Images are becoming an ever important part of a marketing strategy but developing a strong image for your brand on social media can be a challenge. With your website, you design a page and that’s it until you make a change. With social media, you constantly post new material every day. So how do you do that and make sure your channels stay consistent with your branding?
So today I want to share with you:
5 EASY TRICKS FOR BRANDING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA IMAGES LIKE A PRO
#1 – Apply Balance To Your Images
Why is balance one of the key principles of design? It’s how we as humans are wired to perceive things. When something we view matches up nice and neatly with how we expect it to be, it invokes a good feeling. And that’s what you want your audience to feel when they see your social media feed.
There are 4 different types of Balance to think about when setting up and editing your images.
1) Symmetrical Balance
This is the type you are likely to be most familiar with. If you draw a line down the centre or across the centre the other side is perfectly reflected. This creates a very calm and centered feeling for the viewer.
2) Asymmetrical Balance
This is abstract balance. There is no symmetry but instead the elements are arranged in such a way that they balance each other out.
3) Radial Balance
This is all about the spiral or circular movement of the image. The image radiates out from a central point providing a perfect balance but also movement and interest.
4) Crystallographic Balance
This is about repetition. Repeating patterns which become one giant image and act as one.
#2 – Use The Same Logo / Avatar
Make sure you have consistency across all of your social media banners. You can use a design service like Canva to keep everything together.
#3 – Limit Your Typefaces
You should only work with 3 typefaces and they should be consistent with your website if possible. Users are going to click from your social media channels onto your website and they expect a consistent and fluid journey.
High bounce rates usually happen when this journey is interrupted and the user arrives on a page they weren’t expecting. So just take a moment now and scroll your feeds. Are your typefaces consistent? Is this an area you can start improving straight away?
What to look out for: fonts, sizing, italics / bold / underlining – make sure these are consistent!
#4 – Important Elements = Biggest Fonts
What is the goal of your image? What information do you want to get across, and what action do you want the viewer to take. Make sure your most important elements are in the biggest fonts.
It’s easy to get swept away in content creation mania. But, take just 30 seconds of time on each image and ask yourself – what I am trying to achieve here? You’ll be surprised how quickly your click through and engagement will improve by applying this one simple tactic.
#5 – When In Doubt, Simplify
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” – Leonardo Da Vinci.
It is much better to have an image with just a few words and space around it, than a paragraph of information. If you’re familiar with Leonardo’s The Vitruvian Man you’ll understand the true depth of this statement. The Vitruvian Man is an extremely complicated concept and political statement portrayed in a simple symmetrical design which has stood the test of time.
Simplicity is memorable. Simplicity works.
