic caught my eye. Created by Marquette sophomore Sydney Czyzon, the graphic detailed stats about drug use and drug arrests on campus using data pulled from DPS and MUPD logs over the past five years. Sydney broke the information up into well-balanced pieces that were easy to understand at a glance but still offered an incredible amount of detail.
We reached out to her in the hopes that she’d be willing to speak about her process, what sort of programs she uses when creating them, any advice she’d offer to others interested in creating great infographics, and more!
What is your year at MU, your major/minor, your role at the paper, and what are you looking to do after you graduate? Where are you from?
I’m a sophomore at Marquette and I have majors in both journalism and political science. My current role at the newspaper is Assistant News Editor. This position consists of writing stories, editing stories, incorporating multimedia elements into stories and assisting with the production of the newspaper on Monday nights. After I graduate, I hope to work for a newspaper or magazine as a reporter. I’m mostly interested in political reporting or news reporting, so receiving a job in one of those fields would be ideal. I’m from Joliet, Illinois, which is a suburb of Chicago.
What kind of software do you use to make your visualizations? What is your process in general, or specifically, how did you make the viz for the marijuana article?
I typically use Canva when I make my visualizations because I find it easy to navigate and aesthetically pleasing. I believe the website allows users to create graphics that are not only intriguing, but easy to understand. My process for creating a graphic usually begins by evaluating the data or facts I will be using for the graphic. Once I’ve done this, I brainstorm about which types of graphs or designs would communicate this data in the most understandable, engaging way. Then, I usually play around with the graphs and designs until they’re organized in a layout that looks good and makes sense. Once I’m done, I’ll usually have another editor look over the graphic to give me feedback. I’ll make any necessary changes before the graphic is published.
For the marijuana article specifically, I was working with a heavy amount of data. I knew I wanted to communicate as much information as possible to viewers of the graphic, but I wanted to make sure I was communicating the data in a variety of different ways. People learn in unique ways and I wanted to accommodate everyone with my choice of graphics. After looking through the data I gathered from MUPD daily logs, I picked out trends I thought carried some importance. Then, I looked at which graphs could represent this data. A bar graph seemed fitting to showcase MUPD’s marijuana arrests and a pie chart seemed fitting to compare drug-related incidents in residence halls. I think it helped visually for viewers of the graphic to see that McCormick experiences nearly half of all drug-related incidents in the residence halls. Then, I thought including a more word-heavy part of the graphic for miscellaneous findings would be helpful for viewers to take away some other key facts from the story. My use of a bubble design for the possession of marijuana citations was a creative choice that I thought added a unique visual aspect to the graphic. I never want my graphics to be daunting or boring, so presenting data in interesting ways is extremely important to me.
Did you have any special training or experience in making infographics? What kind?
I did not have any type of special training or experience in making infographics. I’ve learned how to make them through my own experiences in having to make them. When I started writing stories for the newspaper at the beginning of this academic year, I realized that graphics could be helpful in explaining some of the data or facts I present in my stories. My ability to create graphics, such as the one in the marijuana story, is a result of hours of playing around on Canva and seeing what works. While it can be helpful to get some formal training on how to make infographics, it’s definitely possible to learn some of the tricks on your own with some time and patience. With practice, my infographics have improved in quality and I think others could improve their infographics with more practice as well.
What are some rules to keep in mind or advice for others who are trying to make an infographic? Any design guidelines to share?
When making an infographic, I think it’s important to go beyond the data. While the data is what is being communicated to viewers of the graphic, they will skim over the data if it is not presented in an intriguing way. It is essential for those trying to make graphics to consider the needs of their viewers. Those who make graphics should aim to present information in easy-to-understand ways with unique designs. Putting yourself in the position of the graphic viewer can be helpful. Ask yourself if you’d be captivated by the design of the graphic and if you’d be able to easily understand the data being presented. I would also say that those making graphics should be careful not to include too much data in their graphics. You don’t want to overwhelm the viewer with too much data. Pick the most important data and focus on that in your graphic.
Has the ability to create infographics like this helped you out in your coursework? Or vice versa?
While my coursework has not helped me with my ability to create graphics, my experience in student media has. It has forced me to experiment with sites like Canva to learn graphic-making on my own. My ability to create infographics has not helped me yet in my coursework, but I definitely think it could help me in future courses and my career. As a journalism student, we’re always looking to find new ways to present information to readers. Graphics can be incredibly helpful for data-heavy stories and provide readers with a visual aide. Down the road, I’m sure I’ll be using graphics with many of my stories in journalism classes and after I graduate.
Anything else you’d like to share about the process of making one? The experience or value of them?
Even though the experience of making a graphic can be frustrating and difficult, practice and patience will allow you to improve your skills. It may seem like an impossible challenge to present complex, heavy data in easy-to-understand ways, but it is possible. Take the time to evaluate your options and choose your plan of attack. Graphics can really provide viewers with a more in-depth understanding of the topic at hand. Adding graphics to a story or project can be incredibly valuable. Graphics increase the quality of a story of project by providing another way for readers or viewers to ingest the information being presented.
We’d like to thank Sydney for letting us feature her work in the DSL blog and thank her for taking the time to answer our questions.
If you’re interested in creating a digital project like this, or would like help creating your own infographic, make sure to contact the Digital Scholarship Lab. We offer in-person consultations by appointment or walk-in tutor hours Monday through Friday 4pm-8pm.
