9 Tips for Creating Social Media Graphics

Graphics are the most important part of all social media platforms. They have a greater effect on the viewer than content that is purely textual. Humans, by nature, are visual learners. Considering that more and more people have been taking to social media, social media graphics play a crucial role in advancing your business online.

Social media content creation should be an integral part of any marketing strategy.

That said, creating fascinating and attractive social media post designs can be a complex and time-consuming process. But you have no reason to worry, as in this blog, we have put together some invaluable tips for social media graphic design.

What Are Social Media Graphics?

Social media content writing and visuals go hand in hand. They complement each other. Social media graphics encompass any images, GIFs, videos, and other forms of visuals that you see on Facebook, Instagram, or Linkedin and other social media platforms. As is self-explanatory, they are the visual part of a social media post. For your social media posts to be engaging, they need to have an interesting visual component.

Thanks to people’s dwindling attention spans online, it has become imperative to catch the users’ attention in the quickest way possible. And the best way to do this is through social media graphics.

Catchy social media post designs create brand recognition. They help your brand connect with the audience better. This, in turn, has a positive effect on your bottom line. Well-designed social media graphics can help you portray your brand more professionally online. So, make social media graphic design your priority.

9 Best Design Tips for Social Media Graphics

Below, we list a few key tips to remember when designing social media graphics.

1. Choose colors wisely

Color is one of the most important aspects of graphic design. They act as a focal point in an image. They have the capacity to evoke and influence emotions. Consequently, they influence how the viewer perceives your brand. Therefore, it is essential to put thought into how you use colors in your social media post designs.

Color theory

To understand which colors to use in your design, you can refer to color theory. It is the study of how humans perceive particular colors, and how they, in turn, impact the former.

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Color combinations and palettes

Once you identify the emotions you want to depict, you can choose colors that go well with each other. This will add to the aesthetic value of your graphic design.

2. Create a balanced design

Balance is how different elements are distributed across the design. It is a design principle many swear by. There can be different types of balance when it comes to graphic design. Having a balanced design increases its aesthetic value, and viewers spend more time looking at what pleases their eyes.

Symmetrical balance

Symmetry and order are important aspects of any design. Symmetrical design will almost always be balanced. It gives equal weight to each element of the design.

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Asymmetrical balance

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Asymmetrical designs can be interesting and catchy. In asymmetrical balance, the elements on both sides of the design may be uneven, but they contribute to an overall balanced design.

3. Pay attention to typography

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Typography is one of the most important elements of any social media post design. Fonts should be chosen keeping readability in mind. Do not use a lot of typefaces, and adjust the space between two letters (kerning) so that your text is legible. Apart from their aesthetic appeal, typography also influences the message, tone, and placement of your visual.

Here are some examples of fonts you can use for your social media graphics.

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4. Create visual hierarchy

There are a lot of elements in a design, including images, text, colors, and more. And each may have varying levels of importance. This is what makes visual hierarchy so important. It entails arranging the design elements in their order of importance.

Identify the goal of your social media design, and choose and arrange elements according to that. Use the most important element as the focal point of your design. Look at the following example to understand what a good hierarchical design can look like:

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5. Decide the flow of the graphic

Have you seen designs where text is placed so randomly that how you read it changes the meaning of the sentence? That is what happens if your graphic does not have a direction. Flow, in this case, dictates the sequence in which you want your readers to look at each element of the graphic. Decide on the flow you want your readers to follow, and position the elements accordingly.

6. Use white space wisely

White space is the blank space between the different elements of your design. It exists not just because you have no element to fill it with. Its purpose is also to aid in easy comprehension and visual relief. It is said to create harmony and balance. White space can also be used to direct the flow of the design, which was discussed in the previous point.

7. Maintain consistency in your designs

It is important to have a consistent motif or theme in all your designs so that the viewers can start associating your images with your brand. You can create templates to maintain consistency and uniformity. Consistent design can be the key to your branding success.

For instance, take a look at Better Nature’s Instagram feed to see what a feed with consistent design looks like:

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8. Make it share-worthy

You want your design to reach a large number of people for brand awareness. This can be done by making a design that is share-worthy. Make your feed resourceful so that users would want to visit it for information. Not only this, distinguish your feed from others’ by incorporating styles, symbols, and colors specific to your brand.

9. Link the graphics to your website

You should link your social media graphics to the website of your company. According to Canva, if you have an image that links to your website, the site rating bumps up in SERPs.

To make an effective social media design, make sure you follow the important principles of graphic designing. Focus on balance, colors, typography, and direction to create an engaging post. Be consistent, and make your designs such that people would want to share them widely.

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