Designing Effective Health Infographics

UIC Library Virtual Symposium: Designing Effective Health Infographics [about 3 hours]

• Part 1: Role of Infographics in Promoting Health Equity with Dr. Brenikki Floyd, PhD, MPH
• Part 2: Designing Info Graphics: Less ticks and color, more POV with Professor Robert Zolna, MDES
• Part 3: Creating Infographics with Everyday Software (like PowerPoint)

I learned about this intriguing program at the 2021 Midwest / MC-MLA Chapter Virtual Conference, where Rose Hanneke, one of the Librarians involved, talked about the program.

• Note: They are only listing it on YouTube for 6 months due to Zoom and licensing limitations. The clock is ticking , so watch it while you can!  

Lightning Talk Abstract:

Offering Online Training in Infographic Design through an Expert Speaker Event. 

Rosie Hanneke and Tina Griffin, University of Illinois Chicago Library of the Health Sciences. [Program Description] 

BACKGROUND: Infographics can visually communicate complex information in a manner easily understood by the reader. Those working in health professions increasingly seek to communicate health  information to patients and community members through this medium. In April 2021, our library held a virtual symposium, bringing together three expert speakers to convey the basic principles of design and health communication necessary for understanding what makes an infographic effective. 

DESCRIPTION: We received funding for the three expert speakers from the Network of the National Library of Medicine's Expert Speaker Award. The speakers included faculty from our university's Schools of Design and Public Health, and a librarian with expertise in data visualization from outside our university. The talks covered infographics and health equity; design principles; and using common software to create infographics. The event was open to students, faculty, staff, and the public. We publicized the symposium through listservs, the library's regular communication channels, and the network of community organizations established through university researchers. The symposium was recorded for those unable to attend. 

CONCLUSION: 200 people registered, nearly 100 attended, and over 100 viewed the recording. We had an overwhelmingly positive response to this event despite a compressed timeline for publicity and promotion, demonstrating a strong interest in this topic across diverse audiences. The library served as the ideal virtual gathering place for this interdisciplinary event.