DATA4100 · Data Visualisation & Communication

Building an Infographic
in Power BI

From raw data to a single-page visual story — designing, building, and exporting a publication-ready infographic using real-world happiness data.

ToolMicrosoft Power BI Desktop
DatasetWorld Happiness Report 2023
DurationIn-class Workshop
Section 1

Infographics
Explained

What makes an infographic different from a dashboard, and when should you choose one over the other?

1.1

What is an Infographic?

An infographic is a static, self-contained visual document that communicates a specific story or insight about a dataset to a defined audience — typically a general or executive audience.

Unlike a dashboard, an infographic is not interactive. It is designed to be read like a poster or a report page: top to bottom, with a clear narrative flow.

Definition

An infographic = Data + Design + Narrative. All three components must be present. Data alone is a table. Design alone is decoration. Narrative alone is prose.

Why use Power BI for infographics?

  • Canvas-level control over layout and page size
  • Combine visuals, text boxes, shapes, and images in one view
  • Export directly to PDF or PNG for sharing
  • Leverage live data connections if needed
WORLD HAPPINESS 2023 Global Report 5.54 AVG SCORE 137 COUNTRIES 7.80 HIGHEST Choropleth Map TOP 10 COUNTRIES HAPPINESS vs GDP Source: World Happiness Report 2023
Figure 1.1 — Typical infographic layout in Power BI
1.2

Infographic vs Dashboard

Infographic

  • Static — no filters or slicers
  • Tells a single, pre-determined story
  • Designed for a general audience
  • Published as a PDF, image, or printed poster
  • Heavy on annotations and narrative text
  • Fixed page size and layout (e.g. A4, 1080×1920 px)
  • Reader cannot drill down or interact

Dashboard

  • Interactive — filters, slicers, cross-highlighting
  • Allows exploratory analysis by the user
  • Designed for analysts or decision-makers
  • Shared via Power BI Service or embedded links
  • Minimal annotation — visuals speak for themselves
  • Responsive or fluid layout
  • Reader can drill down and ask their own questions
Common Mistake

Students often build an infographic that looks like a dashboard with slicers removed. The difference is not just interactivity — it's intentional narrative design. Every element in an infographic should serve the story.

1.3

Infographic Design Principles

Visual Hierarchy

The most important number or insight should be the largest, boldest element. Guide the reader's eye with size and contrast.

Colour Restraint

Use 2–3 colours maximum. One dominant, one accent for highlights, one neutral. Colour should encode meaning — not decoration.

Alignment & Grid

Align every element to an invisible grid. Misaligned visuals signal carelessness. Use Power BI's snap-to-grid feature.

One Chart = One Insight

Every visual must answer exactly one question. If a chart needs a paragraph to explain what it shows, redesign it.

T

Typography

Use no more than two font styles. A bold headline font and a clean body font. Avoid default Segoe UI — choose something with personality.

White Space

Empty space is not wasted space — it creates breathing room and directs focus. Resist the urge to fill every corner of the canvas.

1.Q

Knowledge Check — Infographics

Q1 — Which of the following best describes an infographic?
An infographic is static and narrative-driven. It tells a pre-determined story to a broad audience and is typically exported as an image or PDF — not interacted with in a live tool.
Q2 — A student includes 7 different colours and 4 font sizes in their infographic. Which design principle are they violating most clearly?
Using too many colours removes meaning from each colour (colour should encode data, not just look busy), and multiple font sizes destroy a clear visual hierarchy. Both rules — colour restraint and consistent typography — are violated here.
Section 2

Today's Dataset

We'll use the World Happiness Report 2023 — a rich, freely available dataset with global coverage, multiple numeric dimensions, and compelling stories waiting to be visualised.

2.1

World Happiness Report 2023

World Happiness Report 2023
Free & Public CSV / Excel 137 Countries 9 Columns

Published annually by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, this dataset ranks countries by self-reported life satisfaction alongside six contributing factors. It is widely used in data journalism, academic research, and visualisation courses worldwide.

Download URLs
Primary: https://www.kaggle.com/datasets/ajaypalsinghlo/world-happiness-report-2023
Backup (no login): https://raw.githubusercontent.com/holtzy/data_to_viz/master/Example_dataset/7_OneCatSevNum.csv
Official: https://worldhappiness.report/data/
137
Countries
9
Variables
2023
Edition
6
Regions
2.2

Dataset Column Reference

Column Name Type Description Visualisation Use
Country name Text Name of the country Labels, map, bar chart axis
Regional indicator Category World region (e.g. Western Europe) Colour legend, grouping
Ladder score Number Happiness score 0–10 (Cantril ladder survey) KPI card, bar chart, map fill
Logged GDP per capita Number Log of GDP per person (purchasing power) Scatter plot X-axis
Social support Number "Do you have someone to count on?" (0–1) Stacked bar, tooltip detail
Healthy life expectancy Number Expected healthy years at birth Scatter tooltip, supplementary KPI
Freedom to make life choices Number Satisfaction with freedom of choice (0–1) Supplementary bar / highlight
Perceptions of corruption Number Perceived corruption in government/business Tooltip, advanced scatter
In-class tip

Download the CSV, open it in Excel or Notepad first to confirm the column names match the table above before loading into Power BI. Column names vary slightly between dataset versions.

Section 3

Power BI Setup

Loading the data, configuring the canvas for infographic dimensions, and inspecting the data model before we build any visuals.

3.1

Loading the Data into Power BI

1
Open Power BI Desktop → Get Data → Text/CSV
On the Home ribbon, click Get data → Text/CSV. Navigate to your downloaded world-happiness-2023.csv file and click Open.
2
Preview the data — check delimiter and encoding
Power BI will auto-detect comma delimiter and UTF-8 encoding. Verify the preview shows column names in row 1. Click Transform Data to open Power Query.
3
In Power Query — verify data types
Confirm: Ladder score, Logged GDP per capita, and all numeric columns are Decimal Number type. Country name and Regional indicator should be Text.
4
Close & Apply
Click Close & Apply in Power Query. You should see one table in the Fields pane with 137 rows and 9 columns.
5
Set canvas to Infographic dimensions
Go to View → Page View → Actual Size. Then in Format → Page size, select Custom and enter: Width = 1080 px, Height = 1920 px (portrait poster format).
Do this now

Complete steps 1–5 before proceeding. Raise your hand if the data does not load correctly or if column types look wrong.

Section 4

Building the
Infographic

Seven progressive exercises — from the title block and KPI cards through to the final styled assembly. Each exercise adds one component to your infographic.

4.1

Exercise 1 — Canvas Setup & Title Block

Exercise 1 Canvas Background & Header
1
Set canvas background colour
Format pane → Canvas background → Colour: #F7F7F7 (light grey). Transparency: 0%.
2
Insert a rectangle for the header
Insert → Shapes → Rectangle. Drag to fill top ~180px of the canvas. Fill: #1a2340 (dark navy). No border.
3
Add a Text Box — Title
Insert → Text box. Type: "World Happiness 2023". Font: 36pt bold. Colour: White. Place inside the header rectangle.
4
Add subtitle and source line
Second text box: "How 137 nations score on life satisfaction and its key drivers". Font: 14pt. Colour: #aaaaaa.
KPI Cards KPI Cards Map Visual Bar Chart Scatter
Figure 4.1 — Infographic layout scaffold
4.2

Exercise 2 — KPI Cards

KPI cards display the top-level statistics at a glance. Place three cards across the canvas below the header.

Exercise 2 Add Three Card Visuals
1
Card 1 — Global Average Happiness
Visualisations → Card. Field: Ladder score. Aggregation: Average. Expected value: ≈ 5.54. Label: "Global Average".
2
Card 2 — Happiest Country Score
Field: Ladder score. Aggregation: Maximum. Expected: ≈ 7.80 (Finland). Label: "Highest Score".
3
Card 3 — Countries Measured
Field: Country name. Aggregation: Count (Distinct). Expected: 137. Label: "Countries Surveyed".
4
Style all three cards
Format pane → Background: White. Call-out value colour: #C8102E. Category label: #888888. Font size: 28pt for value, 11pt for label. No border. Disable visual header.
Why these three?

These three stats give the reader immediate orientation: What is normal? What is the best possible? How comprehensive is this data? They anchor the rest of the infographic.

Alignment tip

Select all three cards → right-click → Align → Align top. Then Distribute horizontally. This ensures pixel-perfect alignment without manually adjusting X/Y coordinates.

Watch out

Power BI's "Card" visual rounds to 2 decimal places by default. Go to Format → Callout value → Display units: None, Value decimal places: 2.

4.3

Exercise 3 — Global Map (Choropleth)

Exercise 3 Filled Map — Happiness by Country
1
Insert a Filled Map visual
Visualisations → Filled Map. If not visible, enable it: File → Options → Security → Map and filled map visuals.
2
Configure fields
Location: Country name. Color saturation: Ladder score (Average). Tooltip: Regional indicator.
3
Set a diverging colour scale
Format → Fill colours → Diverging. Minimum: #d73027 (red). Centre: #ffffbf (pale yellow). Maximum: #1a9641 (green). This encodes low = unhappy, high = happy.
4
Disable map controls and title
Format → Map controls: Off. Visual header: Off. Title: Off. Resize to span the full canvas width. Add a manual text label above: "Global Happiness Distribution".
Low High
Figure 4.3 — Choropleth encoding: low scores in red, high scores in green
Bing Maps dependency

Power BI's Filled Map requires an internet connection to resolve country names via Bing Maps. If geo-coding fails, check: File → Options → Global → Security → Use Map and Filled Map visuals.

4.4

Exercise 4 — Top 10 Happiest Countries

Exercise 4 Horizontal Bar Chart with Top-N Filter
1
Insert a Clustered Bar Chart
Y-axis: Country name. X-axis: Ladder score (Average). Sort descending by Ladder score.
2
Apply a Top N Visual Filter
Filters pane → Country name → Filter type: Top N → Top 10 → By: Ladder score (Average). Apply filter.
3
Style the bars
Format → Data colours → All bars: #1a2340. Highlight Finland (rank 1) manually by clicking the bar → Format → #C8102E (burgundy accent).
4
Add data labels & clean the axes
Enable data labels: 1 decimal place, inside end. Turn off X-axis gridlines and X-axis line. Turn off Y-axis title. Title: "Top 10 Happiest Countries — 2023".
Top 10 Happiest Countries — 2023 Finland 7.80 Denmark 7.59 Iceland 7.52 Israel Netherlands Sweden Norway Switzerland Luxembourg New Zealand
Figure 4.4 — Top 10 with accent on rank 1
4.5

Exercise 5 — Happiness vs. Wealth (Scatter Plot)

Exercise 5 Scatter Plot — Correlation Analysis
1
Insert Scatter Chart
X-axis: Logged GDP per capita (Average). Y-axis: Ladder score (Average). Values: Country name (this creates one dot per country).
2
Colour by Region
Legend: Regional indicator. This colour-encodes each dot by world region, revealing geographic clustering patterns.
3
Add a Trend Line
Analytics pane → Trend line → Add. Colour: #C8102E. This makes the positive correlation visible at a glance.
4
Clean the chart
Remove gridlines and axis titles. Add a manual annotation text box: "Wealthier nations tend to be happier — but not always." Title: "Happiness vs. Wealth".
Happiness vs. Wealth Logged GDP per capita → Happiness Score → Wealthier → Happier (mostly)
Figure 4.5 — Scatter with trend line, coloured by region
4.6

Exercise 6 — Applying a Consistent Theme

Exercise 6 Colour Palette, Typography & Source Line
1
Apply a custom theme
View → Themes → Customise current theme. Set: Primary colour #1a2340, accent #C8102E, background #FFFFFF. Save & apply.
2
Add a burgundy accent bar
Insert → Shapes → Rectangle. Height: 6px. Width: full canvas. Fill: #C8102E. Position immediately below the title header block.
3
Add a footer with data source
Insert → Text box at the bottom of the canvas: "Source: World Happiness Report 2023 — worldhappiness.report | Visualisation by [Your Name]". Font: 9pt, grey.
4
Review all visual titles & labels
Check every visual title is turned off (we use manual text boxes instead). Ensure all fonts are consistent — avoid mixing visual auto-titles with manual text box styles.

Colour System

RoleHexUsage
Primary#1a2340Header, bars, chart elements
Accent#C8102EKPI values, trend lines, rank #1
Background#F7F7F7Canvas background
Card BG#FFFFFFCard and visual backgrounds
Text body#1a1a1aAll body text
Muted#888888Axis labels, subtitles
Professional tip

Save your Power BI theme as a .json file — you can reuse it across all your reports without re-entering colours every time.

4.7

Exercise 7 — Final Assembly & Export

Exercise 7 Arrange, Align, and Export as PDF
1
Final layout check
Ensure element order (top to bottom): Header → Accent bar → KPI cards → Map → Bar chart + Scatter → Footer. No overlapping elements.
2
Add a narrative insight box
Insert → Text box between the map and charts. Write 2–3 sentences that interpret the data. This is the "story" of your infographic. Example: "Nordic nations dominate the top 10, consistently scoring above 7.5. Wealth explains much of the variation, but freedom and social support are equally important drivers."
3
Export to PDF
File → Export → Export to PDF. Open the PDF and verify: all visuals render clearly, no text is cut off, all titles are present.
4
Save the .pbix file
File → Save as → WHR2023-Infographic-[YourName].pbix. Both the .pbix and the exported PDF are required for submission.
Deliverable

Submit two files to the LMS before the end of class:

  • WHR2023-Infographic-[YourName].pbix
  • WHR2023-Infographic-[YourName].pdf
Self-assessment checklist
  • Does the infographic have a clear title?
  • Are there exactly 3 KPI cards with meaningful labels?
  • Does the map use a diverging colour scale?
  • Is the bar chart filtered to Top 10 and sorted?
  • Does the scatter plot have a trend line?
  • Is there a narrative insight paragraph?
  • Is the data source credited in the footer?
  • Are colours consistent throughout (max 3 colours)?
4.Q

Knowledge Check — Building in Power BI

Q1 — You want to show only the 10 worst-performing countries. Which Power BI feature do you use?
The Top N Visual Filter (Filters pane → Country name → Top N → Bottom 10) is the correct tool. It filters the visual without altering the underlying data model, keeping the rest of the report unaffected.
Q2 — A student's infographic has a bar chart with 137 bars, a scatter plot, a map, and four slicers on a single page. What is the most fundamental problem?
Slicers fundamentally change the artefact from an infographic to a dashboard. An infographic is static — remove all slicers and replace them with pre-filtered, purposeful visuals that tell a fixed story.
Section 5

Submission &
Assessment Criteria

What you will be assessed on, how to export your work, and the submission deadline.

5.1

Assessment Criteria

Criterion Weight What Markers Look For
Data Accuracy 25% KPI values are correct, Top N filter is applied correctly, visuals use appropriate aggregations
Visual Design 30% Consistent colour palette (≤3 colours), visual hierarchy, appropriate chart types, white space usage
Narrative 25% Insight paragraph is present, actionable, and specific to the data — not generic statements
Technical Execution 20% Canvas size is correct, trend line present on scatter, map uses diverging scale, footer credits source
Submission

Upload both your .pbix file and the exported .pdf to the LMS submission portal under In-Class Activity — Week [X]. Late submissions receive a 10% deduction per day.

AI Policy — Level 2 Amber

This activity is classified Level 2 Amber under Kaplan's Generative AI Policy. You may use AI tools to assist with interpreting data insights, but all Power BI work must be performed and submitted by you. AI-generated text used verbatim in your narrative paragraph must be declared.

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