How to Read an Infographic in 60 Seconds

Infographics are fast to look at but easy to misread. This four-step method takes about a minute and works on almost any chart.

1. Read the words first

Start with the title, the subtitle and the axis labels. They tell you what is measured, in what unit and over what period. Only then look at the bars, lines or bubbles.

2. Check the scale

Look at where the vertical axis starts. If it starts at 95 instead of 0, a change from 96 to 98 will look enormous. Also check if the scale is linear (1, 2, 3) or logarithmic (1, 10, 100).

3. Find the source and the date

A good infographic tells you where the numbers came from and when. If there is no source, treat the numbers as an opinion.

4. Say the main point out loud

Try to finish this sentence: “This shows that…”. If you can’t, the infographic is either unclear or trying to do too much.

Practise with an interactive example

Our compound interest infographic lets you change the numbers yourself. Try steps 1–4 on it.