Turning an Essay into an Infographic
Remediation can be surprising
Remediation is the process of presenting material from one form in another form, such as recording a podcast that narrates the ideas and information from a photo.
There are infinite ways that remediation can transform one work into another, so for the purposes of clarity, this resource will focus on turning a written text-based essay into a audio-visual product of an infographic.
Design
Before you jump into creating a new infographic form of your written essay, you need to make plans. These plans should start with an understanding of what you are being asked to create using what you already have.
Here are a few questions to consider:
- What were the main ideas of your essay? What will they be for your infographic?
- How did the written format help you to express your ideas? How will the infographic help you?
- How did the written format challenge the expression of your ideas? How will the infographic format challenge you?
- What thoughts and feelings did you intend your writing to elicit from your readers? What thoughts and feelings do you want to elicit from your viewers?
A picture is worth a thousand words...
Visual Literacy
As you work to answer the above questions, you may find yourself wondering how to express your written ideas in a visual format. Explore the resources linked on our Visual Literacy support page.
Here are some important parts of the Design stage:
- Outlining - Creating an outline of the topics and ideas that you want to express in your infographic.
- Read about outlining your infographic (Venngage)
- Designing your infographic - Steps 1-4 of the website linked below by infographic maker Venngage details the design process and offers many examples
The design process also includes bringing in materials from other sources. The internet provides access to millions of images, icons, and other resources for your infographic. Depending on your assignment requirements, you may be allowed or required to use these materials. Knowing where to find them, as well as the legal and ethical guidelines to using them is vital.
Find images to include in your infographic.
Learn about copyright, licensing, and usage of other creators' works.
Create
The creation process for your infographic can start like the above image with a pencil to paper. It can also start at one of the software apps or websites that you can use to create an infographic. Your software tool can be as simple as PowerPoint or as advanced as Adobe InDesign. You can start with a blank canvas or use one of the many templates available from the web.
See what resources and websites are available for creating images and infographics
Keep the Digital Media Suite's resources and tutoring services in mind as you are creating your infographic. We are available to provide support with the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of programs, as well as offer advice and support as you design and create.
