I have been with Action Hampshire for just over 4 months now as a Communications Assistant. Within my role, one of my main tasks is being involved heavily in the organisation’s social media- whether that be designing graphics, finding relevant content, keeping up to date with other accounts we are affiliated with or just keeping on top of trends!
Now, I know that when creating any graphics for social media sometimes It can be like you don’t know where to start! There are so many directions you can take to try and achieve the final product and there is no select structure you have to follow. The whole essence of being creative is allowing yourself to live freely within the parameters of your topic/brand/business. But what I have found helpful is these few tips that I follow when getting into the mindset of creating any graphics for social media and hope that if there is anyone out there currently struggling with how to start or looking for any tips that this can be a helpful resource!
1 – Set your image size!
The first thing before you even start creating is setting up your workspace, whether that be in Photoshop, Illustrator, Canva or any other application that you choose to use. Setting your dimensions is rule number 1: the last thing you want to do is create something then have to go back and resize it just for it to look stretched or squashed! You don’t want to have to compromise your idea and working in the wrong dimensions can vastly affect that- think of it as like you’re cutting out a piece of paper to then draw on. If you need to make it bigger, its going to look odd by adding extra pieces of paper to that sheet. Or if you were to cut it down to size, you could lose potentially integral parts of your work.
So for reference on Facebook here are the dimensions that you can use for posting –
Facebook Cover Size (Banner or Header): 828 x 315 pixels
Facebook Profile Picture Size: 160 x 160 pixels
Facebook Post Image Size: If you upload a square image the recommended sizes are 720 pixels, 960 pixels, and 2,048 pixels
Facebook Ad Standard Image Size: 1200 x 628 pixels
2 – Know your aesthetic
Branding is key within social media- it gives you the possibility to reach a mass amount of people for effectively nothing, so being able to keep within the aesthetical parameters is a must. This is one of the points I have personally struggled with! As a creative, you feel like you want to be able to have the freedom to be able to just create, create, create and whatever comes out is something you feel is eye-catching and work to be proud of. As much as I am a huge advocate for all those things, consistency is key: having something certain colours, fonts and a logo within your graphics creates that familiarity within your work. This makes sure that the audience can attribute the graphic back to your brand, even if the topic of the content may be something that might be different than what you’re usually posting about. Keeping the level of familiarity and consistency is a big must! In a weird way, the discipline of that gives you more freedom within the creative process and will drive forward the quality of your social media to any new audience members as it will look professional.
3 – Don’t be afraid of templates!
I know there is a certain stigma around using pre-made templates in design applications. Within pretty much all graphic design platforms, there is a wide variety of pre-made and pre-packaged templates which are there for all to use. It’s seen by some as a cheap easy way to get content out, and some feel it’s very ‘cookie cutter’ by the fact that anyone could then be using the same design as that.
However, my view on it is that yes, it can be used incorrectly if you’re constantly using pre-made templates from the platforms for all your content, by nature will become very stale and then anyone else can copy what you’re doing as it’s accessible to all on those platforms. But if you’re totally stuck on an idea or just want a new source of inspiration, then by all means look at the templates! They’re usually very well put together and taking one and editing it to make it your own is something I think can be powerful. The influence that templates can give you can spur on your creativity to new levels, just by looking at them and thinking “maybe I could try that here” or “I like how that’s laid out, maybe I could try something like that in this graphic” it’s a resource that is there and it’s free. So, I implore you to use it to your advantage and forget that stigma!
4 – Use a platform you are comfortable with
Where we live in a digital age where there are numerous graphic design platforms at your fingertips, it’s almost like being spoilt for choice. There are obviously some platforms that are more interactive than others, some which cater more to the level that you feel like you are at. But rather than go in and think “I must use photoshop for making all content” if you feel more at ease within Canva, then do that. Not one platform is better than the other it’s not only subjective to the work you’re doing but it’s also down to where you feel able to create. It’s much better to create something in Canva where you feel more freedom than trying photoshop and feeling lost. Embracing creativity is all about using the tools in front of you and if you don’t know how those tools work, your creativity will feel like it’s being culled. So, stick with your gut! But if you’re completely unsure here is a list of some platforms you can investigate the following:
Photoshop – the most popular photo editing software tool in the market in a robust package that offers excellent graphic design capabilities.
Canva – The best drag-and-drop Adobe alternative, with the option to upgrade to their pro service
GIMP – Free & Open Source Image Editor
Befunky – Easy to use in browser editor
5 – Less is more
Unlike Twitter where you have a character limit and Instagram where links don’t work within posts, Facebook is the best of both worlds. Yes, Facebook does have a character limit, but it’s 63,206 so you have a lot of room to play with there! Also, you can put links within the description of posts as well. This means the graphic should be like a blurb for a book. A small relevant insight into what it is you’re wanting to talk about.
The trap that some designers fall into is almost ‘overcooking’ their content. You’re more likely to get an audience engaging with your content if it’s more direct. That doesn’t mean you can’t have freedom within your work, it’s all about playing with the space not filling in with anything and everything. For example, if you’re creating a post about a new scarf your brand is promoting, Facebook’s algorithm is more likely to push your content as a priority if it has faces within the image. The algorithm responds well to that. Meaning a picture of just the scarf being worn with a load of brightly coloured graphics around it, although it’s somewhat eye-catching and in your face. This may come across as messy and won’t fair well algorithmically.
Plus, you want to focus on what you’re trying to portray. Minimal is a much better angle to take purely because the focus then is on specifically tailored (by you!) and will be easier to replicate.
For example, if you look at Coca-Cola’s Instagram and Facebook accounts their content very rarely has a lot going on within the graphics. The focus is on the background and the product/person. They frequently utilise faces as well within their content. As an example, a video of singer ‘Halsey’ promoting one of their drinks has over 47,000 hits: the thumbnail and content are based around her face and then also bringing the product into the shot. Whereas a video with just a slow-motion spin of the can and some music behind has 27,500 and neither of these posts is boosted or run through an ad campaign. Both are purely organic! Obviously, the video with a celebrity by nature will do well, however, the 19,500 extra hits will also be attributed to the content itself.
So, in summary, focus on the initial anchor for your work and then build out. You don’t want to feel like you’re having to squeeze in your focus point.
Hopefully this helps!
