Everybody is on social media. I mean… almost 3000 billion users on Facebook means something, right? If you have a business or you want to communicate something, you must have an active account on popular social media platforms like Instagram. It might be free, but it's not easy to run a social media account properly. There are certain rules that you can't avoid. In this guide, you'll find the best social media graphic design tips to make your account stand out.
The Top Notch Social Media Graphic Design Tips
1. Have clear goals
Your content is directed to specific people: your target audience. You should always aim to impress and engage with this group. While the creative process of your content, you should thoroughly think about the message you are sending. Also, analyze what are you trying to communicate and what response you expect. Remember that people are waiting for your content and you can't let them down. Always consider CTA (Call To Action) when making a post, will it call your audience to something more than just watching? Another important aspect to think about is in which type of devices will your content be seen, this will help you choose certain visual elements that are suitable for the aimed devices. If you have clear goals you'll not only have better results but also the creative process will be much more dynamic and efficient. This will also help you have a certain order and equilibrium on the post you make, if you have defined goals it means that all your posts will have the same direction and aim.
2. Be careful with the format
The format of your post will depend on the social network you're targeting. Social media platforms now adapt their image specifications to user devices. Keep the format in mind at all times. Think about the devices that, in addition to the social platform, your audience may use throughout the conceptualization phase of your creative process. Aim for a design that is simple to optimize for different formats to improve your process. Depending on the type of post, you might need to modify the image if you plan to upload it to various channels. It's similar to designing a single postcard that can be placed in many envelopes. Although it may seem tiresome, it's a good habit to focus on developing. The optimal size and types of graphics that social media networks support can occasionally change, so make sure to adapt your design when these changes take effect. Going directly to the source is the greatest option for discovering the most recent suggested post sizes. For instance, Twitter has a user-friendly list of advertiser creative specs, LinkedIn has a handy cheat sheet, and Facebook offers a comprehensive Facebook Ads Guide. Pick your opponent! The internet is also rife with helpful collections; Sprout Social's constantly updated guide offers a brief overview of the image specifications of the most popular social networks.
Paying extra attention to the format is one of the most important social media graphic design tips.
3. Short texts
Experienced social media marketers are aware of Facebook's policy stating that text should not take up more than 20% of an ad image. In 2020, they lifted that ban. L limiting the amount of text in photos is still a good idea. If you want to express something, utilize captions. If possible, use pictures, these are worth 1000 words. However, there are certain exceptions to this "law." Certain posts are meant to be clear proclamations: Christmas sale! In these cases, we should take extra care of typography and make it count.
4. Respect the brand
The most popular social media sites are free. Visual unity is a key aspect of standing out and setting your brand apart. Remember that a brand guide is crucial if you want to build a strong presence.
A brand guide is a selection of chosen fonts, color palettes, visual elements, logos, and graphics that represent a brand.
I recommend having an A/B test, this will let you find the posts that perform the best by just reviewing your social media stats from the past. This will give you worthy information that'll help you do your future posts better. Out of all the social media graphic design tips, this is the one that will help you the most with brand identity.
5. Keep it simple
The majority of social media users prefer using these on their phones. A phone screen is considerably smaller than a desktop so don't fill your designs with unnecessary elements that will clutter the whole product. Keep it simple!
To avoid this, for example, you can use 2 or 3 font choices. Using the correct font pairing and not too much text is a great way of keeping your design simple including important information. Color is crucial for simplicity. Always stick to simple pallets, and don't make weird combinations. Keeping your colors similar and simple will make your design much more harmonic. Always remember, blank spaces can be used as a resource, these will help you direct your audience's attention to the important information. Lastly, always remember to have one clear message, you can't put a bunch of information together in one post. If you don't keep your posts clear and simple, users won't be attracted to read them.
6. Keep up with trends
Keeping up with the latest design trends is fundamental for any type of graphic designer. Social media has its own rules. Trends change and everyone must be aware. An example of this is memes. Almost every week a new meme template becomes popular. That is your chance to exploit each meme and attract more users. We can see it in big companies, whenever they see an opportunity to relate their brand with a meme, they take it. Another important point is hashtags. Good use of hashtags means more audience. Keep updated with which are the trending topics and throw in some hashtags.
Final thoughts
In a world where everybody and everything is on social media, we can't be the exception. Not only that, we need to stand out. That's why in this post, we talked about the best social media graphic design tips that will help your account have consistency and be unique. Remember that social media trends constantly change, keep yourself updated and follow these tips.
