Infographic shines light on heartbreaking impact of violence on sexual minority youth

Too many infographics are painful to look at because they are so poorly executed. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s infographic is painful in a productive way. It’s brilliantly conceived and executed—so much so that it’s won first place in the “Infographic” category of the 2016 PR Daily Awards.

This infographic is indeed painful: It presents heartbreaking data on the high burden of violence on sexual minority youth, focusing on three areas: teen dating violence, school violence, and suicide. 

Employing a common and effective approach, the infographic compares the level of violence to LGBT youth to what occurs with heterosexual students. The infographic uses five original illustrated characters in various situations, describing approaches and actions designed to put an end to the violence. 

The launch and promotion of the infographic ensured it was included in a variety of relevant CDC sites (such as VetoViolence, a Facebook page). The reach achieved by the infographic was impressive, bolstered by the use of a hashtag. 

Congratulations to Marie Ballman for a compelling and noteworthy example of an infographic done right.