So much of social media’s appeal is the way things look. Your audience is going to be spending so much time scrolling through their various feeds, that when they eventually come across your piece of content, you need it to stand out. You need it to wow. To stick. And to inspire action within that person.
Graphic design plays such a big role in creating effective social media content because the visual look and feel of that content plays such a big role in how people respond to it. Great social media content requires a trained eye to create, so that it seamlessly represents your brand, captures your audience’s attention, and effectively conveys the required information.
Amanda Harbrow knows a thing or two about creating visually striking social media content. She is a Brisbane graphic designer and owner of Harbrow Creations. In her own words:
“Social media is a free marketing tool that’s available to anyone with access to the internet. That’s why it’s overloaded with enormous amounts of content every day. And because of that, you need to stand out from the crowd by creating a strong brand image and building brand awareness.”
Let’s take a look at what Amanda has to say about the role of graphic design in creating effective social media content.
Making Sure Everything Flows
So, what role does graphic design play when used as a part of a content marketing campaign? Is it as simple as putting together some pretty pictures for your business’ social media feeds and calling it a day? Or, is there more strategy that goes into it?
According to our friend Amanda, one of the most important responsibilities is ensuring that everything is easy to follow and digest. Here are some of her key tips for making sure your social media content doesn’t get too messy:
Make sure the hierarchy of design elements flows properly
In a primarily English-speaking nation like Australia, we are taught to scan an image from left-to-right, top-to-bottom. You don’t always have to follow this exact structure, but it can be a good place to start.
Keep your text easy to read
Font should be at least 14-point so that it’s easily readable on phones, you should choose a typeface that flows nicely, and CAPITALISATION should only be used for certain words, and not full sentences.
Choose your colours wisely
Choose colours that don’t clash with each other and which highlight the text against the background. We’ve all struggled to read purple text on a red background before, so make sure your audience won’t be struggling to read your message.
All of these tips and more show why it’s important to have a professional graphic designer working to create social media content that is not only easy on the eye, but also easy to take in.
Differences Between Social Media Platforms
Social media content is an umbrella term we use to include all social media platforms. But, of course, there is a big difference between creating content on TikTok and creating content on LinkedIn. The formats have quite a big gap between them, but they also reach separate audiences.
Amanda is able to separate the different needs of branding and graphic design across social media platforms. Users on Youtube are more likely to read what’s on a video thumbnail before they click on it. Once they’re watching the video, they are also going to take in whatever text or graphics you place on screen. This is different from users on TikTok, where you only have a second or two to convince them to continue watching. Instagram places a big emphasis on the photography within an image, and less on the text, while Facebook balances these elements a bit more.
And then there’s the more technical stuff. An Instagram image is going to have different dimensions to a LinkedIn banner which will have different dimensions to a TikTok thumbnail. If you are creating content for a variety of social media platforms, then a graphic designer will know how to make each type of design sing.
Staying On Brand
Branding is everything for your business to stand out on social media. And graphic design plays a big part in bringing your branding to life on these platforms.
As Amanda points out, branding is more than just about colours and fonts – although that stuff is all important too. But branding in graphic design also includes presenting all your design elements in a way that reflects your brand’s values and personality.
Your visual social media content can be fun, it can be silly, it can be corporate, it can be sincere. It can be whatever your branding needs it to be, but you need a professional graphic designer to unlock this potential.
Social Media Management with BeKonstructive Marketing
BeKonstructive Marketing is a Brisbane digital marketing agency that is passionate about content marketing. Our team of marketers are committed to bringing your branding to life through social media content that will stick in the minds of your audience.
To find out how we can add that “wow factor” to your social media content, contact us today.
