Social media graphic post design has always been a big part of social networking, and the growth of platforms like Instagram shows that the trend continues. It is well-known that posts in nearly all social networks perform better if they contain great imagery. There are many sources of good-quality, royalty-free images on the internet. But great companies excel through customized, original images and graphic design that draws the engagement from their audience.
Here, let’s take a look at the top social media graphic design tips from Socinova’s professional graphic designers. Here you will find out what it takes to create social media graphics that your audience is sure to click on.
1. Determine the Goal
Determining the goal of social media graphic design is like drawing up a blueprint for a house; the goal or purpose of the design is to set the stage for the entire creative process. Social media is filled with content trying to get attention, so it’s best to produce engaging visuals that appeal directly to the audience you’re trying to attract. No social media posts design will ever satisfy all 2.62 billion networking site users. But that’s all right; you only need to hit your target market (a tiny fraction of the entire social networking population).
To decide the purpose of your social media graphic design, ask yourself the following questions:
- Who’s my target audience for this design?
- What social media sites do my ideal customers use on a regular basis?
- What tool does my target audience use to access social media content?
- What’s the message I’m trying to spread with this graphic on social media?
- Which kind of emotion do I want to evoke from viewers?
- What action do I want users to take after seeing this design?
Determining why you are creating a graphic design for social media – that is, the goal – is the first and most important step in the creative process. All design elements will be chosen to reflect and support this purpose.
2. Size Matters
The second step in the graphic design of your social media posts is to decide the exact size of the canvas.
Each social platform — such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Twitter — requires photos with different specifications and image styles. Identify which platform(s) you want to share your designs before you start the design.
You’re going to have to resize the image to match the different sizes of each platform you’re planning to share your post on. It may sound time-consuming, but a quick size check might make a difference between the cutting out of the most critical design feature and the flawless user experience.
Social platforms vary the size and type of graphics they support from time to time, so get familiar with the latest requirements of and platform you use. You can use a tool like Canva to design graphics exactly as per the size recommended by various social networks.
3. Tell Your Message Visually
Most people click through social media links somewhat distracted and only for a few minutes at a time. Using graphics – such as real stock images or informative illustrations – with minimal text can help you catch their attention and tell the story as easily as possible.
Statistics clearly show that humans extract information more effectively when combined with relevant graphics. This makes sense because of the way our brains interpret language; each language character must be interpreted as a separate picture in your brain before the meaning of each word as a whole can be interpreted.
Pick a image that evokes the same emotion you want the viewer to experience. You can add a visual point of pain that your target audience is experiencing or a visual point of pain that is being resolved/relieved. Instead, you may just want to evoke enough interest to make the viewer click on your content.
4. Good Contrast is the Secret Behind Great Design
The right combination of light and darkness will bring to life every graphic design on social media.
Combine contrasting colours to make your social media graphic design a scroll-stopper. Colours that contradict each other on the colour wheel are the most eye-catching colour combinations. Many of the opposite colour pairs are pinkish-red with aqua blue, light green with magenta, and bright yellow with purple plum.
Try using colours that suit the brand name of the social networking site you’re using, such as the Pinterest red logo or the Facebook blue logo. You’re already competing for attention with other ad colour schemes – so don’t compete with the colours of the social network itself, too!
5. Research the Business Visual Identity
Build a better user interface by researching the visual identity of a company before you start selecting the design elements.
The best way to learn the visual identity of a brand is to refer to their branding guide. The Branding Guide is a series of pre-selected fonts, colour schemes, design elements, logo variants, and sample graphics that accurately reflect a brand.
Following a branding guide that your design team has created is the best way to ensure that the guidelines are enforced. It will help you provide clear imagery and design elements that your audience will instantly connect with your brand. Target has maintained brand continuity for years by developing all their logos using their signature red font, sufficient white space, and bullseye-like style elements.
Hundreds of other brands are out there using the same stock images. Hence, we highly recommend hiring a social media agency that can create custom branded graphics for you.
But if you do not wish to hire an agency and go the DIY way, you can still make your company stand apart on social media.
If you follow the tips given on this page, you can create stand-alone social media posts that catch the attention of your audience.
Great social media graphic design provides many advantages for your company:
- Grabbing the attention of users in a busy social environment
- Adding to your company’s reputation and character
- Demonstrating knowledge, quality and passion
- Showcasing products effectively
- Improving the performance of paid advertising
Social media is more popular than ever, so we’re we want to help your company get the most out of your online presence. Whether you’re a busy business owner, or simply new to business, you know social media is important; you just don’t have the time to get in. If you want your business to grow on social media you WILL need high-quality, customised posts designs.
Here's a package we recommend:
- Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn included
- Initial campaign strategy
- 12 custom branded image posts with engaging text captions
- 1 custom branded vertical video produced digitally with Canva
- 2 sponsored posts on Facebook/Instagram
- $30 Facebook ad spend included
- Community management (5 responses a day)
- Monthly content calendar
- Approve/edit posts before they are published
- Monthly social media analytics
- Dedicated account manager
- Relevant hashtags
- Unlimited chat & email support
Social Media Posts We've Created Recently
Our results speak for themselves!
These numbers are just a small chunk of our success stories. Let's start with your chapter!
6,500+
Social media posts done each month
Our exposure to different clients and industries helps us create engaging content throughout the year!
75,580+
Leads generated
We help to build an efficient lead generation process through our content marketing strategies.
425,000+
Hours of expertise
Our expertise helps our clients get stellar results from social media!
25-50%
Average website traffic growth
Our regular content posting has been proven to increase website traffic for most clients!
Success Stories & Reviews
Social Media
700+
Social Media Posts
57%
Overall Growth in Social Engagement
Social Media
Content Marketing
300+
Instagram Posts
1100%
Increase in Website Clicks
Social Media
Website
235%
Growth in Video Views
82%
Increase in Social Engagement
Explore Our Quick Links
Reviews from Facebook and Google
Renee Walker
Meaza Orokii
Mike SMITH
Ronnie Fulton
Mark Connect
Sanatosha Sewar
Dannielle MacDonald
Emma McMahon
Joshua Sunny Chuah
Dax Robinson
Raffie Conca
Alex Massa Jr.
Follow us on Instagram
