From Draft to Clarity: The Design Journey Behind a Transit Infographic

Infographic illustrating various types of transitways, including street cars, heavy rail, light rail transit, bus rapid transit, and commuter rail, highlighting their characteristics, such as speed, capacity, energy use, and typical urban settings.

How a Transitway Infographic Evolved from Cluttered to Compelling

At Tablet Infographics, every project is a chance to solve a visual puzzle — to take complex, layered information and shape it into something people can understand at a glance. The “Types of Transitways” infographic is a perfect example.

What started as a dense, icon-heavy map with ambitious content goals evolved into a streamlined, insight-rich graphic — and this post walks through that transformation.

Infographic highlighting challenges in creating a comprehensive transit system map, such as the overuse of icons and text, which leads to visual fatigue and hinders comprehension, alongside the limitations of literal scaling in visual comparisons.

The First Draft: Ambitious, but Underdeveloped

The client asked for an infographic that would compare multiple public transit systems — from heavy rail and commuter rail to bus rapid transit and streetcars. They wanted to show:

• Speed

• Capacity

• Frequency

• Energy use

• Startup costs

• Physical footprint

• And where each system typically operates

The first design attempted to do it all in one literal cityscape layout — but that approach had several issues:

• Too many icons created back-and-forth fatigue with the legend

• Dense copy blocks made the content hard to scan

• The literal map layout limited the ability to show comparative data clearly

In short, it was technically correct — but not visually communicative.

Enhanced Visual Infographic: This upgraded bar graph seamlessly integrates map elements to optimize space and facilitate easier visual comparison. Designed icons aid instant recognition, while additional insights are provided through a contextual infographic.

Reframing the Visual Strategy

Rather than refining the map, I reframed the problem: What’s the clearest, most intuitive way to compare six transit systems — across several metrics — at a glance?

The answer wasn’t a map. It was a hybrid bar graph with visual context.

In the next iterations:

• Transit types were laid out left to right, showing distance from city center

• Icon design was simplified, so viewers could understand them at a glance without referencing the legend

• A supporting comparison table was added to show costs and usage data

• Small 3D-style illustrations helped viewers visualize real-world differences

Each iteration focused on one goal: make it easier for readers to instantly grasp the point.

Infographic illustrating transitway types with refined details for clarity, including updated icons, distance markers, and visual elements for enhanced informational impact.

Lessons from the Design Journey Behind an Infographic

This project wasn’t about fixing a broken layout — it was about clarifying the story. It’s a reminder that the first solution, even if factually accurate, isn’t always the most effective.

Sometimes the real power of an infographic comes from what you take away, not what you add.

This evolution showcases the kind of visual thinking that’s especially valuable in:

• Urban planning communication

• Policy outreach and public education

• Editorial design for complex topics

• Marketing for infrastructure or transit-related services

Refined infographic showcasing various transitways, featuring enhanced visual elements for clarity and context, emphasizing layout adjustments, sub-graphic updates, and cost analysis integration to effectively communicate complex information.

Infographics as Communication Strategy

This isn’t just a visual — it’s a tool for decision-makers, educators, and everyday readers. It turns layered data into an easy, memorable experience that informs and inspires action.

That’s what instructional infographic design is all about.

Want to Turn Complex Content Into Clear Stories?

I hope you've enjoyed learning about the design journey behind an infographic. If you're working with content that’s too important to be skimmed past — whether it’s for a magazine, municipality, nonprofit, or enterprise — I can help you tell that story visually.

Reach out directly to start your next infographic project.