Data visualization is at an all-time high. Your spell-check may not recognize the word, “infographic,” but you can’t walk down the street or browse the internet without encountering flow charts, bar graphs, scatter plots, matrices or complex compositions of many of these diagrams. By definition, “infographics” is a blanket term for diagrams, graphics or illustrations that convey hard data as well as more abstract concepts and processes. These days, they are so popular that there are even infographics about infographics! This is in part because we have more data and more types of information than ever before. The new challenge lies in not just in organizing this content, but also in communicating it.

Media outlets are taking this challenge on, increasing the percentage of content they express visually. They’re also capitalizing on unprecedented levels of aesthetic investment in the world of business. As companies battle for the attention space to present their offerings, they are increasingly putting more resources toward making their communications both beautiful and engaging. As a designer for a communications firm, I have often been sucked into the infographics vortex. I find myself spending free moments perusing visualization archives in infographic warehouses, and reading about topics which, I will freely admit, I often did not have the attention span for before.

Data visualization allows businesses to share complex ideas in a shorter amount of time, and strong infographics can encapsulate the takeaway behind vast amounts of information. Visuals can also add color, flavor and punch to otherwise dry, humdrum topics. But not all infographics are successful. Well crafted infographics not only require careful execution and clarity of purpose, but also thoughtful consideration of how to present content in a way that expresses an appropriate and compelling point.

It’s a multi-step process, and the first step is choosing the right data. As the foundation of the infographic, the supporting data should be relevant, focused and streamlined into one single message. If the data itself is cogent, then the design doesn’t need to be complex. The simplest bar chart can speak volumes to a viewer if the message is there in the data. The right match between data and format can make the difference between a confounding mishmash of numbers and an illuminating graphic.

So how do you make the right match? When beginning the process of translating information into a diagram, the first thing I ask myself is: “What is the single point that I want my viewer to take away?” If I have more than one message, then usually I need more than one graphic. If I try to say too many things at once, my message will be convoluted, or even lost. Once I figure out the takeaway, I step back and consider if content truly warrants an infographic or actually needs a graphic treatment. By this I mean that an infographic should add a layer of understanding to what is being presented, without complicating it to the point of obscurity. A set of product offerings may require a graphic treatment to make it stand out in the hierarchy of information on display, or to convey a certain tone. But before I can make a full-fledged infographic, I need something additional, such as a spectrum of capability between offerings or a comparison of benefits.

Once you have that supporting material, and you know what your intent is, familiarize yourself with some standard types of graphics to identify which kind you should use for your information. For example, pie charts are for parts of a whole, whereas bar graphs compare parallel sets. Line charts should be used to communicate change over time. Sometimes, even these forms, which communicate real data, can be used metaphorically or illustratively to help convey an abstract idea: a line chart zig-zagging upward is easily read to mean growth rather than specific data. Similarly, replacing a standard form with a representative object (replace half a pie chart with a glass half full if you happen to be talking about water shortages) can make a graphic easier to read than a caption below.

Once you think you’ve struck the right combination of data and graphic, take a moment to really think about the intent of your communication. Everything goes back to the key takeaway. Look at the process or concept that you are putting forth and ask yourself: So what? In other words: Why is this idea important to this audience? And does this graphic convey why this idea is important, in addition to the idea itself? In the barrage of information that we encounter every day, often in graphic form, this question separates the memorable messages from the white noise we skim over, walk past, or don’t even notice.