For my infographic, I wanted to make sure to include some of the important information I found during research and find strong connections between my articles, while still keeping the design simple, engaging, and easy for the audience to read.

For the actual design of the infographic, I decided to divide my articles into six different sections. This way the information from each article could be clearly read by my audience and I could choose a small piece of clipart for each section.

To make connections between articles, I used simple, dark grey arrows to tie sections together. The dark color makes the connections noticeable and appear very intentional to the reader of the infographic. They are also very easy to see and the short descriptions next to each arrow make my connections very easy for the reader, or viewer, of my infographic to understand.

I purposefully used contrasting colors and white text to make my design pop and make important information stand out. I also used simple clip art to highlight some of the important themes that were used in the articles. I also wanted to use muted colors to stick to the overall theme of mental health.

Throughout my infographic, I provided both the positive and negative effects of music on mental health. One article showed that there is a possibility a life filled with music can lead to an increase in depression and anxiety, and possibly suicide. Other articles showed that music could decrease stress and anxiety in many people and lead to a healthier mental lifestyle. I wanted to include these many possibilities in order to show my audience that there are many possible answers to my initial research question and that the overall answer is inconclusive. It is impossible to choose a single side on this question because there are so many outcomes.

The type of music a person listens to can change the effects on their mental health. Metal and classic rock can increase a person’s heart rate and anxiety levels, making them more irritable or angsty. However, classical or instrumental music can have a soothing effect on a patient, decreasing their heart rate, decreasing their anxiety, while allowing them to have increased focus on different tasks they may perform.

I wanted to showcase all these possibilities that I discovered through my research into my infographic. I wanted my readers to see the great amount of effects that music can have on the mental health of individuals, while I would be able to learn and stay engaged throughout my research process. I found this topic to be of great interest to me, and I wanted to show to my readers, through my infographic, that this was a topic of importance to me that I want more people to learn about.