What stops the scroll? On social media, you’re not only working to appease the algorithms, but you must also find a way to stop users from mindlessly scrolling through their feeds long enough to engage with your content. Well-crafted and eye-catching graphics and videos are the key.
Your visual content is an essential component of your social media strategy. It must be on-brand and eye-catching, leading people to stop scrolling and read your content.
In this article, we’ll share our expert advice on how you can design social media graphics that support your brand and start conversations and engagement.
Understand your audience and platform for eye-catching social media designs
The first step is to understand your audience. Do some research to learn where they spend their time online and what content they usually interact with. You don’t need to be on every social media platform, but pick the ones your target audience frequents most. To find this, look at your competitors and their followers to learn more about your own audience.
Understanding the technical requirements is important as they may inform your design. Each platform has different image size and orientation requirements, and they update often. Sprout Social’s blog does a good job of summarizing current social media image sizes.
If you post similar content on multiple social media sites, you may need to create images of different sizes for each account. Design software like Canva can help, as it automatically creates multiple-sized images (you’ll need to invest in the paid version to get this premium feature).
Use brand consistency to build recognition
Your social media should support your brand and help build brand awareness, recognition, and consistency. Every image or visual element used on your social accounts should adhere to your visual brand guidelines.
Create social media design guidelines to outline how to apply your brand to social graphics. These guidelines will likely include rules for colours, fonts, and imagery. Choose fonts and colours that provide good contrast and are easily read on mobile devices and screens. Sans serif fonts (Verdana, Arial) are often best for screens.
We suggest creating graphic templates in Photoshop or Canva to ensure consistency in design. Templates make creating images so much faster than creating them from scratch.
Focus on high-quality visuals and graphics
A mistake many businesses make on social media is treating it too casually. Social media is a casual communication channel but shouldn’t be confused with having permission to post poor-quality visuals.
Your social media should use imagery that aligns with your brand guidelines. Typically, use your professional imagery and graphics as much as possible. However, in posts where you’re trying to show behind the scenes, you can get away with slightly more casual images from your smartphone.
Incorporate white space and visual hierarchy for eye-catching social media designs
Imagery space on social media is limited. Don’t give in to the urge to fill every available image space. White (or negative) space is your friend. Our minds are already overstimulated when scrolling social media feeds. Don’t add to the overwhelm by adding another busy graphic. Simple is better on social media.
If you need to include more details or information in your social images, try uploading multiple images (known as a “carousel” on some platforms) or posting a simple graphic rather than filling it with lots of text.
When designing the placement of elements in your images, be aware of eye paths. Include your most important information on the left side or top left of the image. This is because our brain typically processes images in one of two patterns:
- F Path: The eye starts on what they see on the left side of the image, then along the top, and across the middle.
- Z Path: The eye starts at the top left of the image, moves to the top right, and then to the bottom left and bottom right.
Optimize for mobile viewing
In Q3 2024, over 61% of all web traffic was from mobile devices. This number has been rising year after year. This means most social media users will view your posts on their mobile devices. As a result, consider how your social media designs will be viewed on these small devices.
Upload mobile-friendly designs for social media. This means keeping your designs simple and text size larger. Choose a focal point for every image and minimize too many additional or distracting elements on your graphic. Every element should serve a purpose and not be added simply because it “looks good.”
We recommend limiting your social media graphics to 4 basic elements at most:
- A graphic or image
- Your logo
- 1 short line of text
- A call to action
Add engaging elements like motion and interactivity
Another great way to attract attention on social media is to include engaging elements like motion and interactivity. Moving elements grab our attention and make us stop. Experiment using animations (Canva is an excellent tool for creating these), relevant gifs, and short videos.
Tell a story
Use your social media designs to tell a story. Images can convey emotions, moods, and messaging. Sometimes, they can be more effective than words!
Always choose your images carefully and ask yourself, “What am I saying with this picture?” For example:
- An image of an actual customer using your product or service shows authenticity and adds social proof of your value.
- An image of your staff tells a story of your company culture.
- An image without gender or cultural diversity may say you’re not inclusive.
Ensure that what you’re saying and implying in your social media designs is on-brand and on-message for the best results.
Why eye-catching social media design is essential
Your visual content should complement your written caption. The right eye-catching designs have the power to “stop the scroll” and get people paying attention. Once you have their attention, use your words and designs wisely to avoid overwhelming, boost your brand image, and encourage social engagement.
Stay current on the latest social media marketing strategy and design trends to ensure that changes in user behaviour and technical requirements (like image size) are considered.
If creating social media content and graphics still feels too far outside your wheelhouse, the social media and graphic experts at Picnic would be happy to help. We can help you plan, design, and execute a robust social media strategy that helps you meet your business and brand goals.
Book a complimentary discovery call with Picnic today to learn how we can help you increase your reach with great social media content and designs.
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