People using social media are surrounded by various brands and information. Due to such a competitive ecosystem on social media, many businesses often don’t get the chance to stand out. To get yourself in front of your target audience, you need to invest in visual content, as it appeals to them the most. In fact, 90% of all information that transmits to the human brain is visual. This is why you need to use graphic design in social media marketing. It will help your audience easily digest content and boost brand awareness.

But what are social media graphics? Those are pieces of visual content that can be shared through different social networks.

Social media graphics typically include Instagram Stories/Reels, TikTok videos, Facebook images, Twitter gifs, Pinterest pins, infographics on LinkedIn, and much more.

There are some other visual formats under the social media graphics umbrella. Those are digital posters, cover art, screenshots, and so on.

So, if you are serious about taking your graphic design for social media to the next level, you are in the right place. We will walk you through some essential tips to achieve great success.

Graphic Design for Social Media: 14 Tips to Follow for Success

Below, we have put together a few useful tips. Getting to know them might help you get some idea of what is trending and collect some inspiration for your social media graphics. Let’s start!

1. Choose Vivid Colors

Color is one of the essential factors in creating engaging social media post designs. According to the research, when people try to remember information, color has a huge influence. It helps them to recall information easily.

To make your brand easily recognized, choose bright and bold colors to draw people’s attention to your page, but make sure not to overuse them. Too many bright colors can make your page look messy and chaotic.

2. Use Icons

Icons are one of the popular trends in graphic design for social media.

They’re simple yet powerful when it comes to getting your message and grabbing attention to your post. When using icons, make sure they reflect the topic of your content.

Social media icons are widely used on social media platforms like Instagram. Many famous people use icons as covers for their Story Highlights. They usually save important stories in this section so that newcomers can easily access them and learn more about the brand or the person.

3. Pick Fonts that Reflect Your Brand Personality

Just like every color has a personality, the same is true for fonts.

There are two important aspects you need to consider while picking fonts:

• Readability
• Brand personality

It is recommended to avoid fonts that will make it harder for the users to read. Or, even worse, you should not use a font that has nothing to do with your brand personality.

Keep your typography basic by combining typefaces that suit each other and your brand. However, you can also experiment with font styles and sizes to draw attention to and highlight specific parts of your social media graphics.

4. Use Text Wisely

When using visual content with text together, it is essential to keep a balance between them. Adding long and complicated text to your social media graphics may be hard to follow. To prevent overdoing your image, it is better to use no more than two lines of text. Don’t use fluff words. Instead, focus on presenting your idea concisely. Such content is more likely to increase engagement and boost social shares and backlinks.

5. Visualize Important Data With Infographics and Charts

One of the most effective and versatile types of social media graphics you can create is an infographic, graph, or chart to visualize complex information.

If you have written an interesting blog article backed up with data, you have probably already used a graph in the article. Why not use that on social media?

With charts, graphs, and infographics, you can easily convert key information to your audience. And if it’s interesting enough, they will want to click to learn more.

Apart from being highly informative, they are also eye-catchy and easy to create. With so many graphic design tools, it has become significantly easier to create such visuals and share them across social media platforms.

6. Use High-Quality Visuals

Since visual content is highly engaging, you need to make sure that you’re not posting poor-quality infographics or images that are out-of-focus.

Customers are demanding, and they are looking for only high-quality photos and videos. If you cannot take high-quality photos yourself, make use of stock image websites where you can find many good-quality visuals.

7. Optimize Image Size for Each Platform

Since most people use social media on their mobiles, make sure your social media graphics are suitable for smaller devices. In other words, make sure to optimize image size for every platform.

As for the size, each social media channel has its own recommended image sizes. For example, Instagram’s feed ratio is 1:1, whereas designing for Twitter requires 2:1.

8. Create a Visual Hierarchy

Not all brands realize the significance of building a visual hierarchy when designing graphics.

And what is a visual hierarchy? It’s the order of different design elements in a way that grabs attention to the essential message first. It’s like guiding people on what to focus on.

Most people use social media using their smartphones, which means that not creating a visual hierarchy will confuse people. They might even skip your post.

You can create a visual hierarchy by adding elements in the right sizes and using contrast, typefaces, and colors to structure your design.

9. Create Eye-Catchy Illustrations

Illustrated social media graphics are one of the popular trends in graphic design for social media you should not overlook.

They are more fun and look more visually appealing. Illustrations can take different forms. You can use illustrations for your social media ads and posts. You can also create illustrated infographics to present complex information.

10. Use Social Media Templates

If you have little or almost no experience in graphic design for social media, using pre-made templates can help you achieve great results.

Such templates can save you a lot of time. However, it does not mean you should forget about your branding, colors, and typefaces. Even if you decide to use a template, make sure to add your branding assets.

11. Keep Branding Consistent Across Social Media Platforms

Social media is full of information, and this is why it’s crucial to include brand elements in your graphics and establish a solid brand identity to stay on top of the minds of users.

Branding elements include your logo design, colors, and typefaces. However, this does not mean you should crowd all your social media graphics with branding elements. The key is to incorporate branding elements subtly, so people immediately understand it is your brand without being told.

12. Use CTA Buttons

Stunning social media graphics will draw users’ attention, but they are not enough to encourage people to take the desired action. This is why you need to add a call-to-action button. It should be in every graphic. Above all, it needs to be compelling, so use the right colors, clear typefaces, and persuasive text.

13. Post Diverse Visual Content

If you want your users to be happy, make sure to provide them with quality content consistently. You should also diversify your content to keep your audience engaged.

Content can take different forms:

• Tips
• Introductions to team members
• Videos
• Stories
• Reels
• Infographics
• Digital posters

The list is endless! You can come up with your own content types and use them as long as they resonate well with your audience.

14. Evaluate Your Results

If you want to have great success on social media, you need to keep track of your analytics to understand how your content performs. It will give you insights into key social media metrics and help you find out the pain points. This way, you will be able to make changes and create content your audience is interested in.

Summary

Nowadays, there is fierce competition among brands on social media. Each of them wants to grab people’s attention. Only compelling visual graphics will help you stand out from the crowd. Even though the above-discussed can serve as a starting point for you, keep in mind that there is no universal graphic design strategy to use for your social media. You need to tailor these tips to your specific goals and requirements, and above all, don’t be afraid of experimenting with and testing different graphics.